Themes by tag: culture

On December 13, Kyiv will host an event marking the 50th anniversary of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. (The event will be held as part of the Third Christmas Gatherings format).

This year, the War Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Throughout its history, the institution has fulfilled an important social mission and remained at the center of Ukraine’s public and cultural life. Today, the Museum actively documents and highlights the ongoing russian-Ukrainian war, and its exhibitions and events have a strong resonance both in Ukraine and internationally.

In addition, the Museum has prepared the exhibition project “Past – Future”, which presents unique original drawings used for the construction of the Memorial Complex.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

Yuliia Dudysheva, a displaced resident from Crimea, has spent the past year and a half transforming the lives of fellow internally displaced persons by repairing and restoring homes. Before russia’s full-scale invasion, Yuliia lived and worked in the Chernihiv region, where she specialized in advertising and occasionally helped friends with home repairs. But after the region’s liberation in spring 2022, she decided to leave her job and embark on a new path.

In June 2023, Yuliia launched her efforts to renovate and decorate homes for those displaced by the war. Her first project was helping friends who allowed her to redecorate their dwelling. Word spread, and soon she met another family in need of assistance. Over the next 18 months, Yuliia established the initiative Comfort for IDPs, completing repairs and restorations on eight homes for families forced to flee due to the invasion. Her most recent project, in Ternopil, involved preparing a house for a family from Enerhodar, a city in the occupied Zaporizhia region.

Yuliia actively shares her renovation journey on social media, where her followers rally behind her mission. Many support the Comfort for IDPs project by contributing funds and materials for her work. Currently based in the Chernihiv region, Yuliia is planning her next renovation for displaced families.

Those wishing to connect with Yuliia Dudysheva can schedule a meeting with her, either online or in person.

• casualties
• culture
• reconstruction
• women
• Chernihiv

On December 8, Kyiv will host the graduation party of the 4th graduating class of NoviMY Inclusive Model School. This special evening will bring 15 incredible Ukrainian women closer to their dreams as they continue to break stereotypes and move forward.

The fashion show will include models with disabilities, as well as mothers of children with disabilities.

The modeling school, founded by Olga Akimova in 2021, was initially intended for women over the age of 40. The project also welcomed mothers of children with disabilities (participation was free for them), with the aim of giving these women, who devote themselves entirely to their children, an opportunity to express themselves. Younger women also joined the initiative, and later the school became an inclusive project. It now welcomes models with and without disabilities, who participate equally in all projects, fashion shows and performances.

The revamped project launched its first sessions in February 2022 in Kyiv and Lviv, but activities were paused due to the full-scale invasion. 

A year later, Olga decided to resume classes. Students at the school learn standard modeling skills, such as the basics of modeling, posing for photography, catwalk walking, and more. The school operates in Kyiv and Lviv, offering both online and offline classes.

The mission of this project is to bring Ukrainian society closer to a new tolerant, inclusive, European barrier-free space with equal opportunities for all through the art of modeling.

• culture
• women
• Kyiv

Ukraine’s National Guard unit, nicknamed “Peaky Blinders,” has received a unique gift from Steven Knight, the scriptwriter and producer of the popular TV series: 30 custom caps crafted by Garrison Tailors, the show’s official costume designer.  

At the onset of russia’s full-scale invasion, a group of volunteers armed themselves and took to the streets of Kharkiv, wearing civilian clothes as they defended their city. For Oleksandr, who now leads the unit, the scene was reminiscent of the gritty world depicted in Peaky Blinders. Inspired, the group adopted the name and began donning distinctive camouflage caps embroidered with their motto: “Find and Destroy.”  

In the nearly three years since the war began, what started as a group of civilians has evolved into a formidable combat unit within Ukraine’s National Guard. Hardened by intensive training and battlefield experience in the Kharkiv region, the unit now deploys drones to target enemy forces along the front line.  

Their story gained international attention in May 2024 when BBC journalists visited the unit to film a report. The soldiers, in a light-hearted yet heartfelt gesture, signed their caps and asked the journalists to deliver them to Cillian Murphy, who plays the iconic lead role in Peaky Blinders.  

Murphy kept one cap for himself, then signed the remaining ones and returned them to the unit. Shortly afterward, the soldiers received an unexpected message from Steven Knight. As a show of support, he arranged for Garrison Tailors to send 30 caps to the unit—a symbolic gesture linking the fictional Peaky Blinders with their real-life counterparts in Ukraine.  

For those wishing to connect with the “Peaky Blinders” unit, both online and in-person interactions are possible with prior coordination through the unit’s press officer.

• culture
• military

On December 5 and 6, Kyiv will host the premiere of a unique theatrical production, “Three Fast and Fashionable Hairdressers This Season” – a play that delves into the depths of Ukrainian consciousness and reflects the efforts of Ukrainians of different backgrounds to understand each other. Initiated by the organization “From the Country to Ukraine” in cooperation with director Stanislav Moiseiev (People’s Artist of Ukraine and Honored Artist) and playwright Maksym Kurochkin, the production explores how personal achievements and collective failures shape the moral and ethical foundations of our society.

“Three Fast and Fashionable Hairdressers This Season” offers a distinctive theatrical format where modernity intertwines with allegorical imagery, providing a fresh perspective on Ukrainian reality. The play poses critical questions: Why do Ukrainians aspire to be part of great achievements while simultaneously looking for someone to share responsibility for mistakes and failures? How does society reconcile individual ambition with collective responsibility?

