35 years since the Chornobyl disaster

Chornobyl 35: Contemporary History of a Historical Disaster

PHOTO EXHIBITION AT THE UN HEADQUARTERS

Chornobyl is associated with the greatest environmental disaster that occurred in Europe at the end of the twentieth century. Chornobyl has become a symbol of many things. After the tragedy, which could not be kept silent, there were changes in the information policy and culture of the Soviet Union, and subsequently it became a harbinger of social changes that led to shifts in politics. According to historian Serhii Plokhy, Chornobyl played a significant role in the collapse of the USSR: “Chornobyl and publicity are identical. I’m not saying that without Chernobyl there would be no publicity, but it took place at the right time and in a way through Chornobyl. It exposed the culture of secrecy and stunned everyone”. Of course, there are many symbols of the collapse of the Soviet system, but Chornobylis the most striking of them, the “tragic emblem” of our time.

Chornobyl still continues to terrify the scale of the disaster. In numerous literary and artistic projects, the Chornobyl tragedy has often been compared to the Apocalypse or to an invisible war against humanity. In such texts, biblical motifs were often combined with people’s ideas about what the future would be like after the catastrophes. For many people who lived near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, Chornobyl is not a metaphor or a symbol. The tragedy has become part of their biographies and ruined lives, the physical impossibility to touch a loved one, to say goodbye to them or to the parental home. Fear and worries for relatives were intensified by ignorance of what really had happened.

Serhii Plokhy said that Chornobyl is not only history, it is the world where we live today. We are dependent on nuclear energy, climate change and must think about security. 35 years later, we look at Chornobyl from different perspectives. All countries have contributed to overcoming the consequences of Chornobyl, and now Chornobyl no longer terrifies with its apocalyptic images. Societies are accustomed to living with the changes that have taken place and are closely watching how the environment itself copes with the consequences of the catastrophe, realizing that in the coming future, people and the earth must go side by side.

This exhibition presents documentary evidence of the Chornobyl disaster – from the very first day and the destruction of the reactor to the present day and the renewal of nature. Photos and documents tell about the mistakes of the Soviet leadership, expose informational propaganda, describe the tragic fate of people who tried to stop the tragedy. The exposition is divided into three blocks. The first tells about the scale of the disaster, about international complicity in overcoming the consequences of the tragedy, because Chornobyl has become not only a problem for Ukraine, it is a challenge for the whole world. The second block exposes information propaganda and attempts by the Soviet authorities to hush up the tragedy. The third part of the exhibition is our modernity. Chornobyl today amazes with its thirst for life: the animal and plant world find new strength and a place for development here. The place has acquired great tourism potential; people are eager to see the restoration of the earth and its possibilities, such as alternative energy. In the selected images and materials provided by the  Ukrainian National Chornobyl Museum, Central State Archives of Cinema, Audio and Visual Documents of Ukraine named after H. Pshenychnyi, State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine, photographers Yaroslav Emelianenko and Oleksandr Syrota, the history of Chornobyl appears as a story of overcoming the tragedy: from the fight against disinformation to the modern story of recovery and safety.