♪♪ >>> HELLO, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO "AMANPOUR AND COMPANY" FROM ODESA, UKRAINE.

HERE'S WHAT'S COMING UP TONIGHT.

A POSTCARD FROM ODESA.

HOW LIFE CONTINUES IN WAR-TORN UKRAINE.

AND MY VISIT TO A REHAB CENTER.

THEN -- >>> CAUGHT IN THE CROSS-HAIRS, AS THE COUNTER OFFENSIVE MOVES SOUTH, AND KYIV SAYS IT HAS LIBERATED MORE AREAS.

THE PORT CITY OF ODESA IS A VITAL LIFELINE FOR BOTH SIDES.

THE MAYOR'S ADVISER JOINS ME.

AND -- >> I DO HOPE THAT MORE SUPPORT WILL BE COMING SOON, SO THAT UKRAINE COULD RECOVER ITS TERRITORIES, AND WE WILL SEE AN END TO THIS CRAZY WAR.

>> STANDING UP TO AUTHORITARIANISM IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

MY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT, MAIA SANDU, CELEBRATING 32 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE FROM THE USSR.

PLUS -- >>> A SMALL ACT OF DEFIANCE.

HOW ONE RESTAURANT IN ODESA REFUSES TO ALLOW WAR TO CLOSE IT DOWN.

I ASK THE CHEF ABOUT FOOD AS RESISTANCE.

ALSO AHEAD -- >> THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT KING GOES OFF AND DELIVERS ONE OF THE GREATEST SPEECHES IN AMERICAN HISTORY, BECAUSE HE HAD PRACTICED IT IN HIS SOUL AND IN HIS MIND.

>> 60 YEARS SINCE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S HISTORIC MARCH ON WASHINGTON.

WALTER ISAACSON SPEAKS TO MICHAEL ERIC DYSON ON WHAT'S CHANGED FOR AMERICANS.

>>> "AMANPOUR AND COMPANY" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- CANDACE KING WEIR.

THE FAMILY FOUNDATION OF LEILA AND MICKEY STRAUS.

JIM ATTWOOD AND LESLIE WILLIAMS.

MARK J. BLECHNER.

SETON J. MELVIN.

CHARLES ROSENBLUM.

KOO AND PATRICIA YUEN, COMMITTED TO BRIDGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG.

WE TRY TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT.

TO NOT MISS WHAT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.

AT MUTUAL OF AMERICA, WE BELIEVE TAKING CARE OF TOMORROW CAN HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF TODAY.

MUTUAL OF AMERICA FINANCIAL GROUP.

RETIREMENT SERVICES AND INVESTMENTS.

>>> ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THESE FUNDERS, AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

>>> WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM, EVERYONE, I'M CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, LIVE IN ODESA, UKRAINE.

THIS MAJOR PORT CITY HAS BORN THE BRUNT OF RUSSIAN MISSILE ATTACKS IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS.

ON FRIDAY, UKRAINE INTERCEPTED FOUR MISSILES AND A DRONE, AND KYIV HAS STEPPED UP SOME OF ITS OWN ATTACKS AGAINST RUSSIAN TARGETS INSIDE CRIMEA, AS THE COUNTEROFFENSIVE MOVES SOUTH.

TODAY, KYIV'S DEFENSE MINISTRY SAYS ITS FORCES HAVE LIBERATED AREAS ALONG THE SOUTHERN FRONT LINE.

BEFORE THE RUSSIAN INVASION, NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF THE COUNTRY'S EXPORTS AND IMPORTS MOVED THROUGH ODESA'S PORTS.

IT'S A VITAL ECONOMIC LIFELINE.

THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMODITY, OF COURSE, IS GRAIN, BUT THERE ARE OTHER MATERIALS, AS WELL.

ODESA WAS ALSO A THRIVING HOLIDAY DESTINATION.

THERE ARE A FEW -- THERE ARE FEW, IF ANY FOREIGN TOURISTS, BUT UKRAINIANS HAVE FLOCKED BACK TO THESE BEACHES THIS SUMMER.

AND TODAY, I FOUND OUT HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO SOOTHE THEIR TRAUMA, AND EVEN FOR SOLDIERS BATTLING THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL SCARS OF WAR.

IN THE WANING DAYS OF A SECOND SUMMER AT WAR, UNDER THE BLAZING BLACK SEA SUN, YOU FIND, WELL, PEOPLE AT THE BEACH.

IT'S ACTUALLY THE FIRST TIME SOME OF THIS ODESA COASTLINE HAS BEEN OPEN FOR BUSINESS SINCE THE RUSSIAN INVASION.

AND WHILE OLGA HAS BROUGHT HER FAMILY FOR A CHANGE OF SCENERY, THERE IS NO GETTING AWAY FROM IT.

HERE, CAN YOU FORGET THE WAR FOR A LITTLE BIT?

>> Translator: SIRENS AT NIGHT DON'T LET YOU FORGET.

NO, WE DON'T FORGET.

AT LEAST I DON'T.

BUT I HOPE MY KIDS AND PARENTS GET DISTRACTED A LITTLE BIT.

>> STILL, THOSE WHO CAN MAKE THE MOST OF IT.

LIFE GOES ON, EVEN IN WARTIME, AND HERE AT THE BEACH CLUB, IT'S SOMEHOW COMFORTABLE TO WATCH PARENTS SLAP PROTECTIVE GEAR ONTO THEIR INFANTS, AS IF SUNBURN IS THE WORST THAT CAN HAPPEN.

BUT OF COURSE, IT'S NOT.

SO, IS THAT -- DOES THAT MEAN ORTHOPEDICS OR ANYTHING?

15 MINUTES AWAY IN THE CENTER OF TOWN IS A MODERN, PRIVATE RECOVERY AND ARE HABILITATION UNIT.

ONE OF TEN SET UP AROUND THE COUNTRY BY A UKRAINIAN PHILANTHROPIST.

HERE IN A FULL BODY SLING, 41-YEAR-OLD VITALI TELLS US THAT HE VOLUNTEERED FOR THE FRONT, UNTIL HE WAS BLOWN UP BY AN ANTI-PERSONNEL MINE EIGHT MONTHS AGO IN KHERSON.

"THE FIRST WAVE HIT MY FACE BECAUSE I WAS BENDING DOWN," HE SAYS, "AND SHRAPNEL ENTERED MY EYE.

ANOTHER BIT HIT MY FINGER AND THREE OF MY TOES WERE BLOWN OFF."

ON THE REHAB BED NEXT TO HIM, 42-YEAR-OLD RUSLAN'S INJURY IS LESS DRAMATIC.

SPINE AND BACK PROBLEMS FROM SUDDENLY HAVING TO HAUL HEAVY GEAR AROUND.

DO YOU NEED TO GET INTO BETTER SHAPE?

"IF I WAS 20," HE TELLS ME, "IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT.

BUT I'M 43, AND SO IT'S DIFFICULT."

BUT HE WANTS TO GO BACK TO THE FRONT LIKE VITALI DOES, JUST AS SOON AS THEY'RE PATCHED UP.

STILL MOTIVATED, STILL SURE OF VICTORY.

BUT THEN, THE TALK SUDDENLY TURNS.

VITALI?

>> YEAH.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU NEED?

IMMOBILIZED AND PRONE, HE'S CRYSTAL CLEAR.

"WE NEED MORE WEAPONS AND JETS TO CLOSE THE SKY FROM THE RUSSIAN MISSILES," HE SAYS.

WHEN A SOLDIER IS FIGHTING THERE AND HIS FAMILY IS HERE UNPROTECTED, WHAT DO YOU THINK GOES THROUGH OUR MINDS?

ANDREI TELLS ME HIS PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA IS WORST THAN THE SHRAPNEL TO HIS HAND, BECAUSE HE, LIKE ALL OF THEM, WANT TO BE BACK AT THE FRONT, TO FIGHT FOR THEIR COUNTRY.

AND THEIR FAMILY.

"I HAVE A MOTHER, A FATHER, A WIFE, AND A CAT," HE TELLS ME.

BACK AT THE SEASIDE, SERGEI, A 59-YEAR-OLD CONSCRIPT BASED IN KHERSON, DEFENDS HIS BEACHTIME BREAK.

IN THE MIDDLE OF WAR, YOU DON'T FEEL STRANGE?

>> AH, YEAH.

IT'S A BIT STRANGE, BUT WE NEED SOME RELAXING.

>> HE'LL BE BACK UNDER ARMS AFTER HIS 15-DAY FURLOUGH.

