Eastword Oral History Project

Everyone has a story to tell. An oral history project collects the memories and experiences of everyday people, not just the rich, powerful, and famous. It is important to collect these memories because these memories tell the story of a people, of a community, and of a country.

These stories are testimonies about the past and they are systematically collected, translated and then archived, so that people around the world may begin to understand what life was like for people from this region. An interviewer and interviewee therefore create a historical record of the past that others can read to learn about the culture and experience of another people.

Oral histories are limited by time, so it is important to record them before it is too late and we lose valuable stories from the past.

Translating these experiences into English helps educate people in the western world about experiences in the former Soviet States. It helps people understand one another and learn about what makes us different, but also the same.

Eastword is dedicated to this endeavor--sharing the experience of the East with those westward of the former "iron curtain."