Themes by tag: culture

On June 15, Kyiv will host the second “Protasiv Yar” festival in memory of Roman Ratushnyi, a civic activist and scout with the 93rd Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar.” The event will begin with a press briefing featuring the festival organizers.

Speakers:

– Svitlana Povaliaieva, writer, mother of Roman Ratushnyi;

– Sofia Cheliak, Executive Director of the Protasiv Yar Festival in memory of Roman Ratushnyi;

– Yulia Bartle, head of the NGO “Let’s Protect Protasiv Yar”;

– Myroslava Barchuk, journalist, TV presenter, Vice President of PEN Ukraine;

– Artur Kharytonov, president of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine;

– Tetyana Teren, executive director of PEN Ukraine;

– Hryhoriy Baran, Director of the Social Capital Program at the International Renaissance Foundation.

Moderator: Tetiana Vlasova.

Accreditation is required to attend.

The festival aims to continue its mission of promoting contemporary and traditional art, Ukrainian history, human rights initiatives, and honoring the legacy of Roman Ratushnyi. Inspired by Roman’s vision, the festival, held under the motto “Never Fear Anything,” has grown significantly and returns for a second year at Protasiv Yar. 

Journalists will have the chance to gain detailed insights into the festival’s program.

• culture
• Kyiv

On June 18, Kyiv will see the launch of classes for the “The Veterans’ Theater” pilot project. This initiative, spearheaded by the Public Relations Service of the Territorial Defense Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (TRO Media) in collaboration with the Theater of Playwrights, aims to create an innovative rehabilitation system combining therapeutic effects and the creative potential of veterans.

The project seeks to use modern theater as a medium for rehabilitation and socialization, offering military personnel and their families a platform to discuss their challenges and needs with communities and audiences. It aims to build communication bridges and alleviate emotional stress.

As part of the program, organizers and a group of veterans will collaborate to create a play based on texts that reflect the life experiences, fears, and dreams of the military. Veterans will also participate in an educational program on contemporary theater and explore acting.

The program is estimated to run for two months, with a performance based on veterans’ texts scheduled for August 2024.

• culture
• Kyiv

On June 14, a meeting with the organizers of the National Selection for Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will be held at Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform in Kyiv. During the event, Suspilne will present a songwriter and a director who will work on this year’s selection. The event will be moderated by Tymur Miroshnychenko, Ukraine’s National Selection for Eurovision commentator and host.

At the event, Svitlana Tarabarova, music producer of the National Selection and

Oksana Skybinska, Head of Delegation for Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, will tell you everything you need to know about the innovations and participation criteria for this year’s National Selection. The participants include: Tetiana Kovryga, Director of the GoGlobal Educational Foundation, Oksana Pysarieva, a psychologist at the Voices of Children Foundation.

Pre-registration is required.

For reference: Suspilne has simplified the criteria for participation in the National Selection to make it even more accessible for young performers: it is not necessary for them to write their own songs. To take part in the competition and win the opportunity to represent Ukraine on the big stage of Junior Eurovision Song Contest – 2024 in Madrid, Spain, it is enough to record two covers of popular songs and a video introduction.

At the same time, young songwriters still have the opportunity to submit their own song for consideration if they wish. However, this option does not affect their chances of passing to the next stage of selection.

Applications for participation in the National Selection are accepted up until July 3 through the form on the website junior.eurovision.ua

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

Before the full-scale invasion, Oleh Slyvar was a professional folk dancer in Lviv region. Oleh changed his life radically in the summer of 2022, when he decided to join the ranks of the National Guard of Ukraine. Together with his brothers in arms, Oleh fought in the Donetsk direction. During one of the assaults, the man received numerous shrapnel wounds. Due to shelling, it was not possible to evacuate the soldier immediately. Later, at the stabilization point, the man’s heart stopped, however, doctors managed to bring Oleh back to life. The soldier lost his leg, but thanks to rehabilitation at the medical center, he learnt to live with an electronic knee prosthesis. And recently he returned to the stage.

Oleh is ready to communicate with the media online or in person in Lviv.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

From June 21 to 23, the Land of Dreams festival will take place in Kyiv celebrating its 20th anniversary. This year’s festival program includes: 15 thematic areas, 35 ethnic and folk bands, a book fair, craftsman alleys, children’s lawn as well as Crimean Tatar and Japanese spaces. This year the festival will for the first time feature a spiritual mystical scene and a poetry workshop.

Land of Dreams international ethnic music and culture festival is currently the largest of its kind, it’s been held in Ukraine since 2004.

One of the important missions of the festival has to do with helping children and the military. “Charity Fund of Oleg Skrypka “Kraїna Mriy” will hold special fundraisers and activities.

Among other things, the festival will feature a zone for writing “Letters to a Free Crimea,” exhibitions about military personnel from Crimea, and a fundraiser for the needs of Crimea special unit. In addition, the festival will also feature poetry from the front lines written and recited by the authors, who serve in the military.

Journalists have the opportunity to look at the detailed program of the festival and cover the event. Accreditation is required.

For reference: since 2004, the festival has been attended by about 1 million visitors, in addition to the traditional Kyiv location, it was also held in Lviv, Dnipro, Oslo and London. The festival is held in 2 seasonal formats – summer and winter. The festival has already featured craftsmen and performers from 30 countries.

• culture
• Kyiv

Taras Ishchyk decided to join the Defense Forces in 2021. Even then, the man felt that there would be a big war: he submitted documents to become a soldier in reserve and got into the 103rd brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces, where he is currently serving.

Before the start of the full-scale invasion, Taras had been responsible for the communications of his brigade and served as a press officer. Later, the military man began to receive requests from various military units that related to his civilian work, namely graphic design. At that time, almost every brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had its own pages in social networks, and they all differed in design. So the work that Taras performed for his brigade was scaled to the entire Armed Forces. The man created a guiding document – the Brandbook of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is a book of graphic rules for the military to follow. It was Taras who initiated the appearance of the official pages of the Defense Forces, which are seen by users of social networks.

The man is not yet thinking about returning to civilian life. Taras has many plans, which he dreams of implementing in the army.

For reference: Taras Ishchyk is in Lviv. The military man is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and in person, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• military

Anatolii Mytskan joined the Defense Forces with the beginning of the full-scale invasion. And already in April 2022, together with his brothers in arms, he defended the Zaporizhia direction. The veteran was on the front line for more than a year. During this time, he got numerous concussions, which eventually led to a stroke. Anatolii explains that he was lucky, because the stroke did not happen at the frontline.

Currently, the man is in Ivano-Frankivsk and is rehabilitating with the help of drawing. The theme of his paintings is war. In mid-June, Anatolii will bring 15 of his works to Lviv to hold a personal exhibition. He plans to buy drones and EW equipment for the army with the money he will get from the sale of paintings.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Ivano-Frankivsk

Originally hailing from Berdiansk, a city in the southern Zaporizhia region, with around 15 years of experience as a welder, Oleksandr Shaposhnyk’s journey into blacksmithing began in 2013 during a visit to Donetsk, now held under occupation, for the International Blacksmithing Festival. By 2015, he honed his skills to become a master of industrial training in hand-forged blacksmithing at the Berdiansk Machine-Building Professional Lyceum, where he imparted his knowledge to aspiring young blacksmiths. In a bid to foster community and celebrate the craft, he established the Steel Wave campus-based festival, drawing 44 talented counterparts from across Ukraine. Additionally, he adorned Berdiansk with the “Blacksmith Alley,” a collection of his sculptures that stood until the onset of the full-scale russian invasion.

To escape the occupation, Shaposhnyk navigated 13 checkpoints before finding refuge in Zaporizhia for six months. Ultimately, he resettled in Ivano-Frankivsk, a city nestled in the western expanse of Ukraine.

In a gesture of solidarity, a volunteer from Kyiv approached the blacksmith with a proposition: craft a sculpture to be auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. After pondering the concept for a month, Oleksandr conceived the Kalyna (Viburnum) Girl, fashioned from wire salvaged from the wreckage of power grids destroyed by occupiers and fragments of shells. This poignant piece now resides in a museum in Kyiv, slated for auction in Europe.

Building on this momentum, the blacksmith fashioned three additional sculptures from similar materials—Mavka, Berehynia, and Metal Motanka. Hoteliers snapped up two of these creations for 200 thousand hryvnias each, while a bank acquired another for a hefty sum of 2 million hryvnias. Generous volunteers ensured the proceeds reached the hands of Ukraine’s defenders.

In a creative twist, the artist repurposed the gearbox of a downed enemy Mi-8 helicopter to fashion two lamps. One lamp ventured to a UK auction, while the other fetched 23 thousand hryvnias in a sale orchestrated by local volunteers, funding the procurement of drones.

Presently, the industrious blacksmith is hard at work crafting a collection of robots inspired by the American film Living Steel, set to debut at an exhibition in Zakarpattia.

Journalists eager to delve deeper into Oleksandr’s narrative can arrange interviews either in person in Ivano-Frankivsk or through online channels.

• culture
• Ivano-Frankivsk

Oleksandr Knyha has been the director of the Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater for over 30 years. He is also an honorary citizen of Kherson and a member of the regional council.

At the start of russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukraine, Oleksandr found himself under occupation. On March 23, 2022, he was arrested by russian forces. After interrogation, he was released, but a few days later, they returned to the theater, attempting to coerce him into cooperation. Determined to escape, Oleksandr managed to flee on April 1, 2022.

Despite these harrowing experiences, he remained committed to his work. In Ukrainian-controlled territory, he prepared for the annual Melpomene of Tavria festival, which had previously been held in Kherson. He also launched the theater in evacuation.

Following the liberation of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Oleksandr and some actors returned to their hometown. Amid ongoing shelling, they performed in art hubs within shelters and bomb shelters, managing to revive several major performances, which were staged at Mykolaiv theaters.

Oleksandr, along with other residents, faced severe flooding due to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam. His house in occupied Oleshky was submerged, with water levels reaching two meters. The house was later looted. During this time, Oleksandr actively participated in flood relief efforts in Kherson.

Oleksandr is available for journalist interviews, welcoming inquiries from both online and offline.   

For reference: On June 6, 2023, the russian military destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in the Kherson region, causing Ukraine nearly $14 billion in damages, according to a report by the UN and the Ukrainian government.

• culture
• occupation
• russian crimes
• Kherson

Launched in the summer of 2023, the spiritual recovery program at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, known in English as the Monastery of the Caves has seen participation from 700 soldiers and 20 chaplains. Set within the historic confines of the reserve, the initiative aims to rejuvenate soldiers by immersing them in Ukraine’s rich cultural, historical, and spiritual heritage.

The program unfolds in two stages. The first stage is a 10-day program where military personnel engage in activities such as archaeological excavations of ancient walls and a glassmaking workshop dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. They also visit exhibitions at the Treasury of the National Museum of History and the Museum of Books and Printing, participate in an icon painting master class, explore the Upper and Lower Lavra, and join in worship services. The second stage, titled “Day at the Lavra for Military,” involves groups of veterans spending a day at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra with a lecturer-guide. They explore the grounds, take guided tours, participate in reserve activities, and visit local shrines. Additionally, the program offers support for the families of active duty servicemen and prisoners of war.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• religion
• Kyiv