AND HE INSISTS THE COUNTEROFFENSIVE IS GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN.

IT IS AN IMPORTANT REMINDER OF PRESERVING THE FABRIC OF LIFE, EVEN AMID WAR.

NOW, AS WE MENTIONED, ODESA IS KEY TO UKRAINE'S GRAIN EXPORTS AND ALL ITS EXPORTS, FRANKLY.

OVER THE WEEKEND, UKRAINE TESTED A SECOND VESSEL THROUGH A TEMPORARY BLACK SEA CORRIDOR THAT ITS ESTABLISHED SINCE RUSSIA PULLED OUT OF THE U.N.

GRAIN DEAL LAST MONTH.

BUT ODESA IS ALSO A MAJOR HISTORICAL SITE, WITH RICH CULTURAL HISTORY ENCOMPASSING RUSSIANS, JEWS, AS WELL AS, OF COURSE, UKRAINIANS, AND THE WORLD WAS VERY SHOCKED WHEN RUSSIAN MISSILES BADLY DAMAGED THE HISTORIC ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL.

IT'S A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE.

AND OUR NEXT GUEST, NIKOLAI VIKNYANSKI, IS AN ADVISER TO THE ODESA MAYOR.

IT'S DARK HERE, BUT ALL THE BEACHES BELOW HAVE BEEN FULL, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN -- SINCE THE WAR.

>> YES, IT'S TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE FALL, BUT TO BE HONEST, THE PICTURE IS A LITTLE BIT SCARY, BECAUSE THERE IS NO SHIPS.

WE USED TO SEE A LOT OF -- >> IT'S GONE NOW.

>> COMPLETELY BLACK SEA.

>> COMPLETELY THE BLACK SEAS.

YOU GUYS CAN MAKE JOKES, YOU KIND OF HAVE TO.

>> IT'S OUR LIFE.

>> IT'S YOUR LIFE.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT THEN, THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM, TRYING TO GET EXPORTS OUT, IMPORTS IN, AND YET, YOUR COUNTRY HAS FACILITATED A SECOND SEA PASSAGE.

>> YEAH.

>> HOW DO YOU THINK THAT WENT?

IS THERE GOING TO BE MORE OF IT?

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?

>> I DON'T KNOW.

WE HAVE TO ASK THE MILITARY, BECAUSE THEY DEFEND SHIPS SOMEHOW.

I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S POSSIBLE, BUT THANK THEM FOR.

>> SO, WHAT IS IT THAT BASICALLY YOU AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ARE DEALING WITH MOST RIGHT NOW?

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ODESA WAS KIND OF SPARED THE WORST OF THE RUSSIAN ASSAULTS AT THE BEGINNING.

>> UH-HUH.

>> IN THE LAST MONTH, IT'S REALLY STEPPED UP, THE ATTACKS BY RUSSIA.

>> YES, FEELS BETTER, BUT NOT A LOT, BECAUSE ONE YEAR AGO, WE THOUGHT THAT THE WAR WOULD BE NOT MORE THAN ONE YEAR, AND NOW WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT MIGHT BE FOR MOST OF OUR LIFE.

AND WE HAVE NO FUTURE.

>> YOU REALLY THINK THAT?

THAT IT COULD BE FOREVER?

>> WE DON'T THINK HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.

AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WE, AS A MAN, CAN BE JUST FINISHED, BECAUSE OUR POTENTIAL IS LESS THREE, FOUR TIMES IN RUSSIA.

I AM ADVISER FOR THIS, AROUND THE BIGGEST UKRAINIAN HUMANITARIAN CENTER, WE SUPPORT -- >> THOSE ARE INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE.

>> RIGHT.

IN OUR CENTER, WHICH I FOUND WITH MY FRIEND, THIS IS THE BIG NEST UKRAINE.

WE HAVE HELPED MORE THAN 200,000 FAMILIES.

>> THAT'S A LOT.

>> SINCE THE BEGINNING.

>> A LOT, YEAH.

>> IS THAT -- >> FROM EVERYWHERE.

FROM MARIUPOL, FROM KHERSON, FROM EVERYWHERE.

>> AND ARE THEY STILL COMING, EVEN THIS LATE INTO THE WAR?

>> EVEN NOW, STILL COMING.

EVERY DAY, WE HAVE ABOUT 200 FAMILIES.

>> YOU'RE NOT A MILITARY MAN AND I'M NOT ASKING YOU MILITARY QUESTIONS, BUT YOU'RE SAYING YOU'RE CONCERNED THIS COULD GO ON FOR A LONG TIME, THAT THEY HAVE, AS YOU SAID, FOUR TIMES THE NUMBER OF POPULATION THAN YOU HAVE HERE IN UKRAINE.

>> UH-HUH.

>> HOW IS THE COUNTEROFFENSIVE BEING PERCEIVED HEARD?

HOW ARE PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT IT AND TALKING ABOUT IT?

>> DIFFERENT PEOPLE THINK DIFFERENTLY.

>> YEAH.

>> AS FOR ME, I HAVE NEVER OVERESTIMATED IT, AND I KNOW A LOT OF SOLDIERS, A LOT OF MY CLOSE FRIENDS ARE NOW THERE, AND UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT FOR THEM.

IT'S DIFFICULT WITHOUT AIRPLANES, AIR FIGHTERS, IT'S DIFFICULT BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS MINED, AND SO AS FOR ME, EVERYTHING GOES AS NEEDED.

IT'S OKAY.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, A LOT OF MY FRIENDS, THEY'VE LOST THEIR LIMBS, AND I UNDERSTAND I MIGHT BE DRAFTED, EVEN TOMORROW.

>> AND YOU WOULD GO WILLINGLY?

>> YES, OF COURSE.

>> YOU KNOW, THAT IS INCREDIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND AND HEAR YOU SAY THAT.

BECAUSE WE WERE, AS YOU SAW, IN A REHAB CENTER JUST EARLIER TODAY, AND WE SAW PEOPLE WITH SEVERE WOUNDS, AND THOSE WHO ARE BEING, YOU KNOW, BEING REHABILITATED AND RECOVERING.

AND YET, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM SAID THAT THEY WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE FRONT, THAT THE PULL OF THEIR COMRADES AND THE PULL OF THE IDEA OF DEFENDING THE HOMELAND AND THEIR FAMILIES IS JUST HUGE STILL.

>> YES.

THIS IS HUGE, I THINK EVEN MORE THAN IT WAS BEFORE.

BECAUSE AT THE BEGINNING, IT WAS, LIKE, REACTIVE.

>> UH-HUH.

>> AND NOW, IT'S HERE, AND RIGHT NOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE TO GO.

>> SO, BEFORE YOU JUST DID IT -- >> A REFLECTION.

>> AND NOW IT'S A WAY OF LIFE.

>> YES, OF COURSE.

BUT IT'S OUR HOME.

>> YEAH.

>> YOU DEAL IN HUMANITARIAN ISSUES, BUT YOU ARE VERY PROMINENT IN THE CAMPAIGN TO GETTING 0ODESA NAMED A HERITAGE SITE.

HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN THE CHURCH WAS SO BADLY DAMAGED?

>> IT IS A MISTAKE, BECAUSE CHURCH IS NEW BUILDING.

IT HAS NEVER -- >> IS THAT RIGHT?

>> IT WAS NEVER UNESCO SITE -- >> IT'S CALLED THE TRANSFIGURATION.

>> YES, BECAUSE IN 1937, INTO THIS CHURCH, AND AFTER 2000, WE REBID IT, SO, THIS IS A NEW BUILDING, AND -- >> BUT ON A HISTORIC SITE.

>> HISTORIC SITE, BUT THE BUILDING IS NEW.

BUT THERE WAS DAMAGED A LOT OF REAL HISTORICAL BUILDINGS, AND I FEEL PITY ABOUT THAT BUT OTHERWISE, I KNOW THAT NOW, THIS IS UNESCO SITE, AND IF THEY BOMBED THE UNESCO SITE, THIS IS A TOP LEVEL OF MILITARY CRIME, AND THAT'S WHY WE WILL TAKE THEM TO THE COURT.

THEY -- I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO REBUILD EVERYTHING, TO RESTORE EVERYTHINGER, AND -- >> SO YOU'RE OPTIMISTIC.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> THAT YOU CAN RECOVER.

DO YOU THINK YOU CAN RECOVER THE FABRIC OF THE PEOPLE?

BECAUSE, AS WE SAID, THIS IS A VERY MIXED COMMUNITY, THAT'S BEEN IN ODESA FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, IF NOT, YOU KNOW, REALLY A LONG TIME.

