Daughters of Donbas - Ukraine, Canada

Songs of Stolen Children

This is a very special project that is about to touch the entire world. Led by Ukrainian-Canadian singer and journalist Marichka, winner of the Amnesty International award and former frontman of Lemon Bucket Orkestra and Balaklava Blues, Daughters of Donbas sheds light on the cruel and ongoing tragedy in which over 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted from occupied territories in Eastern Ukraine and into Russia.

Marichka has been a hired war correspondent in Donbas. She has met families affected by war crimes and heard about the suffering that abducted children have gone through in filtration and “re-education” camps. Now she uses all her strength – and her strong voice – to tell and show.

Daughters of Donbas is composed of her, two other singers and a string quartet. They blend elements of Ukrainian vocal traditions with art-folk and chamber music. The songs carry echoes of ancient sounds, while others are stripped down to just voice and silence – fragile, direct and raw. In addition to the voices, only acoustic instruments, space and truth. The project is rooted in real stories – especially those of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia during the full-scale invasion. Each song testifies to a stolen name, a stolen childhood, a silenced voice.

Daughters of Donbas would like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Ontario for their support of this project, Songs of Stolen Children.