Item 2405 - Beyond the Barrier

Video

It seems that the memory of the Chernobyl disaster has already faded away. But even today, in Byelorussia, the permanent road-blocks which deny entry into the most highly radioactive areas are proof of an emergency which has never ended. On the other side of this disturbing border-line, life - incredibly - continues. Beyond the barrier, there is still an inhabited village, Dubovy Log, that is one of the most highly contaminated villages in Byeolorussia. In Dubovy Log, Massimo Bonfatti (an Italian man who lives in Carmagola, near Torino, and runs a ward in the local hospital) and other volunteers started a project, called “Humus”, to do something about the effects of contamination, and teach villagers everything about the radiation and how to protect themselves from the radioactivity, especially in food. Difficult economic conditions in Byelorussia and widespread poverty mean that many families are obliged to continue to live in contaminated areas and to eat the food grown on their plots of land. This is also the case of Sasha's family. Sasha is a 14-year-old girl and lives with her family in Dubovy Log. Her parents came to live here when she was very little. With her brother and sister Sasha has been abroad several times for treatment because her health has been severely harmed by a diet that often includes contaminated food. Sasha lives in a house that was evacuated, but it was offered free by the Kolkoz to her family in return for work. Within the framework of project “Humus”, Massimo is promoting an interesting initiative to prove that it is possible to cultivate food in contaminated areas, at the same time guaranteeing products that are absolutely radiation free. At the same time he is training school teachers on radiation protection. Massimo believes that also through school the children and families of Dubovy Log can improve their future chances. His greatest satisfaction is seeing that the basics of radiation protection are being passed on, the only weapon for protecting oneself against this invisible evil. Massimo and Sasha give their different point of view of the difficult situation in Dubovy Log. But Sasha and her friends are not sufficiently aware about the environment they live in. They know they're living on contaminated land, but they're not afraid, they consider it a friendly place. They can't feel the radiation, they can't see it, they can't touch it, so why should they be afraid' So now the main aim of Massimo's trips to Dubovy Log is to launch the next phase of his project to create an awareness and memory of the Chernobyl disaster among the young. Massimo suggested the children to create a “Memory Bank”. What it means simply is to collect the personal accounts of relatives and friends who lived through the dramatic experience of the accident of Chernobyl, 20 years ago. Massimo thinks it's vital to preserve the memory of what happened, of what life was like before the disaster, in order to give the young a sense of reality and help them understand the truth without filtering it. Massimo, Sasha and the inhabitants of Dubovy Log give their own different

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ovni-archives: Mon, September 3, 2007 12:25 pm version con subtitulos en ingles enviado dvd mas cd con fotos y infos

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