Host Helen Lee speaks with Maxim Dondyuk, photographer and visual artist, and his wife Irena Dondyuk, his Artistic Manager. Maxim’s professional career began in Ukrainian media as a photojournalist in 2007. He has been freelance since 2010, working on creating and promoting his own documentary projects, following the sociopolitical events in his country of Ukraine for years and expressing through the visual arts for well over a decade.
He became world famous with his interviews on CNN and his publications in Time Magazine and is currently photo-documenting the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and recording atrocities that are difficult to imagine or behold.
His accomplishments include having recently won the W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography, being a finalist in the Prix Pictet Photography Prize,and Fotoevidence Book Award, and winner of the Prix Photo La Quatrieme Image, Ville de Perpignan Remi Ochlik Award at Visa pour l’Image, a Magnum Photos Competition ‘30 under 30’ for emerging documentary photographers, and received Grand Prix ‘Best Global Health Story’ of Becton Dickinson (BD)’s 'Hope for a Healthy World Photo Competition.'
Helen, Irena and Maxim talk about the conflict, the history of Russia and Ukraine's relationship, the nature of Russia's people, Russian propaganda and control and Ukraine's spirited and crucial response to centuries of Russian aggression.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- We need to raise our level of consciousness to be much more mindful of how we treat each other including all human beings and all that lives and breathes. The conflict in Ukraine affects not only those directly involved, but everyone worldwide, as we are all connected and also in terms of the rising cost of food, oil and everything else, as inflation rises globally and some countries such as Sri Lanka are hit badly.
- Maxim has a spiritual teacher, a Buddhist monk in Thailand who teaches him Vipassana meditation, the technique of seeing things as they truly are. Irena uses yoga, and although not currently practising because of the war, both are considerably centred and calm in the midst of the war and the unimaginable stresses of their occupation.
- Their work is divided between Maxim, who creates the projects and provides the content and Irena who deals with distribution and communicating his work to the world. Maxim's work often leaves him with only two to three hours a day to even sleep, so the work of communicating is not only logistically difficult, but also impossible to complete with the time available.
- The Ukrainian army's strength and technology have angered Russia and increased their aggression in the conflict. Maxim feels the people of Russia despise Ukraine and this is not a war to gather resources or land, but to destroy and suppress Ukraine's individual culture.
- Years of Russian propaganda and the assumption that Ukrainian Crimean territory is theirs mean Maxim and Irena feel that most of the Russian people are in support of the war despite the looming threat of conscription. Only those that perceive Putin's lies are against the war and they are very small in number.
- To them, Russian history is manipulated and shaped only to support Russian ideology so the people of Russia are fully behind the war. Information is rigidly controlled.
- During their three-year stay in Asia, Irena and Maxim found cultures that are much more in harmony with nature and connection with everything that exists in the world.
- When we know who we really are, beyond the mere human personality, including the soul and spirit or pure consciousness that we all are, we would not only gain for ourselves the freedom that we are meant to have but will share this freedom with all living things as well.
- Unity seems to be the key to dealing with the effects of this war as well as the war itself, but are human beings spiritual mature enough and ready to think "unity consciousness" and pull together? By abandoning our scarcity consciousness which makes us compete and war for resources, and loving freely by loving ourselves unconditionally and loving all living things as well, we can move away from war and deal with and prevent problems like pandemics and economic downturns together, in unison and harmony.
BEST MOMENTS
‘What is happening in the Ukraine is relevant not only for Ukrainians but for all of humanity and the whole world. All living things are connected and what happens to some people affects everyone else in some way or other.’ – Helen
‘From time to time we have some difficulties, of course, during the work but in general, we just try to support each other in every step, whether Maxim needs my help or whether I need his help.’ – Irena
‘It’s like some angry man who tried to do something and somebody beat him. They’re angry, but they cannot do anything in the frontline. They try but it's not possible because now, the Ukrainian army is stronger and stronger.’ – Maxim
‘If now we just make some peace, after a decade they again start this war. They do it all the time. So, Russia is a huge country but it is weak because of big corruption and with their army, maybe not so professional.’ – Maxim
‘They (Russians) are really happy about this war and they think that Ukraine as a country never existed and we are part of their country and we need to give back. They believe the things that the Russian propaganda says on TV and so on.’ – Irena
‘For me, I am on the side of humanity rather than a nation. But, if one nation is committing these things, then it is against humanity and it needs to be corrected, basically, because we are moving towards a time when there has to be freedom and justice and equality for all, not only all human beings but even all living things.’ – Helen
‘This is what we can see with the story of Chernobyl. It's 25 years have passed since the explosion and when you come to Chernobyl now, you can see a lot of animals, a lot of birds, and thriving plants. But people still can’t live there....we need to find a way to change our behaviour.’ – Irena
'I'm sure this situation (war in Ukraine) ends immediately in one day, something happens and the next day, the war is finished.' – Maxim
'For us, we cannot go to another country. We don't have a choice. Even if we stop this war, my hometown is occupied, my house has been destroyed, my parents are homeless, and we decide to resist how long we can resist.' – Maxim
"For us, we need to liberate (ourselves). They (Russians) occupy 20% of our area (country) for the second time. If now we just sign some peace, we know after five or ten years, they will try to occupy more area.' – Maxim
‘Together, they (Maxim and Irina) are raising the awareness of what is actually taking place in their country through Maxim’s photographs and visual art. And as the late Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh put it, “Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed."’ – Helen
‘I often talk about how we are all interconnected. For many, the pandemic has certainly proved that and now this war as well. So we need to be aware of what’s going on and how it’s impacting all of us as well as the role we can play in co-creating a totally different world from a much higher level of consciousness.’ – Helen
‘If we can transform a ‘what’s in it for me?’ attitude to a ‘how can I help?’ mindset, and change an exploitative perspective to one that is kind and generous because we have an abundance mentality and know that we always have more than enough...’ – Helen
ABOUT THE HOST HELEN LEE
Founder & Principal Coach of Lee Heiss Coaching, Helen Lee coached thousands of clients worldwide and multinationals in Asia-Pacific in the last three decades. She created a powerful ontological coaching methodology that ignites the true greatness or invincibility in people. Thoroughly tested and honed over 20 years, this methodology consistently and rapidly produces desired results.
Helen was also a journalist who later ran her own communications consultancies in Australia and Asia.The Business Times listed her in its “Who’s Who of Women Shaping Singapore” while The Straits Times named her “The Leader Prodder” in a feature on Singapore’s top coaches.
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