Venue details will be provided upon registration for security reasons.

Additional information: The play is part of the Semantic Shield project supported by the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). Following the Kyiv premiere, performances are planned for Dnipro (11 December) and Odesa (12 December).

• culture
• Kyiv

The National Museum of the History of Ukraine in WW2, in collaboration with curator Maryna Lukianova, is unveiling an extraordinary exhibition of Ukrainian Christmas tree decorations spanning various historical periods. The exhibit opens on December 4 in Kyiv, offering visitors a rare glimpse into a rich collection of authentic artifacts.

The tradition of decorating Christmas trees in Ukraine dates back to the 19th century, intertwining European influences with a distinctly Ukrainian character. Early decorations included sweets, nuts, candies, candles, and handmade ornaments crafted from cardboard, paper, and glass.

Following the October Revolution and the establishment of Soviet rule, Christmas celebrations—and the decorated tree itself—were suppressed. Viewed as religious or bourgeois, the holiday was banned until 1935, when the New Year’s holiday was officially introduced. This marked a resurgence in ornament production, with artisanal workshops flourishing across the region.

The exhibition will feature an array of rare decorations, including early 19th- and 20th-century ornaments, toys from World War I, and the first glass figurines. Visitors can also explore diverse materials such as glass, cotton, wire, cardboard, and polyethylene terephthalate film, representing different eras, countries, and continents.

• culture
• Kyiv

On December 2, Kyiv will host the presentation of the book “Prykhystok: A Startup That Saved a Million Lives” by MP Halyna Yanchenko.

The book details the eponymous initiative launched on the first day of the full-scale invasion, which helped over a million Ukrainian refugees find free temporary shelter. It is a poignant collection of the project team’s memories of the resilience, solidarity and innovation that Ukrainians demonstrated during the darkest days of the invasion.

The event will feature real-life heroes from the book – Ukrainians who endured the occupation and managed to relocate and start new lives in other cities, thanks in part to the Prykhystok (Shelter) initiative. They will tell their personal stories.

Program highlights:

– A conversation with the author about the creation of the initiative and the book.

– Stories from the book’s protagonists who were forced to find a new home and found shelter.

– A discussion about the power of social innovation and the ability of Ukrainians to unite for mutual aid.

– A book signing with the author.

Registration is required for this event.

• casualties
• culture
• occupation
• Kyiv

Journalists are invited to attend the 33rd session of sound therapy and a master class on physical and SPA rehabilitation by Serhii Kapralov. The event will be held in Kyiv on 1 December.

This project is free for veterans, military personnel, their families and internally displaced persons. It combines several approaches: physical rehabilitation, sound healing and art therapy.

The project is implemented by Serhii Kapralov (Ph.D. in Physical Education and Sports, author of leading rehabilitation methods for severe injuries, and soldier of the 241st Territorial Defence Brigade) in collaboration with musicians and sound healing specialists – Oleksandr Vlasenko, Artur Nikolenko and Yevhen Rudychev. The initiative was made possible thanks to the patronage of Inessa Kravchenko (founder of the informal educational platform “Liudyna Dyvo Svit”, publisher of the “Wheel of Life” magazine and co-owner of Stan Invest Holding).

Special surprise: The thousandth visitor will receive a gift and all participants will have a chance to participate in a prize draw.

Registration is required to attend the event.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

The “Instrument” by Zhanna Kadyrova is a unique installation at the Lviv railway station, featuring a pipe organ crafted from fragments of exploded russian missiles that fell in the Kyiv oblast.

“Instrument” is a series of musical performances by the project’s creator, artist Zhanna Kadyrova. She has invited Ukrainian and international musicians to perform weekly original programs on this unique organ.

Concert schedule:

November 30 / December 1, 2024 – Kateryna Hazho, Uzhhorod

December 6 / 7, 2024 – Bohdan Demianenko, Kyiv

December 13 / 14, 2024 – Insomnia Taxxi (Iryna Novikova), Kyiv-Gothenburg

December 20/21, 2024 – Sandor Schreiner, Olha Chundak, Uzhhorod

December 27-28, 2024 – Ivan Sarajishvili, Georgia-Norway

January 3 / 4, 2025 – Lviv Organ Hall

January 10-11, 2025 – Nils Henrik, Norway

January 17 / 18, 2025 – Oleksii Shmurak (Kyiv), Vitalii Dvorovyi (Lviv)

• culture
• russian crimes
• Lviv

The “Blyzki” initiative provides a space where relatives of service members and veterans can receive career development support: identifying growth directions, completing training, creating updated resumes, and preparing for job interviews. In the process, participants can connect with a community of peers who understand their experiences.

Participants can receive 2-3 months of training in a new profession, learn English, get information on starting their own business, participate in creative workshops, sports classes, and sessions for physical and mental recovery. All activities will take place offline, as the organizers believe this will foster closer relationships and better communication.

The project was launched in early 2024, first in Kyiv and later in Lviv. It welcomes partners, close relatives of military personnel, veterans, and service members in recovery.

Journalists can cover the project in Kyiv or Lviv by prior arrangement.

Background:

The “Blyzki” initiative was created by Maryna Baturynets, founder of the Bazilik School of Communications. It was inspired by a joint project between Bazilik and Veteran Hub — a communication course for military families. This course highlighted the need for education and, more importantly, interaction with people who share similar experiences.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv
• Lviv