Kate lived in a place similar to Lagos– a seaside city situated on the coast, with modern buildings, a friendly atmosphere and thriving businesses. That city has been totally destroyed; every 8th person from the town has died. Kate is from Mariupol.
I talk to Kate in the beauty salon she has established in Lagos, where she employs fellow female refugees. In Mariupol, Kate’s family ran a beauty parlour and restaurant. She initiated a women’s club for female entrepreneurs where they could meet, discuss news, and exchange ideas. Now she says, “I must start from zero again.”
In happier times, her husband (an Officer in the Ukrainian army) proposed to her in Sagres in 2018. They have a 2-year-old daughter. When the war broke out, her husband organised a driver to escort her and her child to the airport to escape abroad.
They chose Portugal as Kate had pleasant memories of her holiday here. She also wanted to live somewhere on the sea, similar to her hometown.
Her mother and 10-year-old sister were not able to escape. Kate tells me that they fled underground to avoid the shooting. Around 30 people sheltered in an office space with desks barricading the windows, so there was no light and no bathroom. They lived on one potato a day and Kate didn’t know if they were alive or dead as there was no telephone signal or internet.
Finally, her mother found the courage to climb onto a roof to get a phone signal. It was only then that Kate knew she was alive. Her eyes well with tears at the memory. Her mother told her that the Russians were telling everyone that there was nowhere to escape, but Kate’s husband found the opportunity to get them all out of Mariupol and into Portugal.
“We lived a beautiful life,” Kate says. “It was very similar to the Algarve. We had a nice modern house, but we hear that Russian soldiers are now living in it and they stole everything. We can see from our TV streaming service that our television is now in Russia.”
Kate’s husband fought in the 2014 war and the current one; he was injured in both wars. When he talked to the Russian soldiers they had captured, he concluded that many were there to loot and take property for personal gain. I asked Kate how this made her feel.
“You would go crazy if you start to think about buildings and possessions. I just am thankful my family is safe.”
Kate’s mother is now working online and her sister has started in a Portuguese school. Kate and her husband consulted and decided they would prefer to start a business here than sit back and do nothing. Kate tells me that Ukrainian women spend a lot of time on their appearance so beauty salons are big business. She is trying to emulate that in the Algarve.
That is how Mriya was born. Translated from Ukrainian as “dream,” the beauty salon behind the bus station in Lagos is a relaxing hub. Here you can forget about your daily routine. The beauticians give different treatments: cosmetology, nails, brows, lashes, or permanent make-up for different occasions and for every day.
Kate employs the Ukrainian ladies that have found safety in Lagos to give them independence. She still brings Ukrainian products to Lagos and you can sit in one of their massage chairs to have a pedicure. She offers me a manicure and one of her employees, Ksenia, does an amazing job. They also suggest simultaneous services for busy Mums or working ladies because you can do three procedures at once so it saves time.
Kate tells me that Mriya was also the name of the biggest aeroplane in the world built in Ukraine, which was destroyed during the Battle of Hostomel. The Ukrainian government is promising to rebuild it.
This aeroplane is, like Kate and her family, a symbol of strength and resilience that refuses to be a victim.
Instagram: @mriya.beauty.space.lagos
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