YOU ARE JEWISH, YOU TOLD ME, IT'S BEEN A VERY STRONG JEWISH COMMUNITY HERE.

RUSSIANS, AS WELL, AND RUSSIAN SPEAKERS.

UKRAINIANS.

IT'S JUST A LOT.

WHAT IS THE FABRIC OF -- >> I CAN TELL YOU EXACTLY THE NUMBER.

133 DIFFERENT NATIONS MELTED HERE TOGETHER.

>> 133.

>> 133.

>> WOW.

>> YES, YES, I KNOW THAT, BECAUSE I'M COAUTHOR OF OUR NOMINATION FOR UNESCO AND WE STUDIED IT A LOT.

AND I EVEN DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE I STARTED THAT IT IS A SPECIAL NATION.

>> AND WHAT'S THE WAR DONE?

>> I THINK OUR SPIRIT, AS ODESA CITIZEN, BECAUSE WE ARE SOMETHING SPECIAL, IS STILL ALIVE.

AND WE WILL BE HERE.

VISIT, EVERYTHING IS OKAY.

WE'RE STILL ODESA, WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE ALL UKRAINIANS, IN SPITE I'M JEWISH, MY CLOSEST FRIEND, HE PRODUCES SUICIDE DRONE, HE'S THE BIGGEST PRODUCER IN UKRAINE -- >> REALLY?

>> HE'S BULGARIAN.

AND SO, I HAVE ANOTHER FRIEND, HE'S -- BUT WE ARE ALL UKRAINIAN.

>> AND YOU STILL FEEL THAT WAY.

>> STILL FEEL THAT, YES.

AND SO, MY CHILDREN, I HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS, THEY LEARN THE UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE, SO, THEY ARE UKRAINIAN.

>> AND YOU GET SAD AT ALL THAT YOU'RE DEFENDING YOUR OWN CULTURE -- >> OF COURSE.

>> AND THAT COMES ALMOST -- I'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, STATUTES OF THE GREAT RUSSIAN POET BEING TAKEN DOWN, AND THERE SEEMS TO BE, YES, OBVIOUSLY, DURING WAR, THERE'S OFTEN SORT OF CULTURAL WAR, AS WELL.

>> YEAH, THIS IS A CULTURAL WAR, BUT NOT FROM OUR SIDE.

THE CULTURAL WAR IS BECAUSE RUSSIA PROPAGANDA, THEY USE THESE PEOPLE AS, LIKE WEAPON AGAINST US.

AND I THINK THIS IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM.

HOW THEY USE IT, NOT WE.

FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW, IF THEY JUST HAD TO DEAL WITH UKRAINE, THERE'S ONE THING, BUT THEY GET CRAZY, AND THAT'S WHY -- FOR US, THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM.

>> FOR MANY PEOPLE, IT DOES SEEM LIKE A CRAZY WAR, INCLUDING OUR NEXT GUEST, THE PRESIDENT OF MOLDOVA, WHO CALLED IT THAT.

NIKOLAI, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> YES, THANK YOU.

>>> WE TRAVELED THROUGH MOLDOVA THIS TIME ON OUR WAY HERE INTO SOUTHERN UKRAINE, BECAUSE WE WANTED TO CHECK IN WITH THE PRESIDENT, WHO IS HAILED AS A BRIGHT SPARK AGAINST THE AUTHORITARIANISM THAT IS SETTING IN ON HER DOORSTEP.

NOW, MAIA SANDU, WHOSE NATION BORDERS UKRAINE, AND IS PARTLY OCCUPIED BY RUSSIAN SOLDIERS TODAY, EVER SINCE 1992, HAS EARNED A EUROPEAN FREEDOM FIGHTER AWARD.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, THEY BESTOWED THAT ON HER.

AND WE SPOKE SUNDAY, IN THE CAPITAL, AS MOLDOVA CELEBRATED ITS 32nd INDEPENDENCE DAY FROM THE SOVIET UNION.

WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> SO, WE SPEAK AS YOU CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY, MORE THAN THREE DECADES LATER.

DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU ARE SOLID AND SECURE IN YOUR INDEPENDENCE, A YEAR AND A HALF INTO RUSSIA'S ILLEGAL WAR AGAINST UKRAINE?

>> WE FEEL THAT WE ARE MORE RESILIENT.

WE ARE GROWING STRONGER.

WE HAVE DONE A LOT OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS.

WE HAVE BECOME MORE INDEPENDENT WHEN IT COMES TO ENERGY ISSUES, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.

A YEAR AGO, WE WERE BUYING 100% OF OUR NEEDS FOR GAS FROM YAUGS TODAY WITH EXCEPTION OF THE REGION.

WE DON'T CONSUME ANY RUSSIAN GAS.

OF COURSE, THAT IS A LOT WE HAVE TO DO, THAT WE HAVE MANAGED TO DEFEND OUR DEMOCRACY AND WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR OUR DEMOCRACY.

>> DO YOU FEEL, BECAUSE, IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, THE BLACK SEA REGION HAS BEEN A RUSSIAN TARGET.

EVEN -- EVEN, YOU KNOW, THE PORT ON THE DANUBE, BASICALLY, THE UKRAINIAN PORT ON THE DANUBE, HAS HAD A SHOT AT IT.

DO YOU FEEL THERE IS A MILITARY RISK -- I KNOW MODOVA IS NOT IN NATO, BUT RUSSIA OVERSTEPPING AND PULLING NATO IN?

>> WE DO FEEL SAFER TODAY COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO, AND AGAIN, WE FEEL SAFER THANKS TO THE RESISTANCE OF THE UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS, OF THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE.

THANKS TO THE COURAGE OF THE UKRAINIAN LEADERSHIP.

BUT WE DO KNOW THAT RUSSIA CONTINUES TO REPRESENT A THREAT.

TODAY, WE ARE FACING THE ATTEMPTS FROM RUSSIA.

LAST YEAR, RUSSIA TRIED TO INFLUENCE THINGS IN MOLDOVA, USING THE ENERGY WEAPON.

THEN AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, RUSSIA TRIED TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT -- >> YOUR GOVERNMENT?

>> EXACTLY.

OUR GOVERNMENT, USING VIOLENT PROTESTERS, WELL, IT TRIED TO USE VIOLENT PROTESTERS, BUT SINCE OUR INSTITUTIONS MANAGED TO DEAL WITH THE RISK.

NOW, WE SEE RUSSIA TRYING TO DO OTHER THINGS, FOR INSTANCE, USING DIRTY MONEY TO BUY VOTERS, AND, OF COURSE, WE'LL SEE MORE OF THIS ATTEMPTS BY RUSSIA TO UNDERMINE OUR DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES, INCLUDING THE ELECTIONS THIS YEAR, WHEN WE HAVE LOCAL ELECTIONS, NEXT YEAR, WHEN WE HAVE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, SO -- WE DO FEEL SAFER, THANKS TO THE UKRAINIAN RESISTANCE, BUT WE STILL NEED TO DO A LOT TO DEFEND OURSELVES.

>> I'M REALLY INTERESTED, BECAUSE YOU KEEP SAYING SAFER DUE TO THE UKRAINIAN RESISTANCE.

CLEARLY, I'M READING INTO IT, BUT CLEARLY, MOLDOVA NEEDS TO BE SAFE AS AN ENTITY ON ITS OWN.

WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO MAKE YOU SAFE FROM RUSSIA?

>> WE BELIEVE MOLDOVA IS GOING TO BE SAFE AND MOLDOVA'S DEMOCRACY WILL BE PRESERVED WHEN MOLDOVA BECOMES EU MEMBER STATE.

IT'S CLEAR TO US RUSSIA WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT, BIG SOURCE OF INSTABILITY FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.

THAT'S WHY JOINING EU IS THE ONLY WAY FOR US TO SAVE DEMOCRACY IN MOLDOVA.

>> AND WE'RE SITTING WITH A FLAG OF THE EU ALONGSIDE THE MOLDOVAN FLAG BEHIND YOU, TO MARK THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE STARTED THAT PROCESS OF ACCESSION.

>> WE HAVE RECEIVED THE CANDIDATE STATUS.

WE ARE VERY INTERESTED TO INITIATE THE NEGOTIATIONS.

WE'RE WORKING HARD ON IMPLEMENTING THE CONDITIONS THAT THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION HAS FORM LATE.

WE UNDERSTAND IT'S A LONG PROCESS.

