Don’t miss ‘Soldiers of Song,’ a film about Ukraine, at The Egyptian | Opinion

Boise ranks highly as one of the most attractive cities in America from just about any travel magazine that weighs on where to live the good life.

The focus is usually on the obvious: its Greenbelt along a clean urban river, its Foothills with miles of hiking trails, its proximity to first-class ski terrain at Bogus Basin, its vibrant downtown scene with new and exciting restaurants, bars and hotels. And then the burgeoning cities west of the capital city growing by leaps and bounds.

It’s what you don’t see in an eye’s glance of landing at the ever-expanding Boise Airport that distinguishes Boise as a city that cares. It’s the essence of Boise and its history, welcoming people from across the globe, like the cab driver originally from Sudan who drove me home from the airport recently and has been living in Boise for over 20 years. He calls Boise a welcoming place to call home.

Known for its inclusive history at a time when the word “inclusion” has been deleted by right-wing lexicographers, Boise has been there for people seeking safety and security from wars and violence, and finding opportunity to begin new lives.

Too often, observers who come to Boise contrast it with the rest of Idaho, usually portrayed as far more conservative. But Idahoans, no matter where they live, care about those less fortunate and in need of the basics of life denied victims of disasters, wars or famine.

One of the most inspiring examples of humanity in action in Idaho is Type of Wood Charity in Twin Falls, where Rob Sturgill, the founder of the charity, joins with family members and volunteers to collect and then deliver relief supplies to the people of Ukraine.

A Boise-based nonprofit, Idaho Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine, also provides critical relief to the people of that nation. The work of these two Idaho-based charities includes shipping hundreds of containers of humanitarian supplies to Ukraine; delivering fresh food to devastated communities in formerly occupied territories and other areas near the front lines; delivery of mobile medical services; home rebuilding; and sponsoring of summer camps for Ukrainian children orphaned and traumatized by the senseless violence.

Too often when we are asked to give to a charitable cause on the other side of the world, it is not always possible to see the effects of the disaster on those our donations help. In the case of Idaho’s two charities providing relief to Ukraine, we now have a most dramatic and visual portrayal of war-torn Ukraine, its impact on the lives of innocents killed or injured by invading Russians, and how Ukraine’s literary community of poets, singers, musicians and conductors have joined the war effort as “Soldiers of Song.”

In the face of such a brutal existence, it is nothing short of inspiring to see how Ukrainians from all walks of life have refused to surrender their daily lives to the war and violence heaped on them by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is equally inspiring to see how Idahoans have come to the rescue of Ukrainians.

Thanks to the gracious assistance of The Egyptian Theater in Boise, Idaho Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine and Type of Wood charities are hosting the screening of Ryan Smith’s documentary film “Soldiers of Song” on Dec. 10.

The film premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and has been screened at film festivals across the globe as a moving testament to the unflinching efforts of Ukraine’s most iconic musicians to unite their war-torn nation through the healing power of music.

The objective of this event at The Egyptian is to raise funds to expand safe and restorative summer camps to more Ukrainian children, offering them time away from the mayhem that is a part of their daily lives. Mark your calendar to see a film traveling the globe to highlight how Ukrainians are lifting their hearts and souls in song and music in defense of Ukrainian’s cultural traditions — which they will not allow Putin to destroy.

I have watched the film twice now, and I can attest to its remarkable ability to transport viewers to the landscape of war in Ukraine and help us better understand the impact the war has on the lives of those in the Russian line of fire, as well as the resilience of a people who are fighting back not just with weaponry, but with song and music.

The most touching moment in the film for me was a gathering of young singers who appear barely out of their teens raising money as buskers on the street, interrupted by a cellphone call with a man they describe as an honored artist of Ukraine. Their faces light up, mesmerized by his voice and the message of this 60-year-old literary icon and soldier thanking them for the funds they raise for him and his fellow soldiers serving in the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade.

It’s a moment in war when age is of no consequence, and these young musicians appear starry-eyed listening to this hero of theirs, much older but fighting for the freedoms they sing for on the streets of Ukraine.

Slava Vakarchuk, the leader of a Ukrainian band, says it best. “We are musicians, music is our weapon.”

Come join your fellow Idahoans to pay tribute to a brave people who will not surrender their nation to the war criminal Putin, and learn how Idahoans can help Ukrainian children escape the horror of war for summer camps that return their lives to normal. Find out how you can play a role even though you’re a long way from Ukraine. And how fitting that fellow Idahoans bring this film to us, once again coming to the aid of those who refuse to live under the specter of autocracy and war!

“Soldiers of Song” will be playing at The Egyptian, 700 W. Main Street, on Dec. 10. Doors will open at 6 p.m. A social hour will begin at 6:30 with Ukrainian desserts served and music. “Soldiers of Song” will start at 7:30.

Bob Kustra served as president of Boise State University from 2003 to 2018. He is host of Readers Corner on Boise State Public Radio, a regular columnist for the Idaho Statesman and a contributing columnist for the Chicago Tribune. He served two terms as Illinois lieutenant governor and 10 years as a state legislator.