The Ukrainian Institute and the creative agency Bickerstaff.932 have developed a project for monitoring genocidal rhetoric – the Genocide Speech Monitor. This tool facilitates the assessment of public statements by leaders of various countries, focusing on their use of language that may advocate for, imply, or warn of genocidal actions.
The project is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor in Ukraine and once again demonstrates the cyclical nature of history:
In 1932, Stalin stated, “If we do not start correcting the situation in Ukraine, we may lose Ukraine.” These were not just words; they were followed by specific actions – a man-made famine in the territory of Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of over 4 million Ukrainians and the loss of 1 million unborn.
90 years later, on February 21, 2022, we hear from Putin – “modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia, more precisely, by Bolshevik, communist Russia”. Three days later, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, about the goals of the informational project: “Honoring the 90th anniversary of the 1932-1933 Holodomor in Ukraine, we tell the world the truth about this tragedy, its precursors, and consequences. Genocide does not come suddenly; it is planned and systematic terror, accompanied by the genocidal rhetoric of its ideologues. We created the Genocide Speech Monitor – a practical tool for foreign audiences that allows tracking such rhetoric in the context of the Holodomor as well as current events.”
Every tragedy has its identifiable indicators. In the case of genocide, it’s the words of dictators and government officials that can indicate their future intentions. “We can draw clear parallels between the rhetoric and actions of the Kremlin in 1932-1933 and today. This unpunished evil has returned to Ukraine. With this project, we urge other countries to pay attention to the statements of their leaders and the leaders of neighbouring countries,” explains Mariia Kochurenko, strategist at Bickerstaff.932 – a Ukrainian creative agency involved in the development and implementation of the project on behalf of the Ukrainian Institute.
Additionally, the website allows for the analysis of the level of genocidal rhetoric in any statement up to 12,000 words – for example, a speech or public statement by a country leader.
The tool is completely free and available for use in all countries around the world. Plans include expanding its functionality so that artificial intelligence can analyze public information from open sources in real-time and detect genocidal rhetoric in the words of country leaders.
For further information:
The informational project was developed by the Ukrainian Institute in collaboration with the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide, and the creative agency Bickerstaff.932.
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