Anna Pykhtina "Home's Strong Calling"

Explicit content warning

07/21/22 • 98 min

Anna Pykhtina is a communication and PR expert from Kyiv, Ukraine, focusing on Ukrainian NGO work and civic education, currently living in Warsaw, Poland. After the outbreak of the war, Anna and her boyfriend fled Ukraine to Poland, where they are currently living with friends. Anna was the president of AEGEE-Kyiv, Europe's biggest interdisciplinary student organization. She has been travelling extensively in Europe and is, I think it is safe to say, a strong proponent of the European idea. Additionally, she worked for the Free Russia Foundation, which supports civic society and democratic development in Russia, for almost two years and has, therefore, many Russian acquaintances and friends. Anna's work and experience are exceptional and I couldn't be happier to have her on board the Yellow Van today to hear her opinions and perspectives on a variety of topics.
Welcome to the Yellow Van, Anna!
SHOW NOTES
Anna's Reading List
INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT
NGO "Girls"
USCD
Timothy D. Snyder, American historian
Eurotrip, USA 2004, Jeff Schaffer
Free Russia Foundation
Tango of Death, Yuriy Vynnychuk
Tiger Trappers, Ivan Bahriyanyi
Maria Berlinska, Ukrainian film producer
MUSIC
Love In The Face Of Fear, Jim Kroft
Yellow Van Stories is a Mind The Bump Production

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Yellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump Production.

Support the show

Yellow Van Stories is a Mind the Bump Production.

Previous Episode

Oleksii Isakov "Breaking The Stereotypes"

Oleksii Isakov holds a Master in Intercultural Communication Studies and a Bachelor in Linguistics and Translation Studies. His main focus is literature and film. He was born in Odesa and has been living in Germany for the last ten years working at the European-University Viadrina in Frankfurt a.d. Oder - the only university in Germany with a professorship for Ukrainian History, which says a lot about Ukraine's perception in Germany - and throughout the world. In preparation for our conversation today, Oleksii and I had a short Zoom call a few days ago to get to know each other. Oleksii was recommended to me as a guest on the show by Bastian Bielig, a friend of mine, and we had never met each other before. When I finally stumbled over his academic career in more detail, I was even more impressed than I had already been just by casually talking to him. With all this in my mind, I am extremely grateful for him to take the time and be here with me in the Yellow Van today - and also a tiny little bit nervous because I feel slightly underqualified.
Welcome to the Yellow Van, Oleksii!
PHOTO
courtesy of © Heide Fest
SHOW NOTES
"Winter On Fire", Ukraine 2015, Evgeny Afineevsky
Maidan Uprising
Kazimir Malevich, Ukrainian painter
Artem Volokitin, Ukrainian painter
"Shadow Of Forgotten Ancestors", Ukraine 1965, Sergei Parajanov
Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet and writer
Lina Kostenko, Ukrainian poet, writer and journalist
Serhiy Zhadan, Ukrainian poet and writer
Valerian Pidmohylny, Ukrainian writer and dissident
Alexander Dovzhenko, Ukrainian filmmaker
IMDb List of 100 Best Ukrainian Films
Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, Ukrainian author
Takflix
"Klondike", Ukraine 2022, Maryna Er Gorbach
"Servant Of The People", Ukraine 2015-2019
Myroslav Skoryk, Ukrainian composer
Kalush Orchestra, Ukrainian rap group
INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT
Viadrina Emergency Fund
National Bank of Ukraine
MUSIC
Love In The Face Of Fear, Jim Kroft
Yellow Van Stories is a Mind The Bump Product

Support the show

Yellow Van Stories is a

Next Episode

Oleksiy Martsenyuk "The Shifting Of Desires"

Oleksiy Martsenyuk is the Executive Director of the Center for Defence Strategies in Kiyv, an organisation that helps to monitor defence reforms and develop key government policies that will affect the country's security and defence sector. This certainly needs a little more explanation from you, Oleksiy! And we will get into that in the course of the podcast. Also, he served as a Civilian Deputy Minister in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence for just under a year. Originally, Oleksiy has a business background though. And because of this, Oleksiy's and my relationship actually goes way back. When I studied photography in Gent, Belgium, at the end of my first year all students had to choose a topic and project outside the curriculum, entirely self-sufficient and motivated by our own interests. This is now almost 18 years ago. As a foreigner myself, I chose the topic of migration and opted to take black and white portraits of people far away from home in Belgium. I put it all in book form, presenting them on a double page with their portrait in black and white on one page and the most cherished and valuable photo they brought with them in colour on the other. Oleksiy was introduced to me by my dear friend Apoorva, studying with him at the time. A big shoutout and a big hug to you, Apu, who I don't see or hear nearly often enough! I remember the portrait of Oleksiy still so well after all these years. Standing in his rather modest and empty student cave, but with a big, bright Ukrainian flag on his wall. Leaning in, curiously observing me with a gentle smile while I was trying to create something lasting with the little that I knew at the time. But, in a way, I have; by having him with me today - 18 years after that photo was taken. I am so happy and grateful to have you with us today, Oleksiy, after all this time!
SHOW NOTES
New York Times, The Bodies Lay Dead in the Street
BBC News, Bucha Killings
VOX News, Ukraine Kidnappings
Deutsche Welle, Russia Uses Kidnappings to Intimidate Ukrainians
Golda Meir
Weimar Republic
Friedrich Ebert
Philipp Scheidemann
The Ebert-Groener Pact
Sinking of the Moskwa
Bayraktar Drone
HIMARS
Nord Stream 2
Rheinmetall builds military training center
The Orphanage, Serhiy Zhadan
Kamil Galeev (@kamilkazani), Twitter Thread
MUSIC
Love In The Face Of Fear, Jim Kroft