UKR 1YR Refugees Portland USAGM
Metadata
- UKR 1YR Refugees Portland USAGM
- February 19, 2023
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: UKR 1YR: REFUGEES PORTLAND HEADLINE: Ukrainian Refugees Find Welcome in Pacific Northwest TEASER: Folklorist looks to keep traditions alive PUBLISHED AT: 02/15/2023 at --:--pm BYLINE: Deborah Bloom DATELINE: Portland, Oregon VIDEOGRAPHER: Deborah Bloom VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: Stearns, Cobus VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 3:12 VID APPROVED BY:sv TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, refugees fleeing the violence have settled around the world. For VOA, Deborah Bloom take us to meet a refugee mother and daughter in the U.S. Pacific Northwest state of Oregon.]] ((NARRATOR)) At a Ukrainian fundraiser in Portland, Inna Kovtun is doing what she does best—performing. ((KOVTUN PERFORMANCE NAT)) (MANDATORY CQ: Facebook / Rozhanytsya)) ((NARRATOR)) Before the war, Kovtun was a fixture in the Ukrainian arts community as artistic director of the Rozhanytsia folk ensemble. She became a refugee last February 24, waking her daughter to the explosions of the Russian invasion. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) It was not panic. It was shock ... We lived on the 17th floor, it’s so high, and when we see our military planes, one, two, and we understood, our military fly to protect. I woke up Polina and we decided to leave immediately ... One minute she was prepared, and I just said Polina, “This is war.” ((MANDATORY CQ: Kovtun Family)) ((NARRATOR)) Like many civilians, Kovtun and her family fled west toward the border with Poland. Her husband, Sasha, was unable to leave Ukraine because of travel restrictions on military-aged men, but he insisted that they go on without him when Polina became nauseous, unable to eat, and unresponsive to medication. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) I didn't want. I didn't want. I asked please, please, please can we stay here? But because of Polina I understand if we stay it will be so bad and I don't know who can help us. ((NARRATOR)) Inna and Polina found help in Portland with fellow musician and long-time friend Jon Durant and his wife April. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) Russia started bombing Ukraine and John and April were like, ahh, and immediately send message: ‘How are you Inna?’ And, ‘Please come. Come here.’ ((Jon Durant, Musician (in English)) As far as we were concerned, they were welcome here as long as they needed to be here. And frankly, I never wish for them to leave. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) John and April also. Yeah, this is like our family. (NAT POP, Inna ringing up a customer) ((NARRATOR)) Kovtun is working part-time at a pharmacy to save money for her own apartment. Helping Polina adjust to life in Oregon, Kovtun is also chipping away at some of the more challenging parts of being a refugee in the United States, including getting health insurance, a social security number, or a credit card. ((NAT SOUND, Inna opening up credit card in the mail, “Hooray!”)) ((NARRATOR)) Separated from her homeland, Kovtun has joined local Ukrainian festivals and fundraisers to keep alive the country’s rich folk traditions. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) This folklore is a lot of unique songs, a lot of unique ritual, and it's so important in this time to not lose it. And we should share it with our children, and we should talk about this. We should show this and continue to send it to our children. ((NARRATOR)) In her new home, Kovtun is looking to keep those traditions vibrant by working toward the creation of Oregon’s first Ukrainian Cultural Center. ((Deborah Bloom for VOA News, Portland, Oregon))
- Transcript/Script USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: UKR 1YR: REFUGEES PORTLAND HEADLINE: Ukrainian Refugees Find Welcome in Pacific Northwest TEASER: Folklorist looks to keep traditions alive PUBLISHED AT: 02/15/2023 at --:--pm BYLINE: Deborah Bloom DATELINE: Portland, Oregon VIDEOGRAPHER: Deborah Bloom VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: Stearns, Cobus VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __ TRT: 3:12 VID APPROVED BY:sv TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[One year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, refugees fleeing the violence have settled around the world. For VOA, Deborah Bloom take us to meet a refugee mother and daughter in the U.S. Pacific Northwest state of Oregon.]] ((NARRATOR)) At a Ukrainian fundraiser in Portland, Inna Kovtun is doing what she does best—performing. ((KOVTUN PERFORMANCE NAT)) (MANDATORY CQ: Facebook / Rozhanytsya)) ((NARRATOR)) Before the war, Kovtun was a fixture in the Ukrainian arts community as artistic director of the Rozhanytsia folk ensemble. She became a refugee last February 24, waking her daughter to the explosions of the Russian invasion. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) It was not panic. It was shock ... We lived on the 17th floor, it’s so high, and when we see our military planes, one, two, and we understood, our military fly to protect. I woke up Polina and we decided to leave immediately ... One minute she was prepared, and I just said Polina, “This is war.” ((MANDATORY CQ: Kovtun Family)) ((NARRATOR)) Like many civilians, Kovtun and her family fled west toward the border with Poland. Her husband, Sasha, was unable to leave Ukraine because of travel restrictions on military-aged men, but he insisted that they go on without him when Polina became nauseous, unable to eat, and unresponsive to medication. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) I didn't want. I didn't want. I asked please, please, please can we stay here? But because of Polina I understand if we stay it will be so bad and I don't know who can help us. ((NARRATOR)) Inna and Polina found help in Portland with fellow musician and long-time friend Jon Durant and his wife April. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) Russia started bombing Ukraine and John and April were like, ahh, and immediately send message: ‘How are you Inna?’ And, ‘Please come. Come here.’ ((Jon Durant, Musician (in English)) As far as we were concerned, they were welcome here as long as they needed to be here. And frankly, I never wish for them to leave. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) John and April also. Yeah, this is like our family. (NAT POP, Inna ringing up a customer) ((NARRATOR)) Kovtun is working part-time at a pharmacy to save money for her own apartment. Helping Polina adjust to life in Oregon, Kovtun is also chipping away at some of the more challenging parts of being a refugee in the United States, including getting health insurance, a social security number, or a credit card. ((NAT SOUND, Inna opening up credit card in the mail, “Hooray!”)) ((NARRATOR)) Separated from her homeland, Kovtun has joined local Ukrainian festivals and fundraisers to keep alive the country’s rich folk traditions. ((Inna Kovtun, Musician (in English)) This folklore is a lot of unique songs, a lot of unique ritual, and it's so important in this time to not lose it. And we should share it with our children, and we should talk about this. We should show this and continue to send it to our children. ((NARRATOR)) In her new home, Kovtun is looking to keep those traditions vibrant by working toward the creation of Oregon’s first Ukrainian Cultural Center. ((Deborah Bloom for VOA News, Portland, Oregon))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date February 19, 2023 13:15 EST
- Byline Deborah Bloom
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America