Volodymyr Zelensky appeared dressed in his traditional military shirt in the middle of a window of a Zoom meeting projected on a large screen, and silence was in the classroom of the University of Montreal. All of a sudden, his charisma had melted the virtual barriers that stood between him and the hundreds of students from across Canada who had come to see and hear the President of Ukraine on their respective campuses.
In this hour-long exchange organized by the University of Toronto on Wednesday, the president of this country at war gave a masterclass to students who drank in his words. But above all, the one whom the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, Chrystia Freeland, presented as a “brave revolutionary professor teaching the democracies of the world” first served them with a lesson in humility.
“Who would have thought that everything would have been so different between 2019 and 2022,” said President Zelensky, referring to a lecture he gave just three years ago at the University of Toronto on the major construction sites that was about to realize Ukraine. “Who would have thought that three years later, the major reforms of our country would have a completely different resonance. »
In a well-felt speech, Volodymyr Zelensky, a skilful orator, seemed to harshly accuse the blow of a fate that did not present itself as he would have wished. “In 2019, I was talking about my dream country, of a state where the greatest value would be the human being, and in 2022, we are fighting against an aggressor whose most important value is weapons”, a- he said. “Three years later, the path we are on is different, but our goals are the same. »
Like an interested teacher, the President of Ukraine generously answered students’ questions. How does he keep hope alive? How does Ukraine’s possible membership of the European Union influence the decisions of its government? And what role did social media play in the war?
“The Internet and social networks are spaces that become possibilities, […] instruments that allow us to make the truth known”, answered President Zelensky to this last question. “Sometimes information can deal a bigger blow than certain types of weapons. »
Despite the seriousness of the exchanges, this former comic who now composes with horror has been able to lighten the atmosphere on a few occasions. Not that he has the heart to laugh, but humor is a kind of medicine, he explained. “You can’t be in your thoughts of war all the time. You need to take a break, read something funny… There are some really good humorous memes out there. »
To a University of Toronto student who asked him who his idols were, noting in passing that he himself was often compared to icons like Winston Churchill and Harry Potter, he replied with a touch of humor: ” We know who Voldemort is in this war and we know who Harry Potter is. So we know how the war will end,” he said, sparking laughter and applause.
“Professor” Zelensky took the opportunity to pay tribute to the Ukrainian people, to the ordinary farmer who blocks the way to a tank with his tractor, to this woman who stands up to the soldiers, and to the children who do not flinch while the enemy attacks their house. “These are the Ukrainians who stayed in Ukraine and did not give up our freedom. It is from them that [je m’inspire]. »
lessons for students
President Zelensky addressed the temporarily displaced Ukrainian students, asking them not to forget to return home when the time comes. “Come back. With your cutting-edge knowledge, with the will to live and build an independent Ukraine. »
Present in the room at the University of Montreal (UdeM), young Ukrainian students who arrived here in April were moved to have been able to listen to their president. “I cried the whole time! launched at the end of the meeting Maryna Khrennikova, who is starting a bachelor’s degree in political communication in the fall. If she knew the actor “very cool that he was, she had a hard time qualifying him as a leader, until war broke out. “Since then, all Ukrainians have been impressed,” assures the young woman, who speaks impeccable French learned at the University of Kharkiv. “After listening to it, I have two feelings. I want to go back to Ukraine and give him a big hug. »
Vincent Perras, a UdeM history student who was able to ask the president a question, said he was impressed by his aplomb. “He is a very charismatic person who has good control of his public image,” he said. He is not surprised that he has taken his time to meet the Canadian university community, a certain intellectual elite with whom he has an interest in strengthening ties. “I find it quite impressive to see all the support he is able to come up with. »
Because beyond the message addressed to Ukrainian nationals, there was another, could not be clearer, for students here. “We need arms, financial support, humanitarian support, and we need permanent, 24/7 sanction pressure. […] Canada helps us as it can, but it’s really important that you, students from all countries, spread the message,” he said before adding: “Please don’t get tired of not war. »