Culture Journal #4 - Cultural Heritage in Ukraine
a list of unique sources and the "European Sentiment Compass 2022"
Dear Reader,
As the war in Ukraine continues, our efforts to support the cultural & creative industries in the country shall also continue. Even when many of us start to feel the first signs of exhaustion, we can not turn our eyes away from what is going on in Eastern Europe. Ukraine is an integral part of this continent and Ukrainians are fighting for democracy and our core European values at their borders.
In the words of our “Father of Europe”:
“The law of solidarity between the people is a must for the modern conscience. We feel solidarity with one another to maintain peace, to fight poverty, in the respect of treaties, in safeguarding justice and human dignity, or protecting ourselves from aggression.”
(Robert Schuman)
content
Ukraine (part 2) -#CulturalHeritage & history
The “European Sentiment Compass 2022”
upcoming events
photo credits
Consequently it is our duty to keep informing, discussing, performing, presenting - to keep the topic "how Ukraine is defending Europe & Democracy right now" in the midst of “public discussion”. We must counter any “solidarity fatigue”, as we must respond to any attempts deviating from the reason for this war: “an imperialistic & unjustified act of aggression by Russia”. Appeasement was wrong 100 years ago and it is wrong now. When the bully wants to steal your lunch box, the only answer is to stay firm and say: No!
“An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last.”
(Sir Winston Churchill)
One can not worry about the aggressor, what they may think and what they may do. Ukraine is standing firm and will need our solidarity for as along as this war and occupation of parts of the country will last.
Check out some of the links below in the list of sources to learn more about the rich culture of Ukraine and to find examples of solidarity.
Yours,
Wigbert Boell
Ukraine (part 2) -#CulturalHeritage & history
“… Based on what has been documented so far, the scale of the disaster is already colossal. We haven't seen anything like this in a long time, especially in a country with such a rich heritage. Seven sites are included on UNESCO's World Heritage List, including six cultural sites; the tentative list – all the sites for which Ukraine believes that one day it could apply for inclusion on the World Heritage List – has 17 . Those aside, there are 650 museums, medieval churches, cathedrals, archaeological sites, monuments, buildings dedicated to cultural activities and masterpieces of the Constructivist period. …”
(Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre) in an interview with LeMonde in the end of April 2022.
While we focused on the support organizations for artists and the cultural sector in the last newsletter, here is a short selection of sources about the devastating destructions of #CulturalHeritage sites (many remaining in serious danger) and Ukraine history.
UKRAINE World Heritage List via Unesco/ WHC
Crimes against history: mapping the destruction of Ukraine’s culture … (article by Vanessa Thorpe in The Guardian … 2022-04-24)
Art & Culture during the war, run by the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine
Data rescue sources for culture (ukrainet.eu) by the German-Ukranian Academic Society …
Images of Heritage & Architecture - from the Imagebank of Ukraine NOW - a web site run by a large group of partners in the Ukraine with support by the British Embassy in Kyiv
Cultural Crimes - photo collection (in Ukrainian) by the Ministry of Culture
devastating "Map of Cultural Losses” curated by the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation
for deeper knowledge about the country & its history, including Transcarpathia, Ruthenia & Galicia: Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine from the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies
a deeper dig into the difficulties of reaching libraries, archives and cultural heritage sites online by Otto Vervaart
Well the list could go on, but let me stop here. In general, it is always good to learn and re-evaluate one´s own knowledge and context, in order to be not only well informed, but also able to identify propaganda and fake news, counter ideological arguments and conspiracy theories, as well as stand the ground against people, who undermine our democracies. Hopefully some of the links will help with that.
Please share these links with your colleagues and friends. Ukraine will continue needing our support.
upcoming events
🎟 June 6-8: The MuseumNext Digital Summit, virtual
“…How can your museum stay up to date with the latest technology, strategies and tools? Where can you learn from those who seem to be doing everything right? The MuseumNext Digital Summit brings together more than forty international speakers to share action orientated presentations to help your museum find digital success…”
🎫 June 8-10: re:publica, Berlin
“… is Europes largest digital society festival. re:publica participants represent a cross-section of (digital) society, which include professionals from economics, politics, business, hacker culture, NGOs, media, and marketing, as well as bloggers, activists, artists, and social media experts.
