Dubbel interview door Zoriana Khetchykova (2024, Anderlecht)

Op zaterdagmiddag 28 september 2024 organiseerde het Ukrainian Voices Refugee Committee (Brussel) een Oekraïense happening op de Marie Curie Square in Anderlecht (Brussel).  Uiteraard was er een optreden van de Lena Ivanova Band!  :-) 

Na het optreden werden Lena Ivanova en ikzelf geïntervieuwd door de jonge Oekraïense vluchtelinge Zoriana Khetchykova, een studente journalistiek aan de Thomas Morus hogeschool te Mechelen, meer bepaald over onze Belgisch-Oekraïense culturele samenwerking.

INTERVIEW WITH SINGER-SONGWRITER LENA IVANOVA AND WRITER-PERFORMER ALAN VANCLOOSTER BY STUDENT-JOURNALIST ZORIANA KHETCHYKOVA
 
Zoriana :  You are listening to “Chervona Kalyna”, a famous Ukrainian song, but now it was performed in both Ukrainian and Dutch.  The performers: Lena Ivanova, she is a rock singer from Chernihiv who fled to Belgium with her family after 12 days the war began, and Alan Vanclooster, a Belgian writer with a strong connection to Ukraine.  He has written books and poems about the war and tragedic experiences. 
Alan first met Lena at a concert in Dilbeek back in July.  He interviewed her and they quickly built a strong friendship.  Soon after, Lena asked Alan to translate one of her songs. And in return Alan asked Lena to set one of his poems to music.  And just like that, their creative partnership began.  But their collaboration wasn’t easy at first, especially the translation between languages.  And here is why.

Lena :  You know, first I asked one girl from my town Chernihiv, she is a teacher English language, she translated my songs on English language and then I gave it to Alan, but of course we have communication and I explain what I mean.  It is a poetry translation, it is not word by word.  So, he understands what I want to say, it can be other words but the same meaning. 

Alan :  First she asked me to translate her songs, indeed from English translation, because I don’t speak Ukrainian of course.  So, the most difficult is not to translate but to make it fit in the song, in the melody, because that is very different, also in the other direction.  When you sing in Ukrainian or you sing in Nederlands, it is completely different.  So, of course the English translation helps, because English and Nederlands are closer to each other as language.  But anyway, it is not so easy.  Remember, the last translation we made together, I translated it, I could sing it but she could not.  So, we tried together and then she said: it is too long, cancel this word, or can you find another word instead of this one because of difficult pronciation.  So, it is an interesting process.  So, as I say, it has to fit in the melody.  For other poems, we don’t need another translator anymore, we could do it together via English.  As you say: you explain to me what you mean, I explain to you what I mean, and we could do it now from scratch.

Lena :  Yeah.  No no, but for me it is very important to translate it on English too, because on English language speak too many people in the world and I want to record my songs on Nederlands of course because I am in Belgium, but on English too for more people understand us.

Zoriana :  That’s why Chervona Kalyna has been translated into 3 languages: Dutch, French and English.  Now, let’s listen to the English version…
Do you have upcoming events together?

Alan :  We have a nice event in Halle end of November, all day event about war, and 3 countries will be in the picture: Afghanistan, Congo in Africa and Ukraine.  So, we have 2 hours to tell our story with other refugees.  So, there will be videos from Ukraine before the war, how nice it is, how beautiful it.  Then Lena will sing, we will sing together.  I have another refugee in my town, Oksana, who is in the book and she will read her story in Nederlands. 

Zoriana :  As for future projects, Lena and Alan share the dream to continue to write songs in different languages.  They have plans to release an album on music platforms soon.  Stay tuned.  One day you will surely here this duo on a Belgian radio…