Have you heard anything about the Ukrainian village of Nyzhnya Bilka? I’m sure not. Because most have heard of Paris, Milan, Venice. But for me it’s the first place I’ve seen in my life. This is my native village in Western Ukraine. By the way, it translates as Lower Squirrel, and the previous name was Royal Squirrel. Immediately I answer: there are squirrels)
My village is small - 500 inhabitants, modest, but picturesque. Many people are ashamed to say that they were born in the village. But I’m proud of that. After all, people in the village have a closer relationship with nature, easier, perhaps even more naive than residents of the metropolis. In order that some would not think of the village as “terra incognita”, I distribute photos on Google Maps. Another important reason for the distribution of my photographs is that in Ukraine the number of villages decreases, people move to cities, because there are fewer resources for self-realization in the village. In order to encourage peasants to intensify their internal resources, to show villages on the positive side, it is necessary to show them pictures of villages, peasants, their work, differences, uniqueness, nature. After all, they often do not notice the surrounding beauty, considering that living in the village is not fashionable, not profitable. Thanks to my photo I want to overcome this stereotype.