🎟 June 9-12: The Festival of the New European Bauhaus, Brussels & virtual
“…The Festival brings together people from all walks of life to debate and shape our future. A future that is sustainable, inclusive and beautiful. It is a great opportunity to network, exchange and celebrate – from science to art, from design to politics, from architecture to technology. The Festival brings the European Green Deal at the heart of our daily lives…”
(for more on the NEB, read my intro from 2021: ”The New European Bauhaus” )
🎫 June 10: European Creative Industries Summit - Breakout Sessions 3 & 4 #ECIS22 (BoS 3&4), Brussels & virtual
““Actionable Futures – Green Ideas and Investments. The third part of this year’s #ECIS22 is all about green ideas and investing in European creative talents. The green transformation of our society needs ideas and solutions, but also new methods and investments that enable creatives from all sectors to develop new solutions and work for a better planet.”
🎟 June 11: .txt - Long live the word! (the 4th day of re:publica), Berlin & virtual
“…What happens when a network meeting takes place around the written word with re:publica spirit? When it's not just about "high literature" but also about screenplays, song lyrics, graphic novels, tweets, podcast scripts, essays and memes? When professionals meet autodidacts and space is created for authors, artists, conceptual designers, producers, publishers and researchers from the literary world, the film industry, games culture, music, podcasting, digital research and technology development? …”
The European Sentiment Compass 2022
Let me just briefly introduce another fascinating topic: the European Sentiment Compass 2022, which was presented by researcher Pawel Zerka during #EuropeDay22. The Compass is about how we deal with various major crisis in Europe - and consequently answer questions for purpose and direction.
"To understand European sentiment in early 2022 and how it may evolve in the years to come, the European Council on Foreign Relations and the European Cultural Foundation oversaw a study across the EU. […] This allowed the comparison of the 27 member states on three major issues:
the effects of the covid-19 pandemic on their country’s attitudes towards Europe;
the relationship between these attitudes and the following crucial areas of policy: international security, climate and energy, financial solidarity, the rule of law, and migration;
the situation of cultural actors and the media in their countries – and their capacity to perform the role of translating real-world events into shared political meaning.”
This is a fascinating snapshot of the current opinions in Europe, a deeper dig into the attitudes of its policy makers and citizens believes. Certainly worth exploring in the years to come, yet also reflecting on the long-discussed questions about our European Soul…
So, let me conclude this newsletter CJ#4 with urging you to keep on supporting not only Ukraine, but democracy, the arts and culture in general. It is up to you - the culture-interested reader - to strengthen "the structure", as culture is an essential part of functioning societies.
Thank You for reading and don’t forget to share.
Дуже дякую (Duzhe dyakuyu)
image & photo credits
"Khan’s Palace in Bakhchisarai, Crimea, Ukraine" - photo: sergemi - Depositphotos, via www.ukraine.ua/imagebank
“The destruction of Ukrainian museums” by Yuliia Sukhoparova - (…utilizing a dragon painting of Maria Prymachenko in the collage ?)
"Artist Yuliia Sukhoparova’s reaction to the destruction of Ukrainian museums. Most of the works were saved by the brave citizens. Image courtesy of the artist.” … via: “Assassins of the mind - How Russia is trying to destroy Ukrainian Culture” by Anastsiia Marushevska
"Chornobyldorf. Archaeological opera" - photo: Anastasia Mantach - Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, via www.ukraine.ua/imagebank
"Dancing girl on stage, Ukraine" - photo: Kris Kulakovska, via www.ukraine.ua/imagebank
"Respublica FEST in the Old Castle, Kamianets-Podilskyi”- photo: Yaroslav Idak - Respublika FEST
"Odesa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet" - photo: krasyuk - Depositphotos, via www.ukraine.ua/imagebank
Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University - photo: Andriy Yakymenko www.ukraine.ua/imagebank