WE DO HAVE INTERNAL CHALLENGES, FOR INSTANCE, JUSTICE AND REFORM, AND EFFICIENT ANTI-CORRUPTION INSTITUTIONS IS A SERIOUS TASK FOR US, BUT WE'RE VERY COMMITTED.

WE HAVE FULL POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR THIS, AND NO MATTER HOW BIG THE RESISTANCE IS WITHIN THE SYSTEM, BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE CORRUPT JUDGES AND CORRUPT PROSECUTORS WHO DO NOT WANT OUR REFORMS TO SUCCEED, WE WILL SUCCEED, BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THE MOLDOVAN PEOPLE WANT.

AND THIS IS WHAT THE EU EXPECTS FROM US.

>> CAN I ASK YOU WHAT YOU MAKE OF THE WHOLE PRIGOZHIN AFFAIR?

TWO MONTHS LATER, HE IS PRESUMED DEAD, AND IT IS PRESUMED, ALTHOUGH DENIED BY THE KREMLIN, THAT THEY HAD A HAND IN IT.

HOW DO YOU READ THAT, AS A PRESIDENT, HOW DOES YOUR INTELLIGENCE SERVICES READ IT?

>> IT JUST RECONFIRMS THE RISKS WHICH COME FROM RUSSIA, A COUNTRY WHICH DOES NOT HAVE JUSTICE.

WHICH SOLVES THE PROBLEMS THE WAY IT SOLVES, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THIS DOES NOT LIMIT TO RUSSIA'S BORDERS.

UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS THE WAIL RUSSIA ACTS WITH RESPECT TO ITS NEIGHBORS.

>> DO YOU THINK THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS DECIDED THAT HIS BATTLE IS A CIVILIZATIONAL BATTLE AGAINST THE WEST AND AGAINST ANY OF THE FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS, WHO EXHIBIT MORE DEMOCRATIC, MORE WESTERN POLITICS?

>> RUSSIAN PRESIDENT WANTS ALL OUR COUNTRIES TO BE IN POVERTY.

WITHOUT DEMOCRACIES.

HE WANTS MOLDOVA AND THE OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE REGION TO BE IN A GRAY ZONE SO THAT HE COULD USE OUR COUNTRIES IN ITS BATTLE WITH THE DEMOCRATIC WEST.

WE WANT OUR COUNTRY TO BE PART OF THE FREE WORLD.

>> IT APPEARS THAT YOU AND MOSCOW ARE ENGAGED IN A DIPLOMATIC TIT FOR TAT.

YOU HAVE EXPELLED CERTAIN RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS.

I THINK YOU HALVED THEIR PRESENCE HERE IN YOUR COUNTRY.

THEY'RE EXPELLING SOME MOLDOVANS FROM RUSSIA.

AND SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ON A VERY DANGEROUS PATH, AND YOU ARE DETERMINED TO CREATE MAYHEM BETWEEN YOU AND THE KREMLIN.

WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER TO THAT?

AND WHY DO YOU THINK THAT'S HAPPENING?

>> RUSSIA SHOULD RESPECT THE INDEPEP INDEPENDENCE OF -- >> WHY DID YOU EXPEL THEM?

>> WHEN THEY TRY TO OVERTHROW A DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT, THIS IS A VERY CLEAR SIGN THAT THERE IS NO RESPECT FOR THIS COUNTRY.

IT'S THE MOLDOVAN CITIZENS WHO DECIDE WHO SHOULD RUN THE COUNTRY.

WE HAVE FREE ELECTIONS, AND WE WILL DECIDE HOW THE COUNTRY IS GOVERNED, WHAT IS THE GEOPOLITICAL DIRECTION THAT THE COUNTRY WANTS TO TAKE.

WHEN RUSSIA INTERFERES, WHEN RUSSIA IS BLACKMAILING US, WHEN RUSSIA DOES NOT RESPECT THE NEUTRALITY WE HAVE IN THE CONSTITUTION, BECAUSE RUSSIA KEEPS ITS SOLDIERS ON OUR TERRITORY, AGAINST THE WILL OF THE MOLDOVAN PEOPLE, WE WILL RESPOND ACCORDINGLY, BECAUSE MY RESPONSIBILITY, THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARLIAMENT, AND OF THE GOVERNMENT, IS TO REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF THE MOLDOVAN CITIZENS.

>> YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT -- MAYBE THE REST OF THE WORLD DOESN'T FOCUS ON THE FACT THAT AN ACTUAL PORTION OF YOUR COUNTRY IS CURRENTLY OCCUPIED BY RUSSIAN TROOPS.

THAT MUST BE A VERY SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO YOU.

DO YOU THINK THEY THREATEN YOU?

>> THEY HAVE BEEN USING TRANSNIECE TREA AGAINST THE RESPECT OF MOLDOVA, AND NOW, THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK FOR US, WITH RESPECT TO THE CONFLICT THERE, IS TO KEEP THE SITUATION STABLE.

AND WE HAVE MANAGED TO KEEP THE SITUATION IN THE REGION STABLE.

THE PEOPLE THERE, THEY SHARE THE SAME OBJECTIVES.

THEY WANT PEACE.

THEY WANT TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO LIVE HAPPILY AT HOME.

FREE TRADE REGIME WITH THE EU.

THEY ARE PART OF THE ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT, SO -- PEOPLE SEE THE BENEFITS OF THE -- >> SO, YOU ARE TRYING TO COMPETE FOR THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS?

>> THERE IS NO CONFLICT BETWEEN THE PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT AND LEFT BANK, AND THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE, PROBABLY, WITH THE CONFLICT ZONES AND DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD.

HERE, THERE IS A REGIME, WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY RUSSIA, THE RUSSIAN TROOPS, WHICH ARE STATIONED ILLEGALLY IN THE LEE JORNGS AND, OF COURSE, THIS IS HOW THE RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES ARE TRYING TO INFLUENCE THINGS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA.

>> YOUR OWN PRIME MINISTER SAID THEIR CAMPAIGN IS GETTING LESS AND LESS EFFECTIVE WITH TIME, THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN.

DO YOU AGREE?

>> YES, I DO AGREE.

AND AS I MENTIONED, THE CLOSER PEOPLE GET TO THE EU, AND SOME OF THEM ALREADY WORK IN THE EU COUNTRIES, HALF OF THE EXPORTS FROM THE REGION GO TO THE EU COUNTRIES, SO, PEOPLE SEE THE BENEFITS.

>> DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE WEST IS DOING ENOUGH?

DO YOU YOU THIS IT'S YET DONE ENOUGH FOR UKRAINE, AND IS IT DOING ENOUGH FOR YOU?

>> WE'RE GRATEFUL TO ALL THE COUNTRIES, AND TO ALL THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS WHICH SUPPORT UKRAINE.

WE BELIEVE THAT UKRAINE NEEDS TO GET MORE SUPPORT.

UKRAINE IS FIGHTING THE RIGHT CAUSE.

UKRAINE IS FIGHTING FOR ITS INDEPENDENCE, BUT ALSO FOR DEMOCRACY, AND EVERYBODY SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT IF UKRAINE IS NOT HELPED, THEN RUSSIA WILL NOT STOP IN UKRAINE OR MOLDOVA, SO, THIS IS ALSO ABOUT THE SECURITY, FIRST OF ALL, THE SECURITY OF THE CONTINENT.

AND ALSO ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL RULES-BASED SYSTEM.

MOLDOVA IS GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE SUPPORT.

WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT WE COULD GO THROUGH THE DIFFICULT CHALLENGES.

WE HAD A BAD ENERGY CRISIS, WE HAD REFUGEE CRISIS, WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, BECAUSE OF THE WAR, AND WE MANAGE TO -- TO GO THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT SITUATION, THANKS TO THE INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT, BUT ALSO THANKS TO THE UNITY OF THE MOLDOVANS WITHIN THE COUNTRY.

>> WE'VE HEARD A LOT FROM NATO, FROM THE U.S., FROM EVERYBODY, AND YOU'VE JUST SAID THAT RUSSIA CANNOT WIN, BECAUSE OTHERWISE, IT WILL COMPLETELY UPEND THE INTERNATIONAL RULES-BASED ORDER.

ARE YOU A LITTLE AFRAID THAT ITS DUG-IN DEFENSES, THAT ITS STAYING POWER IN UKRAINE RIGHT NOW IS SLOWING DOWN THE PROCESS OF DEFEATING RUSSIA?

>> I BELIEVE THAT UKRAINE IS DOING, AGAIN, EVERYTHING POSSIBLE.

