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United by common cause and cramped shelter, activists find love in Kyiv tent camp
by Open-Publishing - Thursday 9 December 2004KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Vasyl Fylosov and Sofiya Kirichenko came to Kyiv from different regions to join round-the-clock protests in support of opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko.
Result: two golden rings and a bride’s veil in the opposition’s signature colour, orange.
Freezing temperatures, close quarters and the lack of basic amenities such as hot water and clean bathrooms have helped create a unique romantic atmosphere for thousands of young people who settled in the sprawling opposition tent camp on Kyiv’s main square.
"You can have your own little paradise - even in a tent," said Vasyl, a tall 23-year-old with his hair dyed blond.
Four days after meeting, Vasyl and Sofiya, a cheerful 19-year-old brunette, staged unofficial vows in the heart of the tent city, to a wedding march and the cheers of dozens of fellow camp residents.
"She wore an orange veil, made from an orange curtain, and I had an orange shirt on, entirely covered by friends’ signatures and various slogans," Vasyl said.
"On that day they even allowed us to have champagne," he said with a smile. Alcohol is prohibited in the camp to maintain discipline.
The wedding bore no legal weight, but Vasyl insisted that Kyiv Mayor Olexander Omelchenko promised to issue the couple a special wedding certificate. Meanwhile, local reporters presented them with the rings.
Several other couples have staged such unofficial ceremonies, typically exchanging rings and toasting with champagne, followed by a long kiss.
Considering how much Ukraine’s political crisis has fired up the political passion of many of the nation’s youth, romance is perhaps a not entirely surprising side-effect.
Young people have made up the bulk of the 10,000 activists who have lived for 24 hours a day in more than 500 tents on the capital’s main avenue, Khreshchatik Street. The street leads from Independence Square - the epicentre of massive protests that have attracted hundreds of thousands more Yushchenko supporters every day.
Often the protests have looked a lot more like parties, with some of Ukraine’s favourite pop stars and rock bands jamming on stage, and laser light shows shooting around the square.
Watching televisions around the square, the protesters have closely followed the events they are pushing - including a Supreme Court decision Friday to annul the results of a Nov. 21 run-off vote, which officials had said Moscow-backed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych won but which the opposition said was rigged. A new vote was set for Dec. 26.
Yushchenko representatives said the tents would stay until lawmakers pass laws ensuring a fair revote.
"I am not in a hurry. I think my university will understand," said Viktor Havaleshko, 21, a tall dark-haired computer student from western Ukraine, as he stood hand in hand with Ira Lysenko, 22, whom he met in the camp.
Ira said she was attracted to Viktor because they both fought for democracy and supported Yushchenko, but the camp life helped create a special chemistry between them.
"It’s this special romantic atmosphere here . . . it’s like a different world," said Ira, numerous orange ribbons attached to her winter coat and pants.
"When we eat side by side, when we warm up around bonfires and play guitar together, it unites us," said Viktor, clad in a military-like uniform worn by the men who guard the camp.
Ira and Viktor, however, don’t plan to get married. "If we had been the first ones, I guess it would have been exciting, but I think we are fine the way we are now," Viktor said.
Ira said life was "wonderful" in the camp, with food and warm clothes generously donated by Kyiv residents and doctors and medical students around to treat runny noses and sore throats caused by freezing temperatures.
Numerous young couples, walking hand in hand, hugging each other and dancing to the radio, could be seen in the orange-bedecked camp over the weekend.
"Who said there is no intimacy in a camp?" Ira said. "There is intimacy in the tent."
Vasyl said the camp provided him and Sofiya with a tent of their own, but they later had to move to a larger one. The grey tent, with Vasyl and Sofiya’s names and a heart drawn in orange near its entrance, houses about 20 people.
"Well, there are ways to get by," Vasyl said laughing. "We hang a Don’t Disturb sign next to the tent and they don’t disturb us."
Asked whether the tent was warm enough, Vasyl said, "It’s warm when we are together."
© The Canadian Press, 2004