Lilia Mashevska/ SevLia/ Abandoned

I was born in 1977 in Kharkiv, a major city in Ukraine with a population of over a million. My school days were much like everyone else’s. Higher education: ‘Mechanical Engineer’… followed many years later by ‘Philosophy’. Kharkiv Karazin University. I initially worked as a mechanical engineer at a factory, later becoming chief engineer. I got married and had three sons – I had to focus entirely on their upbringing and education. After completing my second degree, I worked at the Kharkiv newspaper ‘Insider ’, acted in the theatre, and organised festivals and poetry readings. And then the war began: the annexation of Crimea, the capture of Luhansk and Donetsk. And from 2014, my husband, as a soldier, was periodically sent to the front line. I remember his prolonged state of shock at the loss of his comrades. And then, as months and years go by, people put on their ‘armour’. It’s not that we lose our empathy… no. We simply build up a resistance to ‘staying sane and calm’; otherwise, quite simply, we wouldn’t survive. I actually saw in 2022 in Bratislava; I’d gone there for work. And in those first days of the war, or even months, I organised corridors for refugees: we transported them out of Ukraine in minibuses, private cars, trains… met them at transfer points and waystations and handed them over from one transport provider to another; that’s how we transported and resettled several hundred people across Europe. And then, humanitarian aid, donations… well, just like everyone else.

After that, I ended up in Switzerland. And my ‘host’ Swiss family took us in: Valérie and Serge Adatte. They were there for me when things were at their worst and when they started to get better… They are the people closest to my heart, whom I will always hold dear and to whom I will always be grateful for their kindness and generosity. We now live in different cantons: they in a French-speaking one, I in a German-speaking one. But my fondest memories of Switzerland from those early years are linked only to them.

Then came the projects… creative ones. I started painting and devoted myself to it completely… as I had plenty of time. My eldest son, who had been writing electronic rock tracks back in Ukraine, formed his own band here in Zurich, and they perform frequently and successfully. As for me, upon arriving in Lucerne, I founded a Ukrainian amateur theatre group called “Luart’є”.

It became quite well-known and successful, as the performances had a distinctly Ukrainian flavour but were accompanied by German subtitles for the local audience. We even organised theatrical collaborations with Ukrainian chanson singers who were touring Europe. However, as with any creative project, this required funding (from rehearsal room hire to set design). The Ukrainian Embassy in Bern ignored us, and our numerous letters requesting assistance went unanswered. Several cultural associations set up by the Swiss for Ukrainians also turned us down, citing the narrow scope of their activities (embroidery, painting, and singing). So, the project that could have represented Ukraine in Europe as a culturally significant entity had to be shut down. But all this time, through both despair and joy, I continued to paint… And I held exhibitions: Lucerne, Zug, Zurich. I won’t say they fully satisfied me, because Switzerland, no matter how you look at it, is a small country. And making a name for yourself here without the right connections is extremely difficult. But I am very grateful to it for the safety and the opportunity to create. I hope that one day this will be reciprocated.