We were lucky enough to meet with Francois Matarasso very early on in our work with The Complete Freedom of Truth and when we first started working alongside the young people of Srebrenica. The conversation was about how we should evaluate the work we do through creativity and art and not just the usual quantifiable data collection.

He inspired our process through the research he did in the 90’s published in a report called "Use or Ornament? The Social Impact of Participation in the Arts.

Francois encouraged all those involved in our creative and collaborative work to contribute thoughts, poems, images, essays to the process - so we started this page The Book.

Because of Covid and Brexit our work has slowed down with TCFT. We have created smaller events and celebrations and we haven’t used this page for a while. With Art, Youth and A Shared Peace we are again encouraging contributions to this useful and empowering TCFT tradition.

This first thoughtful piece is from dancer and choreographer Zoe Cochrane. Zoe has worked with TCFT since her first residency as a participant in Srebrenica in 2015.

Zoe joined Francesco Pipparelli (TCFT since 2016), Robert Golden, photographer and film maker with Opera Circus since its founding in 1991, and myself, on a visit to Lviv in Ukraine in April 2025. We were in the city as part of an international group to support and celebrate the launch of Lviv’s European Youth Capital 2025. Zoe wrote about the visit afterwards and shares her thoughts with us here.

Tina Ellen Lee - Artistic Director

Dear Lviv,

Prior to my visit I felt apprehensive about what my visit to Ukraine would be like, especially after the recent escalation in attacks. Seeing the the continued affects of the war on the news, I was unsure of what would be awaiting us. However, what became clear upon our arrival was the warmth of the people and the beauty of the place. The Austro-Hungarian architecture and cobbled streets were reminiscent of several other picturesque European cities. Amidst the enjoyment of the delicious food and wonderful company, we were reminded in ways of the presence of the war. On the first occasion, I had never felt a more drastic shift between normality and the confrontation of grief. Standing in the town square, a busy street with chatter and vibrancy is transformed in a single moment to complete silence, as the body of a fallen soldier is escorted through the streets. In this instant, I was accosted by the fact that I had never seen such a wide spread, shared loss. To see so many people simultaneously affected by grief, I was made aware of the harrowing reality that there is country wide mourning. It became clear to me that everyone I had encountered and seen on the street, has had someone taken away from them by the war. As someone who has experienced grief at a young age (although in a non-military context), seeing so many people in this way was extremely heartbreaking. It became clear to me that the war has taken so much from these people, yet they are still so willing to give and engage with each other with a shared sense of humanity. I then realised their determination to maintain as much normality as possible, is a testimony to their resilience.

In my short time in Lviv, I recognise I have never seen such a wide scale reverence and respect for the dead. As someone who felt isolated by their grief, to see how people made space for grief in their everyday lives and were still able to find moments of joy, has inspired me to re-evaluate how I remember and grieve my own Father. The people acknowledge that they carry around this grief daily, but they put the energy into honoring their loved one’s memory and in helping the cause in whatever way they can, in order to further the agenda they fought and died for. As part of the celebrations for the Lviv being awarded the title of “European youth Capital”, we attended a remembrance ceremony and concert in the Garrison church. To conclude the evening, a list of fallen Soldier’s names were projected onto the ceiling of the colossal church as the crowd sung the Ukrainian National Anthem. For what felt like an eternity we looked at these names as they passed and I was confronted with the shear volume of fallen heroes. Each person had a family, had a future, had goals and ambitions for their life before the war took that from them. I was keenly aware in this moment of my privilege in being able to experience even monotony and boredom in my life.

These daily moments of reflection and silence, reinforce the collective sense of grief and bring the people together. The extreme connectivity of the country is seen in their efforts to collaborate and fight for the freedom of Ukraine. Daily, the soldiers of Ukraine sacrifice their lives and their futures to defend themselves and the rest of Europe from the tyranny of Putin. As a European, I feel an incredible gratitude for the efforts of the Ukrainian people and feel incensed by the unfairness of the situation. As they battle to fight for democracy and freedom, it begs the question how much more can be done by Europe to show our appreciation and that we stand with them.

As anticipated, we experienced 3 air alerts during our time visiting Lviv. In the early hours of the morning on Sunday 6th April, we were roused by the blaring noise of sirens and a robotic voice repeatedly announcing “Air Alert”. Aside from being tired and panicked, I was also contemplative during my time sheltering in the hotel’s basement. What struck me most prominently, was that the crowd who gathered to shelter that night, consisted mostly of women, young children and the elderly. As the children were being hushed to sleep in the cot in the cold basement of the hotel, it especially enraged me how often this has become a feature in the lives of the Ukrainian children. It also became clear to me that the civilian targets and casualties of the bombings are the Ukrainian women, children and elderly which reinforces my opinion that Putin lacks humanity in his approach to this conflict. It also became obvious that this is a level of wide-spread psychological warfare on the masses, as the constant bombardment of missiles and drones, meant a constant state of sleep deprivation and anxiety for the people. The persistent instalment of terror caused by country-wide air alerts feels like a deliberate attempt to weaken the resolve of the Ukrainian people. They in response become more incensed in their resolve to resist.

My take- away from this experience is largely gratitude for the connections made with the people in Lviv, a resolve to be more proactive in my support for Ukraine and a determination to keep kindness in my heart and actions even in times of struggle.

Love from, Zoe Cochrane