Page 8 - Bitter Icons

Holocaust was also repressed and forgotten for a long period before it started to resurface and

gain prominence (Erll 2010:98). Erll further notes that by the year 2000 the Holocaust went
global. Another important question shows up in relation to this study: What was the process to

become a global memory? Erll points to a very relevant study by Daniel Levy and Nathan
Sznaider (Erll 2010:106). Their focus is on the iconic mediatized memories of the Holocaust

which is very relevant for the Holodomor memory. This shows us that the Holocaust stands as
the best example of how to gain the status of a global memory. So how does Erll (2010) describe

a global memory (here in context of the Holocaust)? It involves fragmentation and the breaking

down of history into images and “…in spite of its fragmentation, nevertheless retains something
of its affective quality for which is used and re-mediated in ever new contexts.” (Erll 2010:109)

She adds that such a memory can travel freely across national and cultural borders, that is in its
form as images, as I understand it.

Then we have the issue of what A. Assmann (2014) calls the transnational memory. Transna-
tional memory is according to her a shift from national memory to the transnational, which is

memories that transcend national borders and are subject to continuing local and global recon-
figurations (A. Assmann 2014:547). For instance, she speaks of the status of the Holocaust as

transnational and trans-generational memory and the fragmented memory of the GULAG (A.

Assmann 2014:552). Here I would like to comment on the focus on the GULAG and that there
is no mention of the Holodomor in this context. But could the Holodomor in some way be said

to be a transnational memory? Here could the recently released film Bitter Harvest, which is a
Canadian production, be an indication of it heading in that direction. It has mainly English-

speaking actors, but it was filmed on location in Ukraine, which shows Ukraine’s cooperation
with the West. This brings us to our question of how the memory of Holodomor is constructed

in the film. Bitter Harvest as a stellar movie product with well-known actors and actresses and

English as language, may have the ability to create better awareness of the Holodomor world-
wide. I’m think that with current streaming-services and pirated versions for download it could

reach an international audience. That of course depends somewhat on whether the movie is an
international success, like say, Schindler’s List by Stephen Spielberg. If so it can create a pow-

erful tool for remembering.

Another aspect of transnational memories in connection to the Holodomor and Bitter Harvest

is that of other nations taking over the perspective of the victims (A. Assmann 2014:554). In

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