I DO BELIEVE UKRAINE NEEDS MORE SUPPORT, EVEN THOUGH I DO APPRECIATE ALL THE SUPPORT IT GETS FROM ALL THE COUNTRIES, AND I DO HOPE THAT MORE SUPPORT WILL BE COMING SOON.

SO THAT UKRAINE COULD RECOVER ITS TERRITORIES AND WE WILL SEE AN END TO THIS CRAZY WAR.

>> CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE?

YOU'RE A WOMAN IN A VERY MACHO PART OF THE WORLD.

DOES THAT WEIGH ON YOU?

DO YOU NOTICE PEOPLE TREATING YOU -- I MEAN HERE, THE RUSSIANS, DO THEY TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY?

DO YOU FEEL -- I DON'T KNOW, HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR PRESIDENCY?

>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, IN OUR PART OF THE WORLD, THERE ARE MANY STRONG WOMEN IN HIGH LEVEL POSITIONS.

AND THIS IS ENCOURAGING, BECAUSE THIS SHOWS THAT CITIZENS, PEOPLE ARE READY FOR CHANGE.

SECOND, THOSE WHO DIDN'T TAKE ME SERIOUSLY AT THE BEGINNING NOW DO TAKE ME SERIOUSLY, BECAUSE WE SHOWED COURAGE, WE DID NOT ALLOW RUSSIA TO BLACKMAIL US.

YES, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO ELIMINATE RUSSIA'S INDEPENDENCE ON ENERGY, ON GAS, BUT WE TOOK THE DIFFICULT TASKS AND WE WILL CONTINUE ON THIS PATH.

WE WANT TO BE INDEPENDENT, WE WANT OUR CITIZENS TO BE RESPECTED, WE WANT OUR CITIZENS TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO LIVE IN A FREE WORLD AND IN PEACE.

>> PRESIDENT MAIA SANDU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> SO, EVERYONE IS TRYING TO HOLD THE LINE IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD.

SO, LET'S TURN NOW TO THE POWER OF FOOD TO HELP MAINTAIN DAILY LIFE DURING WARTIME.

AGAINST THE ODDS, CHEF AND RESTAURANTEUR NIKA LOZOVKSA HAS KEPT HER TWO RESTAURANTS IN THE HEART OF THIS CITY OPEN.

AND SHE'S JOINING ME NOW TO TALK ABOUT HOW AND WHY.

WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM, NIKA.

>> GOOD EVENING.

>> SO, HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD -- IT'S DIZYNGOFF IS YOUR MAIN RESTAURANT, RIGHT?

>> YES.

>> HOW DIFFICULT HAS IT BEEN TO KEEP IT OPEN DURING THE WAR?

>> I MEAN, IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT DURING WINTER AND BLACKOUTS.

THEY WERE QUITE SEVERE IN ODESA.

SOMETIMES WE DIDN'T HAVE ELECTRICITY FOR, LIKE, TWO DAYS, THREE DAYS, AND WE HAD IT FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS, WE HAD NO IDEA HOW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE AND DIZYNGOFF IS A RESTAURANT THAT'S MEDIUM-SIZED, IT'S NOT COMPLETELY CLEAR, GENERATOR TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY.

AND SCARY FOR THE PEOPLE WORKING FOR YOU.

FOR ME, AS A CIVILIAN, IT WASN'T THAT SCARY, I MEAN, BLACKOUTS, IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL, EVEN THOUGH I WAS, OF COURSE, SCARED FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE, FOR THE KIDS AND EVERYTHING, BUT FOR ME AS BUSINESS, IT WAS SCARY.

I HAD NO IDEA IF MY RESTAURANT WAS GOING TO SURVIVE, OR MAYBE I HAD TO TELL TO MY WORKERS, MAYBE YOU NEED TO GO TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER JOB TO BE MORE SURE ABOUT -- >> I'M GOING TO GET BACK TO THE RESTAURANT PART OF IT, BUT IT WAS -- ODESA WASN'T AS HEAVILY ATTACKED BACK THEN AS IT HAS BEEN IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS.

WHAT -- I MEAN, APPARENTLY SOME MISSILES STRUCK NOT TOO FAR AWAY FROM YOU.

DID YOU THINK YET AGAIN YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CLOSE?

>> THOSE ATTACKS WERE REALLY CLOSE.

ONE OF THEM WAS JUST, I WOULD SAY 500 METERS FROM US.

AND NOT AT ALL.

THE MORNING AFTER, IT WAS QUITE REASSURING FOR EVERYBODY, FOR THE STAFF, TO COME TO THE RESTAURANT, YOU KNOW, TO FIND THE -- YOURSELF IN A SECURE PLACE WHERE YOU, I MEAN, SECURE IN THE WAY THAT YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, TO DO SIMPLE THINGS THAT YOU ARE DOING DAILY.

>> LIKE CHOPPING VEGETABLES AND -- >> AND THE RESTAURANT WAS FULL THE NEXT DAY.

>> SO, HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR THAT?

BECAUSE YOU SEE THE BEACHES, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT THERE, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE COME BACK TO THE BEACHES.

HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR -- I DON'T KNOW, AS WE HEARD, YOU KNOW, NIK SAY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW, MAYBE PEOPLE ARE SETTLING INTO THINKING THIS IS GOING TO CONTINUE FOR A LONG TIME, AND YOU BETTER CARRY ON.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP YOUR MENTAL HEALTH GOING, LIKE, JUST WE'RE ALWAYS PREPARED THAT IT CAN HAPPEN NEXT TO YOU, TO YOUR NEIGHBOR, TO YOUR OWN HOUSE, TO YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

>> SO, TELL ME -- >> AND WE CHOSE TO BE HERE.

>> YOU CHOSE TO BE HERE.

YOU COULD HAVE LEFT.

BUT YOU CHOSE TO BE HERE.

>> YEAH.

>> SO, TELL ME ABOUT FOOD.

HOW HAVE YOU RECOGNIZED IT AS AN ANCHOR, YOU KNOW, FOR NORMAL LIFE, FOR DIGNITY, FOR MORE THAN JUST EATING?

>> EXCUSE ME.

I'M NOT SURE IF I -- >> TELL ME ABOUT FOOD IN WARTIME.

>> IN WARTIME.

>> YEAH.

WHAT IS THE -- WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF COMING TO A GREAT RESTAURANT WITH GREAT FOOD?

>> MY WAY TO SPEAK ABOUT IT IS THAT FOR US, RESTAURANTS ARE THE PLACES WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE ATMOSPHERE THE WAY IT WAS BEFORE WAR, AND THE WAY IT'S GOING TO BE AFTER THE VICTORY.

BUT AND AT THE MOMENT, YES, IT'S A PLACE YOU CAN FIND NORMAL LIFE, NORMAL PLEASURES AND EVERYTHING.

>> AND HAVE YOU -- HAS ANYTHING SORT OF HAPPENED THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T FIND CERTAIN INGREDIENTS?

I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN FISH THAT YOU COULDN'T GET AFTER THE DAM WAS, YOU KNOW, WAS BREACHED.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A BLOCKADE HERE, I KNOW THERE'S FISH IN THE SEA, BUT IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT WITH THE MINES AND THE BLOCKADE OF THIS BLACK SEA.

HOW HAS THAT AFFECTED -- >> SO, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR, WE ONLY HAD ACCESS TO RIVER FISHES AND SOME SMALL FISHERMANS THAT WOULD GO AND FISH FROM THE SHORE.

AND SO, WE HAD -- AS FAR AS WHERE SMALL, WE COULD GET SMALL QUANTITIES OF LOCAL FISH.

AND SINCE THE DAM, WE HAVE ZERO FISH AT ALL, EVEN FISHING IN THE LAKES IS FORBIDDEN.

AND -- >> WHY IS THAT?

>> BECAUSE SOMEHOW THEY ARE ALL CONNECTED IN THE REGION, THEY ARE VERY CLOSE, AND IT MIGHT BE -- IT MIGHT BE DANGER.

BUT IT'S COMING BACK A LITTLE BIT, BUT VERY SMALL AMOUNTS AND MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE, MUCH LESS ACCESSIBLE.

PEOPLE ALWAYS ARE AFRAID TO BUY IT, TO, LIKE, TO EAT IT AND TO ORDER IT, BECAUSE WE WON'T BUY IT, BECAUSE OUR GUESTS ARE VERY NOT SURE IF IT'S LERT.

>> SO, WHAT DO YOU DO INSTEAD?

