In Ukraine, life resumes its course despite air attacks. On this February 14, lovers try, as they can, to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The gestures are precise: several moving couples follow the dance steps. Even though air strikes continue around kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, lovers are celebrating Valentine’s Day.
>> War in Ukraine: follow the evolution of the situation live
In a downtown bar, everyone gathers around the same passion: taking part in a milongas, an evening where we dance an Argentinian tango in a basement, which also serves as an anti-bombing shelter. For Natalia, who is used to the place, this meeting is a healthy parenthesis. “In fact, it allows me to forget about the war for a few minutes, does she slip. You have to forget the air attacks, the news, my volunteer activities. It gives me time to remember who I am and who I was before the war, to feel how much it changed me.”
“For us, dancing is also a form of resistance.”
A taste of “life before”
For a few hours, the Ukrainians return to their former life. “It’s about keeping a normal life, explains Youri, the organizer of this event. If we were to stop, we would sink into depression. We tango whenever we can. We hug each other because people need others in life. This feeling that you are not alone, that we live and will continue to live.”
The couples are formed according to the partners in total harmony. For Julia, a displaced person from Donbass, it is real therapy. “Tango helps a lot to stay mentally healthy. It’s so many good emotions, so much hope…, she explains. When the invasion started, I had to flee towards the West and I sorely missed our tango evenings. I feel alive again and it’s fantastic! You know, to me, that proves we’re unbreakable. OK, you bombard us, but immediately after the sirens, we go out to dance again!“, she launches to the Russian forces.
“We will even dance on the ruins of the world.”
During these improvised tango sessions, the Ukrainians also mobilize for their soldiers on the front: a kitty is opened to collect money to help the Ukrainian army.
The report of Omar Ouahmane in kyiv
listen