The Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv hosted a solemn ceremony to inaugurate a hall dedicated to James Mace — an American scholar who symbolized the study of the Holodomor in Ukraine. He was the first to draw the world’s attention to the tragedy of the Ukrainian people in 1932–1933.
“This is a unique case where an individual without Ukrainian roots, a Cherokee Indian, became one of the most devoted defenders of the memory of the victims of the Holodomor. Ukraine became his second homeland, and his research forever changed the global understanding of the Holodomor as genocide,” emphasized the Academy's Director Igor Ostash.
He also highlighted that the international recognition of the Holodomor has significantly increased following Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
From 1991 to 2022, 15 countries recognized the Holodomor as genocide. However, only after the onset of the invasion — within a year and a half — nearly as many countries made similar decisions, demonstrating how the war has influenced global consciousness.
The event was attended by Igor Ostash, Larisa Ivshina (editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Den”), Lesya Hasydzhak, the General Director of the National Memorial Complex “Museum of Holodomor 1932-33,” and Marianna Betza, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
In her speech, Marianna Betza remarked that the Holodomor is not an abstract tragedy but a crime with specific perpetrators and responsible parties.
“Today, genocide is repeating itself. Russia is committing genocide against Ukrainians, erasing our identity in temporarily occupied territories, obliterating the identity of our children whom it has abducted and deported. We must ensure accountability for every war criminal,” she noted.
She stressed that conveying the truth about the Holodomor is one of the key tasks of the Ukrainian diplomatic service and an important priority for Minister Andrii Sybiha.
During the opening, a fragment of a documentary film about James Mace was screened, and publications related to the history of the Holodomors in Ukraine were presented.
The memory of James Mace is our candle in the window and our obligation to millions of innocent victims.