>> ACTUALLY, MY RESTAURANT IS SPECIALIZED ON, LIKE, LOCAL INGREDIENTS, WE ONLY USE WHAT WE FIND IN UKRAINE, BUT SINCE THE DAM, WE'RE, LIKE, ACTUALLY SERVING SOME SHRIMPS AND SALMON, BECAUSE WE NEED TO SUBSTITUTE.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT DIZYNGOFF, THAT IS THE NAME OF THE FIRST MAYOR OF TEL AVIV IN ISRAEL?

>> YES, LIVES FOR AWHILE IN ODESA.

>> OKAY.

>> IN MY RESTAURANT, WE HAVE AN ENVELOPE SIGNED BY HIM, BEING SENT TO US FROM ODESA, SO, THERE IS A WHOLE PART OF HIS LIFE THAT WAS SPENT HERE, AND WE DECIDED, IT WAS ABOUT A CONNECTION BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, LIKE, VEPATION OF BOTH CITIES BEING MULTICULTURAL, MULTILANGUAGE, MULTICUISINE, MULLTY CULTURE, EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT, AND BEING EXTREMELY HOSPITABLE.

THEY SAY IT'S THE JEWISH CONNECTION, WE ARE EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY HOSPITABLE AND WHEN GUESTS COME OVER, YOU NEED TO FEED THEM, LIKE, YOU NEED TO BE REALLY -- >> IT'S A CULTURAL THING, FOR SURE.

AND DO YOU SEE THE FABRIC OF THIS CITY STILL REMAINING STRONG OR HAVE A LOT OF COMMUNITIES LEFT?

IS THE JEWISH COMMUNITY STILL STRONG IN THIS CITY, FOR INSTANCE?

>> I'M SURE.

I'M SURE.

AND WILL ALWAYS BE.

WE CAN FEEL IT FROM THE CITY, DOESN'T CHANGE.

TRAFFIC JAMS ARE QUITE THE SAME, EVERYTHING IS STILL GOING ON.

MOST OF THINGS YOU FIND -- THAT YOU FOUND BEFORE THE WAR, YOU FIND THEM NOW.

THEY HAVE TRANSFORMED, BUT -- >> SO, I MEAN, I HAVE TO -- YOU MAKE ASSOCIATIONS IN MY MIND, IN ISRAEL, THE CITIZENS ARE THE SECULAR DEMOCRATS, WHICH MAKE UP MOST OF THE CITIZENRY THERE.

THEY'RE FIGHTING VERY HARD TO KEEP THEIR OWN DEMOCRACY, AND HERE, YOU GUYS SEEM TO BE FIGHTING REALLY HARD NOT TO SUBMIT TO AUTHORITARIAN RULE, TO, YOU CALL IT FASCISM.

DO YOU SEE A SIMILARITY, HISTORICALLY, CULTURALLY?

>> I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT, I WOULD PROBABLY NEED A BIT MORE TIME TO ANALYZE ABOUT THAT QUESTION.

BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO LEARN HOW TO LIVE -- TO TAKE A LOOK AT ISRAEL AND HOW THEY ARE DOING -- >> ARE YOU CONFIDENT THAT UKRAINE WILL WIN?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

SO MANY, LIKE, STRONG-MINDED PEOPLE, ARE ON OUR SIDE INSIDE UKRAINE, OUTSIDE UKRAINE.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH INDEED.

>>> NOW, 60 YEARS AGO, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DESCENDED ON WASHINGTON, D.C., DEMANDING RACIAL JUSTICE.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

ADDRESSED THE CROWD AND SAID THOSE NOW ICONIC WORDS, "I HAVE A DREAM."

THOUSANDS GATHERED ON SATURDAY TO COMMEMORATE THE MARCH, BUT ALSO TO CONTINUE THE FIGHT FOR EQUALITY.

"NEW YORK TIMES" BEST-RECEIVING AUTHOR MICHAEL ERIC DYSON JOINS WALTER ISAACSON TO DISCUSS THE HISTORIC EVENT AND ITS LEGACY.

>> THANK YOU, CHRISTIANE.

AND MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, WELL WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW.

>> THANK YOU, MY FRIEND.

>> WE'RE CELEBRATING THE 60th ANNIVERSARY OF NOW OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON.

THE FULL NAME WAS THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM.

TELL ME ABOUT THE ORIGINAL MISSION.

>> WELL, THE ORIGINAL MISSION, OF COURSE, AS YOU JUST ARTICULATED, WAS TO FOCUS ENERGY AND NATIONAL ATTENTION ON THE AFRICAN AMERICAN QUEST FOR EQUAL EMPLOYMENT, AND FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, AND EVENTUALLY, OF COURSE, TO PROCURE THE VOTE.

THE GREAT A. PHILIP RANDOLPH IN THE 1940s MET WITH PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND WITH HIS COMPATRIOTS TO TRY TO FORCE THE PRESIDENT TO TAKE ACTION.

INFAMOUSLY, PERHAPS IN THAT MOMENT, IT IS ALLEGED TO HAVE OCCURRED THAT THE PRESIDENT, LOOKING AT MR. RANDOLPH AND LOOKING AT MS. McCLOUD BETHUNE SAID, I BELIEVE IN EVERYTHING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, GO OUT THERE AND MAKE ME DO IT.

CREATE THE CONTAGIOUS IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE FOR THE NOTION OF BLACK JUSTICE, FOR DESEGREGATING THE ARMED SERVICES, ET CETERA, AND THEN I CAN ACT.

SO, SOME 25-ODD YEARS LATER, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., A. PHILIP RANDOLPH, JAMES FARMER, JOHN LEWIS, WERE PART OF THE BIG SIX AND ROY WILKINS AND WHITNEY YOUNG FROM THE URBAN LEAGUE.

SO, IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE CONVO CASE OF LEADING BLACK FIGURES TO TRY TO PUT BEFORE THE NATION AN ARGUMENT ON BEHALF OF BLACK FREEDOM AND EQUALITY.

>> YOU TALK ABOUT THE SIX COMING TOGETHER, AND, OF COURSE, IT'S LED INITIALLY, AS YOU MENTIONED, BY A. PHILIP RANDOLPH.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HIM, BECAUSE HE WAS A GREAT UNION LEADER, AND SORT OF UNSUNG THESE DAYS.

>> I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL, LET'S START WITH THAT VOICE.

THAT ORATOR, WHEN HE INTRODUCES US TO MARTIN LUTHER KING J-R.

HE COULD PLAY THE VOICE OF GOD.

HE WAS JAMES EARL JONES BEFORE JAMES EARL JONES WAS JAMES EARL JONES.

A GREAT LEADER.

A SOCIALIST IN THE EARLY 1900s, WANTING SYSTEMIC REFORM FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE.

IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC JUSTICE, A GREAT UNION LEADER, THE BROTHERHOOD OF SLEEPING CARPORTERS WAS HIS SIGNIFICANT OUTLET, WHERE HE ORGANIZED THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF BLACK MEN, MANY OF WHOM HAD COLLEGE DEGREES, BUT WHO FOUND BETTER WORK IN TERMS OF A SLEEPING CARPORTER THAN THEY COULD EVEN TEACHING, IN TERMS OF WAGE.

SO, HE WAS A GREAT UNION ORGANIZER, HE WAS A GREAT SOCIAL ACTIVIST.

HE WAS A GREAT WRITER.

HE INFLUENCED SO MANY FIGURES, NOT ONLY MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., BUT THE GREATRUSTIN, AS WELL, WHO CAME TO WORK WITH MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., ALONG WITH ELLA BAKER, SO, HE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARILY IMIMPORTANT LEADER, WHO SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN.

BECAUSE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SAID WE'RE HAVING THIS MARCH IN 1963, IS TO FULFILL THE GREAT MAN'S DESIRE IN THE 1940s.

>> PEOPLE DON'T REMEMBER MUCH ANYMORE, DOROTHY HEIGHT, THE WOMAN INVOLVED.

>> RIGHT.

>> TELL ME ABOUT HER AND WHY HAS SHE BEEN SOMEWHAT FORGOTTEN?

>> WELL, THE FIRST REASON SHE'S BEEN FORGOTTEN IS THE HORRIBLE PATE YARD CAN I THAT CONTINUES TO PROCLOUD, EVEN SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENTS.

YOU KNOW, THE OLD SAYING THAT SUSAN TAYLOR CAME UP, HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE.

OPPRESSED PEOPLE OPPRESS PEOPLE.

THE IRONY, ON THAT GREAT DAY, THE ONLY WOMEN WHO MADE IT TO THE STAGE, ONE OF THEM, AT LEAST, WAS JOSEPHINE BAKER.

