Foreign Affairs Feature: Diaries in Exile— A Raw Ukrainian Experience Documented by a BU Alum
Enveloped in a sea of Russian propaganda, two individuals are trying to bring peace to the tide by documenting the raw truth about a displaced life due to the war in Ukraine. Elina Alem Kent — who is a Boston University alum — and Romana Isabella are the creators of “Diaries in Exile,” a video documentation of the stories of Ukrainian refugees on the Polish border. Their series documents the reality of refugees of all ages, featuring an array of organic emotions and locations along the border.
“People who are sitting on Russian television channels are fully in that reality and are believing what the Russian propaganda is saying,” Kent said in an interview with International Relations Review staff Bridgette Lang. “Meanwhile, we have young Ukrainians that are fighting that are actively trying to make sure that that's not the case.”
Kent and Isabella are two prime examples of Ukrainians fighting actively to expose the reality of the invasion. They were both living in Kyiv prior to the invasion and working in media, dabbling in the art of video documentation and journalism. Kent works for Kyiv Independent, while Isabella works on various creative projects, having started a documentary art film and writing for a musical just prior to the war.
This makes them front-line combatants in the informational war against Russia, putting their lives in danger. Kent’s pieces have been proclaimed as threatening, pro-Ukrainian work by the Russian government in the past. Even further, they are both members of the queer community, simultaneously ensuring their membership on Russia’s kill list.
Kent and Isabella fled Ukraine because of these circumstances, but the guilt of leaving their hometown followed them across the border. For them, “Diaries in Exile” is a “coping mechanism,” allowing them to find a purpose in a seemingly hopeless situation. “Because people do become numbers,” Kent said.
“Because we're also from Ukraine and we understand what they're going through and they understand what we're going through, we can have these more open genuine conversations much more quickly,” Kent said. “And we're hoping that through these videos, people can actually see the faces and hear the voices of actual Ukrainians.”
Despite Russian claims of strong polarization in Ukraine, Kent and Isabella have noticed that their nation is currently the most united that they have ever witnessed. This unity was sparked after Russia’s initial attacks on Crimea in 2014. In the same way, Russia’s attacks have only increased in aggression since the Ukrainian response has only increased in solidarity.
“This is not a tsunami, this is not a hurricane, this is not a natural disaster that happened for no fault of anybody. There are people in those planes dropping bombs on children, these are choices that are being made. It means that there are structural issues that are underpinning those choices, and the only way we can defeat the structure is through our coalition and solidarity,” Isabella said.
Kent and Isabella said they hope to see this solidarity translated into every sphere of the international community — from spheres as large as the policy choices of major international actors, such as the United States, to something as small as an individual’s decision to donate a couple of dollars to the cause. They hope to see more weapons sent to Ukraine and a fierce, united front against Russian propaganda.
Donations can make an enormous difference in a refugee’s journey — a claim that the creators of “Diaries in Exile” can make from personal experience. Their fifth episode consisted of an in-depth interview with Ivanka, a Ukrainian student at L’viv Musical Academy, whose educational journey was interrupted by the war. Kent and Isabella were able to assist Ivanka’s travels to Germany, where they helped her find a family to take her in. She is now applying for a music conservatory there. This is the fate that every refugee deserves.
Though the ultimate goal for “Diaries in Exile” is that the series comes to an end with the war, Kent and Isabella have further objectives along their path. They are considering continuing the series on the border of Poland and Germany. Germany speedily reacted to the invasion by accepting displaced people and building refugee camps, producing an opportunity for new voices to be heard in the documentary.
Kent and Isabella said they plan to film the last episode in Kyiv. They want to feature their friends in the video and film it at a techno party, creating a fun and comforting end scene.
“The moment the war ends, we're going back. The second it's over. But, until then, while we’re in exile, while everyone else is in exile, we'll just continue trying to help people speak their truth and eventually make it back to Ukraine. Because once we're back in Ukraine, we’re not going to be an exile anymore,” Kent said.
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