Tribute to Odesa

Tribute to Odesa

IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa

TRIBUTE TO ODESA

LAETITIA VANCON

 

Entrant Name: Laetitia Vancon
Award Status: – Nominee
Award Category: Solutions
Story Locations: Odesa, Ukraine

In June 2022, I worked for three weeks in Ukraine, where I focused on Odesa region and city, a symbolic and strategic place. When I arrived there, almost six months after the war began, Odesa was resisting, not untouched, but unbowed. It found its solutions to fight back, not « physically » but by defending and keep on being all what the city embodies.
Odesa is the crux of the war not only because it holds the key to the Black Sea but also because in it the battle between Russian and Ukrainian identity — an imperial past and a democratic future, a closed system and one connected to the world.

In my photographs, far from the horrors that many of my colleagues have witnessed, I try to capture the essence of this fiercely independent and stubbornly inclusive city, which symbolizes everything that Mr. Putin wants to destroy in Ukraine. These scenes of daily life that sometimes seem far removed from those of a country at war also hide an insidious unease lurks beneath it, as the war is close, its front line no more than 80 miles to the east. But above all they show the resilience and strength of an entire country who finds in it the emotional strength to cope with trauma, adversity, and hardship.

IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
Young school graduates dancing in front of the opera and ballet theater creating their video with the purpose to show the whole world what they have lost because of war In normal time they would have gathered with a diploma ceremony where family and friends would join and celebrate Because of the war no gathering were allowed Therefore they decided instead to create a video with dancing and singing performances and share it then shared on social media as an activist message for freedom and hope
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
Soldiers enjoying their day off in the amusement park of Odesa ready for a ride at the ferris wheel Insouciance is one expression of Odesan pride It is the way people deal with the situation they find themselves in a way of behaving without feeling worried or guilty they remain calm relaxed and continue to live as before
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
A couple in a jacuzzi with the view of Odesa port A semblance of everyday life has returned Restaurants hotels and the opera have reopened People sip coffee and play chess on the streets It is also a way of defying the Russian invasion President Vladimir V Putin knows that Ukraine s fate its access to the sea and its grain exports depend on Odesa Without it the country will shrivel and become a landlocked state
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
The flea market Starokonnyi commonly known as simply Starokonka is one of the most colorful places in Odesa It embodies the openness and diversity of Odesa since 1832 Starokonka is an open-air museum whose exhibitions can show the fascinating history of the city and tell about the daily life habits and temperament of its citizens
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
All over the city people volunteer some making flak jackets for those who have taken up guns More Ukrainian less Russian Odesa suddenly sees the embattled country it is part of
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
Military and first aid training for Odesa residents As Odesa perhaps more than any other Ukrainian city illustrates Mr Putin has spread and redoubled Ukrainian national consciousness Civilians both men and women mobilized voluntarily quickly to support the war effort
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
Oleg Gryb 47 a doctor sitting at his dinning table and his brother As soon as the war broke out he packed his wife and two children off to Switzerland enlisted in the Territorial Defense Forces and put his skills as an emergency-room surgeon and anesthetist to work His brother supports him keeping and maintaining the house with his parents
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
Morning mess The leaders of Orthodox churches in Ukraine that have been affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church on May 27 adopted measures to sever ties with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in a significant move against the Russian Orthodox Church and its spiritual leader
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
In order to maintain the safety of civilians but also to fight spying a curfew was put in place Civilians like Nikolay Ilin 35 second from left who have a permit to carry a weapon have gathered to support police patrols every night This should have been the place according to Mr Putin s understanding of Ukraine and his plans of capture that would roll over for him as an invading savior Instead it did the opposite
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
Tens of thousands of displaced Ukrainians who have fled to Odesa since February find refuge in relative s homes or in the appartements of those who fled Odesa Oksana Magey 27 a refugee from Mykolaiv region her husband Evgeniy and their children are in their new apartment enjoying the safety and time together They used to speak Russian together and with their children but since the war started they switched to Ukrainian
IFPA 2022 Nominee - Tribute to Odesa
Checkpoint with bunch of tires at the suburbs of Odesa and the big board calling people to provide housing for refugees with newly constructed apartment blocks at the background The big boards usually used for advertizing are now used for patriotic and help calls

 

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