DOOR DOROTHY HEIGHT WAS FORBIDDEN AS BEING FEATURED AS A SPEAKER ON THAT GREAT DAY.

BUT WHAT A GREAT LEADER.

THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGRO WOMEN, WE LIFT AS WE CLIMB STASHGTS ED, STARTED BY MARY McCLOUD BETHUNE, TAKEN OVER BY DOROTHY HEIGHT.

SHE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN WHO WAS A LEADER, AN ACTIVIST, A SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE BEST INTEREST, NOT ONLY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN, BUT OF THE GENERAL PUSH FOR JUSES THE AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE.

>> AND I GUESS THE THIRD PERSON, REALLY INVOLVED IN GETTING THIS MARCH ON WASHINGTON GOING WAS BAYARD RUSTIN.

>> RIGHT.

>> AND HE, LIKE A. PHILIP RANDOLPH, A SOCIALIST, SO, IT'S A MARCH ABOUT THE ECONOMY, NOT JUST ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS.

>> RIGHT.

THEY SAW EARLY ON THAT ECONOMIC INEQUALITY WAS THE PREDICATE FOR SO MUCH OF THE OPPRESSION THAT AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE FACED.

AND WHEN MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

JUSTLY SO GOT CREDIT IN HIS LATER YEARS FOR PIVOTING FROM CIVIL RIGHTS TO ECONOMIC INEQUALITY, BAYARD RUSTIN HAD BEEN ON THAT THEME FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.

HE WAS A BLACK GAY MAN, AS OPEN AS YOU COULD BE BACK IN THOSE DAYS, THIS GREAT MAN WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ORGANIZING THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON.

A GREAT SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADER.

A MAN WHO WAS A PACIFIST OUT OF A QUAKER TRADITION, AND A MAN WHO UNDERSTAND THE COMPLICATED AND NUANCED PERSPECTIVE OF PRACTICAL POLITICS.

>> THE NONVIOLENT PART OF THAT, THE FACT THAT IT WAS NONVIOLENT WAS WHAT MADE IT TO PERSUASIVE.

>> RIGHT.

>> WHAT WERE THE DEBATES, THOUGH, BEFOREHAND, ABOUT HOW MUCH IT SHOULD EMPHASIZE NONVIOLENT MEANS?

>> YEAH, SO, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SPEAK TO WALTER ISAACSON.

PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THERE WERE TREMENDOUS DEBATES.

FIRST OF ALL, JOHN LEWIS, YES, THAT AUGUST POLITICIAN, THAT -- THAT DEAN OF BLACK AMERICAN POLITICIANS AFTER JOHN CONYERS, THE CONSCIENCE OF CONGRESS, WELL, HE WAS RIGHTING A SPEECH AT 23 YEARS OLD, LIKE SHERMAN MARCHED THROUGH THE SOUTH, WE'RE GOING TO TEAR THROUGH -- OH, OH, JOHN, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CALM THAT DOWN.

ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON WAS ASKED TO HELP HIM REWRITE IT IN A WAY THAT WOULD BE PALATABLE TO THE AUDIENCE WATCHING.

YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE GREAT FIGURES IN AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LIFE, SOME ARCHBISHOP SAID, I'M NOT GOING TO PARTICIPATE IS JOHN LEWIS' SPEECH GOES ON, THEY'RE ARGUING BEHIND THE SCENES.

THERE WERE SNIPERS PLACED ATOP THE BUILDINGS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, JUST IN CASE THINGS GOT OUT OF HAND.

AND THE NEGRO FOLK GATHERED THERE WOULD BE SOMEHOW BE-LIDGE RANT.

NONE OF THAT WAS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND THE OTHER LEADERS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT WERE DEEPLY INVESTED IN MAKING SURE NONVIOLENCE WAS A TACTIC OF SOCIAL CHANGE, BUT A PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACH TO LIFE.

THE ONLY VIOLENCE WE HAVE USUALLY HAD TO WORRY ABOUT ARE WHITE SUPREMACISTS AND REDEMPTIONISTS WHO REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FUNDAMENTAL HUMANITY OF BLACK PEOPLE.

>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE PROGRAM FOR THAT MARCH, THEY HAVE A SECTION IN THE PROGRAM CALLED "A TRIBUTE TO NEGRO WOMEN," AND THEY SORT OF GIVE A SHOUTOUT TO ROSA PARKS, BUT NONE OF THEM WERE ALLOWED TO SPEAK.

WHAT DO THEY FEEL ABOUT THAT?

>> I MEAN, THEN, THE WOMEN WERE CHAMPING AT THE BIT, CHAFING, OF COURSE, BUT THE CRUEL -- BY THE CRUEL OPPORTUNITY, IN A MARCH FOR JUSTICE, THAT WE ARE BEING UNJUST TO BLACK WOMEN.

THAT THEY MUST SEEK THEIR LEVEL, THEY MUST STAY IN THEIR PLACE.

AND MANY OF THOSE WOMEN WERE IRATE.

EVEN CORETTA SCOTT KING, WHEN SHE FOUGHT WITH HIM ABOUT HER ROLE AS A CIVIL AND SOCIAL ACTIVIST, BECAUSE CORETTA SCOTT KING WAS FAR AHEAD OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

WHEN IT CAME TO INTERNATIONAL ISSUES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND THE WAR IN VIETNAM.

AND PEACEFUL PROTESTS AGAINST THAT.

SO, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

HIMSELF OWED A DEBT TO HIS OWN WIFE, BUT YET, THESE WOMEN WERE DENIED OPPORTUNITIES, THEY WERE BITTER, IN SOME INSTANCES, ABOUT THEM, THEY WERE RIGHTFULLY OUTRAGED AT THE LIMIT, BUT THEY WERE SUCH GOOD CITIZENS THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN THE BROADER APPEAL TO ISSUES OF JUSTICE FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE, BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, THOSE KINDS OF EXPERIENCES WERE THE SEABED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT THAT CAME RIGHT UPON THE HEELS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE IN THE 1960s.

>> THE "I HAVE A DREAM" RIFF WAS SOMETHING, WE LEARNED MORE ABOUT IT, WAS SAID BEFORE THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON, KING DELIVERS IT IN DETROIT, YOUR BELOVED DETROIT.

>> RIGHT.

>> I THINK ALSO IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, I READ, HE DID A VERSION OF THAT SPEECH.

WAS HE REALLY PLANNING TO ALSO DO IT IN WASHINGTON?

AND IS THAT THE KEY PART OF THE SPEECH FOR YOU?

>> SO, THE POINT IS THAT HE TRIED IT OUT BEFORE.

GUESS WHERE HE HEARD IT?

THE GREAT PRATHEA HALL WAS IN A CHURCH IN ALBANY, GEORGIA, PRAYING ONE NIGHT, SAYING, "AND I HAVE A DREAM" AND KING, LIKE ANY GREAT BAPTIST PREACHER WITH A GREAT EAR, SAID, NOW I'M GOING TO USE THAT ONE DAY, I DON'T KNOW WHERE.

SO THE POINT IS, KING HEARING HALL USING IT, AND THEN SHE WENT ON -- SHE WAS AN ACTIVIST, BUT SHE WENT ON TO BECOME ONE OF THE GREATEST PEACHERS IN AMERICA.

AND A PASS ON THE IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, BUT KING HEARS THAT FROM HER, SNATCHES THAT PHRASE FROM HER, SAMPLES THAT WORD FROM HER.

ALL RIGHT, MAYBE RIPS IT OFF FROM HER.

AND THEN BEGINS TO USE IT.

YES, HE USED IT IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN, HE USED IT IN OTHER PLACES.

BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE WRITTEN SPEECH, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING NECESSARILY THAT KING WAS GOING TO DEPLOY THAT DAY.

BUT AS YOU SAID BEFORE, IT IS TRUE, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BEGINS THAT SPEECH READING IN A WAY THAT HIS BEST ORATORIES IS NEVER WHEN HE READS.

FIVE SCORE YEARS AGO, GREAT AMERICAN WHOSE SYMBOLIC SHADOW WE STAND TODAY, SIGNED THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION.

THAT'S BEAUTIFUL, IT'S NOT KING AT HIS BEST.

BUT YES, HE FEELS AT SOME POINT, I HAVE TO PUT THIS PAPER DOWN AND I HAVE TO FREESTYLE.

