International

From the Organizer:

On May 27 and 28, 2023, Burlington was the Capital of Africa for a Weekend.

In celebration of Africa Day 2023, area groups invited professor Gnaka Lagoke for a series of discussions on Panafricanism, including the presentation of his new book: Laurent Gbagbo's Trial and the Indictment of the International Criminal Court, A Pan-African Victory, on Sunday, May 28, at the Fletcher Free Library at 3 PM.

Sponsoring groups are the Vermont Institute for Community and International Involvement (VICII), a non-profit, educational organization based in Burlington, Vermont; Toward Freedom, a news and analysis publication offering a grassroots perspective on world events and the Caroline Fund, helping women in crisis lead healthy and productive lives.

Africa Day (formerly African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day) is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organization of African Unity on May 25, 1963. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent, as well as around the world.

Citizen Activist Sandy Baird speaks with visitors from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Judge Belfie Matulonga and Lawyer Taty Miessi, with Jules Wetchi and Eric Agnero acting as translators.

From the organizer:

Jurij Fedynskyj, a 48-year-old Ukrainian American, was born in the United States and has resided in Ukraine for the past 23 years. Jurij is a musician, researcher and instrument maker, who for decades has been reviving the lost music and spiritual tradition of the Kobzar. The Kobzar were traveling musicians, storytellers and spiritual leaders who for centuries went all around Ukraine spreading their art and wisdom.

With the rise of Stalin and the Soviet Union control over Ukraine, the Kobzar were killed, their instruments destroyed, and their traditions almost forgotten. Almost. Jurij and his colleagues work to recreate lost traditional instruments, including the kobza, the bandura and the torban.

Jurij has witnessed the current war in Ukraine first-hand. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Jurij and his fellow musicians performed at checkpoints, barracks, and shelters. Wherever possible, his guild performed for desperate civilians and soldiers alike.

On his stop in Shelburne Vermont, part of his North American Tour, Jurij carries on the Kobzar tradition, hoping to enrich the world and share the truth about what Ukraine really is through historic songs which have preserved the emotions and national character of Ukraine.

Jurij's performs his concerts for free, with donations going to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Poltava Kobzar Guild. If you wish to support Jurij, you may do so via Paypal to jurij_fedynskyj@hotmail.com or checks payable to Jurij Fedynskyj sent to 30 Cranes Nest Drive, Franklinton, NC 27525.

This recording is of a live-stream of the event by Travis Cook for Vermont Stands with Ukraine. To learn about other events supporting Ukraine in Vermont, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/991440684883728

From the organizers:

There has been no justice for the people of Tigray. The deadliest war this century, and the world is silent. The perpetrators of the genocide of the Tigray people need to be held accountable and brought to justice. We walk down Church Street in protest to a rally outside City Hall.