Liana performing on the UNHCR stage at the Belgrade Marathon, ©UNHCR/Kharim Nsengiyumva, 28 April 2024
Liana arrived in Serbia two and a half years ago from Ukraine, with her children. Back home, she studied music at Prokofiev Music Academy. She could not express herself in the Serbian language at the time, but she found her expression in what she does best – singing traditional songs. Having settled in Belgrade, she began giving individual singing lessons online, later group sessions, for those wishing to go into performing arts, in order to make ends meet.
“When I arrived in Serbia, I was pleasantly surprised. We were well received here. People are very kind, friendly, sensitive, understanding. There were difficulties, but not unsurmountable. The most bitter thing I faced was depression.” – she points out with a little melancholy in her voice.
Liana goes on to describe everything that a refugee from Ukraine needs to find in record time upon arrival in Serbia – housing, work, and ways of overcoming the language barrier. She initially took up all the different odd jobs that she could find. The singing came later.
Two events seemed to change things for Liana and helped her find home away from home, in song.
One was when she wrote to the group “Music of Serbia” on Facebook, saying that she was looking for people to create music with. “People responded to me, I acquired new acquaintances and friends, and began to work in my profession!”
The second must have been when a partner NGO recommended to UNHCR that Liana should take the stage and perform at the event staged by the UNHCR on the occasion of Belgrade Marathon in April this year. She chose to sing a few of the traditional Ukrainian songs, and mesmerized the fellow refugees, the MAP Project choir, which gathers children from socially vulnerable backgrounds, the marathon runners, and the passing citizens of Belgrade. This revelation led to a number of collaborations for Liana, including with Robert Čoban, the President of the Color Press Group.
Left to right: Soufiane Adjali, UNHCR Representative; Duška Jovanić, Diplomacy & Commerce Magazine Columnist; Liana Odinets; Dmytro Halchenko, First Secretary, Embassy of Ukraine; Robert Čoban, President, Color Press Group. ©Color Press Group/Goran Zlatković, 24 June 2024
“Last year we enjoyed the song of Alexei Yuzhin, a musician who is a refugee from Russia. I met him in Novi Sad, where he performed as a street musician. I heard him play and sing and offered him to perform in the traditional Summer Party of Diplomacy & Commerce Magazine in June 2023,” says Robert. “In a way, this was also the cause of our cooperation with UNHCR on the “Refugee Stories” project. This year, again in cooperation with UNHCR Serbia, we arranged the performance by Liana. As I said in my keynote speech at this year’s event – I think it is our duty in the media to promote Serbia as a hospitable country that is open to all people who are forced to leave their homes due to war, poverty and other troubles. It is important that we demonstrate this by example, like this one.”
As for the future, Liana hopes to be able to continue organising “creative evenings” and a singing competition, and to open her own little vocal studio, like the one she used to have in Ukraine.
“I want to thank Serbia for the warm welcome,” says Liana with her trademark smile as we bid her goodbye and all the best until our next encounter.
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