We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the organizers (our members) – LUNA Ukrainian Ensemble, Ukrainian Studies Society, and the Ukrainian Canadian Cultural Society of Vancouver Island and all participants – for their dedication and hard work in creating this meaningful event.

Born into serfdom in 1814, Shevchenko became not only Ukraine’s greatest poet but a painter, philosopher, and champion of freedom. His talent for painting helped him win his freedom from serfdom, but it was his words that made him immortal. He spoke out against oppression, injustice and serfdom, condemning a system that treated Ukrainians as property. His poetry exposed the cruelty of imperial rule and dreamed of a Ukraine where people were free in both body and spirit. His masterpiece, Kobzar, became the heartbeat of Ukrainian identity and resistance.