Ukrainian Language Society - Chicago chapter visits Ukraine

by Dr. Bohdan J. Bodnaruk

LVIV - In the summer months of 1992, my wife Vira and I journeyed to Ukraine; it was the third time in three years that we visited the regional branches of the Ukrainian Language Society - Prosvita in Ukraine.

This year we visited branches in Lviv, Vorokhta, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, Donetske, Kharkiv, Poltava and Kiev. Unfortunately, we could not travel by car due to the gasoline shortage; so we decided to travel by bus throughout Ukraine. Even though we were assured that the bus would be air-conditioned, the air-conditioning did not work (as usual) and the bus windows were "hermetically sealed." The outside temperature through most of Ukraine, especially in the South and East, passed the 100 F mark; thus we had our daily "steam bath"!

The purpose of our trip was multifold. We were to visit the regional offices of ULS and assure ourselves that the books sent by ULS-Chicago were received at the given locations and were available to the largest number of interested readers. We wanted to find out what the status of the Ukrainian language was in schools and discuss other problems that needed special attention. We were also interested in hearing about the results of the English courses given by the volunteers from the U.S. (sponsored by ULS and the Ukrainian National Association UNA) and find out whether the textbooks published with the financial help from diaspora were available to the school children at the beginning of the school year throughout Ukraine.

Our journey was to begin in Lviv. But since Lviv's airport was closed at this time, we landed in Ivano-Frankivske. It took only 10 minutes to go through customs.

In Lviv, ULS work is carried out at full speed. Here they reprint literature (some of which they received from ULS-Chicago in the past) such as: History of Ukraine by Krypiakevych/Dolnytsky, UPA Journal, etc. As throughout Ukraine, Lviv's printing capabilities suffer from the tremendous shortage of paper. Most of the eastern and southern regional ULS branches bombard Lviv with requests for literature and textbooks, since not much is sent out from Kiev.

We went to Vorokhta through Ivano Frankivske and visited the children's sanatorium "Smerichka." Approximately 125 children from all regions of Ukraine, between 3 and 15 years of age, come here with bone problems. Dr. M. Kosylo, director of the sanatorium, and his assistant, Dr. L. Protzkiv, not only offer medical help but also try to provide these children with Ukrainian culture. The Chicago ULS in the past has sent Ukrainian children's magazines, coloring books, crayons.

During our visit 25 children who suffer from the consequences of the Chornobyl catastrophe arrived at the sanatorium and a quick decision was made to leave a suitcase of children's vitamins which we had planned to leave in Kiev. The majority of these children have some form of a bone disease and are bedridden; thus the sanatorium staff tries to provide them with some form of entertainment. We promised that in the near future (after collecting the necessary funds) we would send them a TV with VCR, and some videos.

From Vorokhta we went to Chernivtsi. The head of regional ULS is Victor Kosiachenko, professor at the University of Chernivtsi. Prof. Kosiachenko organized a meeting in the Children's Building with the city activists. The situation here is relatively good. The University is 100 percent Ukrainized; 80 percent of the schools are Ukrainian. During our stay, the museum of Ukrainian diaspora was in the final stages of remodeling and getting ready for the visit of Ramon Hnatyshyn, Governor General of Canada, whose ancestors are from this region.

Our next stop was Vinnytsia, a nice, small city. With a 73 percent Ukrainian population, the schools are 94 percent Ukrainian. By 1993 all schools in the oblasts have to change to using Ukrainian language. The local activists, Leonid Filonov and Tamara Ehelska, are very dynamic people and work positively towards Ukrainization in the region. Based on the literature they received from the diaspora, they started digging in the city's main park and uncovered massive graves of victims murdered by the NKVD.

Also, in the same park, thanks to ULS, a cross was erected in memory of the Sichovi Striltsi. The Society has a well-organized, small library-reading room (the majority of material in it is from the diaspora), which is frequented daily by its members.

From Vinnytsia we proceeded to Kryvyi Rih. This was the first time anyone from the diaspora officially visited the city. We were met with flags in the center of the city, in front of the Shevchenko Russian theater. The farther east we traveled, the more noticeable it was that the Ukrainian language was spoken less, and more Russian could be heard. On that day local "hooligans" were still trying to take away Ukrainian flags. Kryvyi Rih is one of the longest cities in Ukraine; it is narrow but it is about 125 kilometers long. It is heavily industrialized and quite polluted due to the iron ore which is mined here; red dust is everywhere.

In the aforementioned theater Ukrainian children prepared a beautiful variety show, specifically for us. Although 80 percent of the 800,000 population claim to be Ukrainian, the status of the Ukrainian language is very poor. Among 130 schools, only 6 are Ukrainian. The city looked strange and very foreign and we felt very uneasy. In discussion with the regional ULS, its president Ludmila Zubko pointed out to us the tremendous lack of Ukrainian textbooks and literature of all sorts. Kryvyi Rih is one of the most critical regions that requires help from diaspora.

Our following stopover was Zaporizhzhia. Compared to western Ukraine, the status of the Ukrainian language here is still in "diapers"; but compared to our last year's visit, we encountered progress. