Themes by tag: culture

Liza, 16, has remained in Kyiv since the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion. Recently, she completed the Sound Lab course, a program blending traditional Ukrainian music with art therapy. Drawing from that experience, Liza formed an ensemble composed of teenage girls.

Liza also co-launched an educational project alongside two members of the folk artists Shchuka Ryba. The initiative offers lectures on traditional Ukrainian singing, music, and dance, available to organizations or groups upon request.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Liza in Kyiv by prior appointment.

For reference: The Sound Lab course was organized by the Voices of Children charity foundation for teenagers affected by the war. Over several months, 15 participants from various regions, each with unique experiences of the war, learned traditional and electronic music from Shchuka Ryba band and DJ Chocollab. With support from a foundation psychologist, the teens used music to process their trauma and emotions caused by the war.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

From September 20 to 22, Kyiv will welcome the “All Together” festival, an annual event organized by Mystetskyi Arsenal designed to engage children and teens in a variety of experiences through interaction, exploration, and creative play. The festival’s program features around 70 events, divided into two distinct sections. The first section, a long-standing part of the festival, caters to children under 12 with approximately 30 activities. New this year is a special program specifically designed for teenagers, marking its debut at Mystetskyi Arsenal’s educational festival. This teen-focused lineup includes 37 diverse events, such as film screenings, theater performances, discussions, and talks with psychologists, filmmakers, and artists. Festival-goers will also have the chance to participate in workshops led by artists, museum experts, book bloggers, and theater directors. Attendees can practice their English, take part in live podcast recordings, connect with peers, enjoy Odesa funk music, and engage in discussions on topics like movies, dreams, and subcultures. Teen participants can also explore career aspirations and join creative workshops led by their peers.

Journalists interested in covering the festival are invited to view the full program but must obtain accreditation in advance.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

On September 22, Kyiv will host a large-scale festival of veteran culture, Veterans’ Circle, the first event in Ukraine to truly bring together military and civilians. The organizers, Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, note that the event aims not only to provide moral support and create opportunities for reintegration of veterans, but also to show unity, respect and strong ties of civil society to those who have gone through extremely difficult events in their lives.

The Veterans’ Circle Festival is a large platform that will bring together veterans, combatants, their families and all concerned Ukrainians.

The festival will feature six interactive zones: an adaptive sports area, including archery, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball, with an arsenal of prizes. Visitors can also enjoy a literary space, a marketplace where veteran-owned businesses will sell their products and pitch their ideas to potential investors, and photography and art zones where guests can create something special with their own hands.

Journalists can learn more about the program of the event and cover it. Accreditation is required.

• culture
• Kyiv

On September 17, the Museum of History of Kyiv will present a large-scale multimedia exhibition project “Guarding St. Sophia”. It shows the modern russian-Ukrainian war as a result of the centuries-long confrontation between the russian and Ukrainian civilizations with their completely opposite values.

The exhibition consists of three thematic sections – ‘Ukrainian Civilization’, ‘russian Civilization’ and ‘Defense of Kyiv’. The first section will present the progress and the continuity of Ukrainian civilization from the Princely era to the present day, highlighting the  development of crafts and industry, science and education, the church and the arts, the formation of the state, and the processes of decolonization. The second section will explore russian-soviet civilization, tracing its roots to the era of the Golden Horde, focusing on authoritarian rule and totalitarianism, repression and coercion, expansionist wars, and the cult of personality. The third section will immerse visitors in the recent history of Kyiv’s defense against russian invaders in February-March 2022, showing the fate of various towns in the Kyiv region that suffered from war criminals and testifying to the devastating consequences of the russian presence on Ukrainian soil.

The exhibition features artifacts from the collection of the Kyiv History Museum and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.

• culture
• Kyiv

Media representatives are invited to attend an inclusive and interactive theatrical performance for children with disabilities, “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales”, performed by the chamber ensemble of the Kyiv Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko. On September 14, the performance will be held for the patients of the Okhmatdyt hospital.

The premiere of this performance took place on July 5 in the main building of Kyiv’s Ohmatdyt Hospital, just two days before the russian shelling. As a result, the musicians of the Kyiv Classic Orchestra had to perform a Requiem over the ruins – footage that was seen by the entire world.

Initially the authors of the project hoped to perform the show in the Okhmatdyt hospital several times during the summer. Unfortunately, these plans were thwarted by russian missiles.

For reference: The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.

• children
• culture
• Kyiv

The “Homefront Affairs” residency program, run by the Lviv Municipal Art Center, brings together artists to  create projects aimed at supporting and rehabilitating veterans and those impacted by the war.

According to WHO research, interaction with culture and art positively affects mental and physical health and promotes the socialization of those who are in a state of trauma.

Over seven weeks this summer, 12 multidisciplinary artists attended lectures, participated in practical seminars on art therapy, studied the principles of nonviolent communication, learned about inclusive transformations of cities, and acquainted themselves with successful rehabilitation project cases.

Ten artist-led projects for veterans and their families are currently underway as part of the “Homefront Affairs” initiative. These projects include a range of activities, such as a tattoo training course for military personnel and veterans, painting 3D models of military vehicles to illustrate their service, art courses for the wives of fallen soldiers, a graffiti workshop for veterans, and interactive performances for veterans’ families and displaced persons in collaboration with the Lviv Puppet Theater, among others.

Journalists can arrange in advance to report on the ongoing “Homefront Affairs” project.

For reference: The “Homefront Affairs” programme was developed by the NGO “Cultural Agency “Liniya Vtechi”, as part of UNESCO’s ongoing efforts to support the mental health and well-being of people in Ukraine. It is implemented with the support of the Lviv Culture Hub, the Lviv Municipal Art Center and is financed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID).

• culture
• Lviv

On September 14, the Security Police of Kyiv oblast invites media representatives to an inclusive and interactive theatrical performance for children with disabilities “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales”, performed by the Kyiv Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of UNESCO Artist for Peace Herman Makarenko.

The premiere of this special performance took place in the main building of the Kyiv Ohmatdyt Hospital on July 5 this year, just two days before a russian missile strike. So instead of continuing to cheer up the young patients as planned, the orchestra musicians had to perform the Requiem amid the ruins –  footage that was seen worldwide.

From the very beginning, the creators of the project planned to perform the show several times in Ohmatdyt during the summer. Unfortunately, these plans were thwarted by russian missiles. So, the Security Police of Kyiv oblast stepped in to help organize the event. Visually impaired children were invited to the performance.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.For reference: “Symphony of Ukrainian Fairy Tales” is a combination of musical and theatrical art with an interactive approach. The project is supported by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.

• culture
• Kyiv

On September 11, journalists are invited to the offline premiere of the fourth film in the “Ready to Resist” series, “Shields of Kyiv”. The film is dedicated to the 112th and 241st brigades of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which have been defending the capital since the first days of the invasion.

“Shields of Kyiv” is a documentary created by a team of TDF Media military personnel, telling the story of key military positions near Kyiv held by the Territorial Defense Forces at the start of the full-scale invasion.

It is the story of the courage and valor of the soldiers of the 112th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade who, along with other combat units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, defended the capital during the active attempts of the russian troops to advance. This brigade gave birth to and formed the “backbone” of another combat unit – the 241st Independent Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces. During the early days of the great war, these brigades became, in a sense, the shields of Kyiv.

The film was made under the guidance of serviceman and director Akhtem Seitablayev. Historian and officer of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Alforov also contributed to the film. The directors of the film are Dmytro Havrylenko and Oles Katsion.

At the premiere there will be an opportunity to meet and talk with the filmmakers.

• culture
• Kyiv

On September 7, the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration invites the public to visit the sites featured in its pilot project, Kyiv Region: Places of Memory. Participants will have the opportunity to explore historical landmarks tied to Ukraine’s heroic resistance and the devastation caused by russian occupation, accompanied by expert guides.

The project employs advanced technology to recreate key scenes from Kyiv’s defense against russian forces. Virtual reality installations at each location immerse visitors in the stark realities of brutal battles, widespread destruction, and the pain endured by the nation during the invasion.

The initiative aims to ensure the world remembers both the victims of the russian invasion and the resilience of Ukrainians. Organizers stress that the war crimes committed on Ukrainian soil must be acknowledged and never forgotten.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

For reference: In July, the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration began training guides to work at the various sites connected to the russian-Ukrainian war as part of the Kyiv Region: Places of Memory project.

• culture
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

On Saturday, September 7, Kyiv will host the fourth day of the Protasiv Yar festival in memory of Roman Ratushnyi. This is the final of four festival days that have been taking place throughout the summer on the Protas meadow in Kyiv. 

Among other things, the festival program includes performances by the bands MOVA and Vivienne Mort. 

A discussion “Freedom of Speech” will also take place.

Participants: Oksana Romaniuk, director of the Institute of Mass Information (IMI); Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, a member of the Ukrainian parliament from the Holos party and head of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech; Danilo Mokryk, a journalist for Kyiv Independent; and Vlasta Lazur, a journalist for Radio Liberty. 

The discussion will be moderated by Sofia Cheliak, journalist and program director of the NGO Publishers’ Forum.

In addition, there will be a discussion “Ariadne’s Thread in Ukrainian Culture: From Our 1920s to the Present” and a lecture “Anger, Sarcasm, and Calm: Three States of Vasyl Stus’s Poetry”.

Journalists are welcome to find out more about the festival program. 

For reference: The Protasiv Yar Festival in memory of Roman Ratushnyi was founded last year by the NGO Protect Protasiv Yar and the Protasiv Yar community with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. This year’s festival was co-organized by the NGO Publishers’ Forum.

• culture
• Kyiv