I'M JOHN COME TRAIN, LISTENING TO THE STYLE OF MILES DAVIS, BUT I HAVE TO GIVE MY OWN INFLECTION HERE, SO, I THINK AT THAT POINT, THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT KING GOES OFF AND DELIVERS ONE OF THE GREATEST SPEECHES IN AMERICAN ORATORICAL HISTORY, BECAUSE HE PRACTICED IT IN HIS SOUL AND HIS MIND, NOT QUITE IN THAT SAME WAY.

WHEN YOU LISTEN TO DETROIT, IT'S NOT THE -- THEY ARE NOT THE SAME WORDS, SO, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE IMPROVISATIONAL CHARACTER OF KING, BUT IMPROVISATION IS BUILT UPON THINKING AHEAD, ABOUT WHAT YOU MIGHT DO.

>> YOU SAY THAT THE SPEECH BEGINS SO FAMOUSLY, IN THE SHADOW OF THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL OF HIM SAYING FIVE SCORE YEARS AGO, JUST ECHOING THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS.

>> RIGHT.

>> THAT IT WAS SYMBOLIC, BUT THE NEXT SENTENCE HE SAYS SEEMS TO BE THE CORE OF THE SPEECH, IN WHICH HE SAYS, BUT 100 YEARS LATER, THE NEGRO IS STILL NOT FREE.

>> YES.

IT WAS POWERFUL.

100 YEARS LATER, THE NEGRO STILL IS NOT FREE.

IMMEDIATELY, YOU TALK ABOUT THE SHACKLES, HE SAID, LOOK, WE'RE MAROONED ON A TINY ISLAND OF POVERTY IN THE MIDST OF A VAST OCEAN OF MATERIAL PROSPERITY.

AND HE SAYS, REVOLT WILL CONTINUE IN AMERICA UNTIL THE FOUNDATIONS, RIGHT, THE FOUNDATIONS OF REVOLT WILL CONTINUE TO SHAKE THE FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICA, UNTIL AMERICA IS FREE.

THAT'S REVOLUTIONARY.

HE BEGINS TO TALK ABOUT POLICE BRUTALITY, HE TALKS ABOUT THE MILL TAN SI IN AMERICA.

THAT SPEECH, EVEN THOUGH WAS BEING CALM, WAS QUITE REVOLUTIONARY FOR ITS TIME.

AND, YES, HE ARTICULATED FOR AMERICA THE DEMANDS OF BLACK PEOPLE.

AND THEN HE SAID, WE'VE GOT A CHECK, BUT THE CHECK CAME BACK RETURNED TO US INSUFFICIENT FUNDS.

WE HAVE COME TO THE NATION'S CAPITOL TO CASH A CHECK.

REPARATION.

WE REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT THE GREAT VAULT OF DEMOCRACY IS EMPTY.

THAT IS POWERFUL RHETORIC THAT HAS APPLICATION TODAY, AS WE TALK ABOUT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND REPARATIONS IN OUR OWN TIME.

>> 60 YEARS LATER, WEALTH INEQUALITY IN AMERICA IS STILL AS GREAT, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEALTH INEQUALITY OF BLACK AND WHITE.

WHAT DOES THAT SAY TO YOU?

>> IT TALKS ABOUT THE STUNNING ABILITY OF AMERICA TO ABSORB PROTEST AND TO REARTICULATE IT AS THE BASIS OF AMERICAN PRACTICE, WHILE DENYING IT.

IN OTHER WORDS, THE HYPOCRISY OF AMERICAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN GREAT.

OH, YES, WE'RE SORRY FOR WHAT HAPPENED, IT'S MOTHERABLE, IT'S TERRIBLE, EVERY NOW AND AGAIN, WE HAVE EPISODES OF RECKONING, BUT MORE THAN LIKELY, WE HAVE THE GOVERNOR RON DeSANTISES OF THE WORLD WHO WANT TO WHITEWASH HISTORY.

RON DeSANTIS ISN'T THE FIRST PERSON.

RIGHT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, WHEN LINCOLN WAS DEAD AND JOHNSON WAS IN OFFICE, AND THE SOUTH WAS SUPPOSED TO PAY, ALL OF THEM GOT PARDONS.

AND THEY WERE PARDONED NOT FOR THE SIN OF SLAVERY, THEY WERE PARDONED FOR TAKING ACTION AGAINST THE UNION.

AND ALL OF THE GREAT ENSLAVERS WERE FORGIVEN WITHOUT RECKONING WITH THEIR GREAT SIN.

SO, THE BEST ROUTE TO RECONSTRUCTING AMERICA, FOR THOSE WHITE FOLK, WAS TO ERASE MEMORY OF RACIAL FRACTURE IN HISTORY.

AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT HAS CONTINUED TO THIS DAY.

WE'VE DENIED THE SYSTEMIC BASIS OF INEQUALITY, THE BANKS ARE STILL MESSED UP WHEN IT COMES TO GIVING BLACK PEOPLE LOANS, THE HOUSING CRISIS UNDERSCORES THE DEGREE TO WHICH THERE IS STILL RAMPANT SEGREGATION THERE.

WHEN WE LOOK AT EDUCATION, THE TWO-TIER, THREE-TIER SYSTEM.

WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS THE BOARD, AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE AS A RESULT OF SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES THAT ARE DEEPLY ENTRENCHED IN AMERICAN POLITICAL LIFE.

>> AND WE SEEM TO BE SEEING A BACKLASH, ESPECIALLY AGAINST THINGS, PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO SAY, IT WAS SYSTEMIC, OR SYSTEMIC RACISM, BACKLASH THAT COMES A FEW YEARS AFTER THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MARCHES.

WHY ARE WE GOING THROUGH THIS BACKLASH, AND IS IT SOMETHING THAT IS, LIKE, A PENDULUM, IT WILL SWING BACK?

>> IT WILL.

IT TAKES A LOT OF HOPE TO BELIEVE THAT, BECAUSE IT'S SO BITTER.

THE MERCHANTS OF AMNESIA ARE SO POWERFUL.

WE LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMNESIA.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE.

WE'RE CITIZENS OF THE KINGDOM OF AMNESIA.

I'M TRYING TO GET US TO BECOME CITIZENS, AND AS YOU ARE SO BRILLIANTLY, TRYING TO GET US TO BECOME CITIZENS OF THE KINGDOM OF MEMORY.

BARBRA STREISAND SUPPLIES THE WORDS, IT'S SO PAINFUL WE CHOOSE TO FORGET.

THE GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA WANTS TO BAN THE BOOKS ABOUT THE TRUTH OF HOW AMERICA GOT WHERE IT IS.

AND THE PROBLEM IS LUNNINGING THE PAST TO THE PRESENT.

YOU CAN TALK ABOUT SLAVERY AS A SKILL SET DEVELOPER FOR BLACK PEOPLE, BUT YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT IT HAD AN IMPACT UPON CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL STRUGGLE.

SO, THIS IS A PREDICTABLE RESPONSE.

BUT THE GREAT HOWARD THURMOND SAID, NEVER REDUCE YOUR DREAMS TO YOUR PRESENT EVENT.

YOU ARE EITHER GOING TO BE A PRISONER OF AN EVENT, OR A PRISONER OF HOPE.

HE SAID, I CHOOSE TO BE A PRISONER OF HOPE, AND I ECHO THE GREAT HOWARD THURMOND.

>> MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> SUCH A POWERFUL INVOCATION AGAINST HISTORICAL AMNESIA.

AND FINALLY TONIGHT, CELEBRATING CARIBBEAN CULTURE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

THOUSANDS OF PERFORMERS AND FLOATS PARADED THROUGH THE STREETS OF WEST LONDON FOR THE ICONIC NOTING HILL CARNIVAL.

THE SECOND-LARGEST STREET PARTY AFTER RIO.

THIS YEAR, THE FESTIVITIES ARE CELEBRATING TWO ANNIVERSARIES.

50 YEARS AGO, ORGANIZERS INTRODUCED SOUND SYSTEMS AND THE MASK BANS, TRANSFORMING IT INTO THE LARGE SCALE EVENT THAT'S SEEN TODAY.

AND THE CARNIVAL THIS YEAR PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE HUNDREDS OF CARIBBEAN MIGRANTS WHO WERE BROUGHT OVER TO BRITAIN ON THE SHIP "EMPIRE WIND RUST" 75 YEARS AGO TO HELP REBUILD AFTER WORLD WAR II.

AND YET, NEVER RECEIVED THEIR PROPER DUE.

THIS FESTIVAL IS FOR ALL AGES AND ALL CULTURES TO COME TOGETHER AND CELEBRATE.

THAT'S IT FOR NOW.

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING.

AND GOOD-BYE FROM ODESA, IN UKRAINE.

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