Showcase raises money for victims of the war in Ukraine

A quartet of women organised a cultural showcase to benefit victims of the war in Ukraine.

Christina Michaelson-Sabatini, 28, worked alongside her mother Marianna Moldavska and friends Anna de Freitas and Juliette de Freitas Vile to host a benefit on for Ukraine which has now faced hostilities for more than 100 days.

Christina and Marianna are from Mykolaiv, Ukraine, but have lived here in the UK for a decade.

The showcase, titled Leleka, is named for a kind of bird which is the Ukrainian symbol for peace. 

More than 160 theatre-goers at Jackson Lane auditorium in north London were treated to eleven performances of singing, dancing, and acrobatics from British and Ukrainian culture. 

Christina herself has family that fled to Poland from Ukraine as well as many friends who remain in the country as the war ravages on.

“As a Ukrainian, I just want for Ukrainians back home to have a normal life and that they can see their families again. To know their basic human rights of seeing their friends for lunch or having a coffee in peace,” said Christina.

Proceeds from the showcase went to the Ukraine Fundraising Appeal which is run by Lumos which aims to help children and families who have been displaced due to the war.

“To revert back to normality, I think that’s what people need,” said Christina. “They need their home and safety.”