TEHRAN – The Melpomene of Tavria International Theater Festival in Ukraine has invited the Iranian troupe Segane to perform their popular plays “Holodomor” and “Women’s Auschwitz”.

The 23rd edition of the festival will take place in Kherson from September 3 to 11.

Since 2006, the Holodomor has been recognized by Ukraine and 15 other countries as a genocide of the Ukrainian people carried out by the Soviet government.

Some scholars believe that the famine was planned by Joseph Stalin to eliminate a Ukrainian independence movement.

The word Holodomor literally translated from Ukrainian means “killing by starvation”. The term Holodomor emphasizes the famine’s man-made and intentional aspects such as rejection of outside aid, confiscation of all household foodstuffs and restriction of population movement. 

As part of the wider Soviet famine of 1932–33, which affected the major grain-producing areas of the country, millions of inhabitants of Ukraine, the majority of whom were ethnic Ukrainians, died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of Ukraine.

Written by Ali Safari, “Holodomor” was directed by Raha Hajizeinal at Tehran’s Neauphle-le-Chateau Theater in February.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Iran, Serhii Burdyliak, and a number of his colleagues attended a performance of “Holodomor”, inviting the troupe to perform the play in Kiev.

Accordingly, Seganeh is scheduled to perform “Holodomor” and “Women’s Auschwitz” at the Theatre On Pechersk in Kiev from October 4 to 6.

The two plays are parts of a trilogy, which has been produced by Safari and Hajizeinal about World War II. “Berlin 10:10” is another part of the trio.

“Women’s Auschwitz” is about women in the Auschwitz concentration camp operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II and the Holocaust.

“Women’s Auschwitz” and “Berlin 10:10” were other parts of the set, which were performed by the group in 2019 and 2020.

Hajizeinal and Safari are also members of the casts for the plays. The casts also include Amir Shams, Mehdi Abuhamzeh, Nazanin Mihan, Mohammad Pasandideh, Sarina Azad Milani, Hassan Mohammadian, Mahdi Abbasi and Vesta Jafarnia.

Photo: This combination photo shows posters for “Women’s Auschwitz” and “Holodomor”.

MMS/YAW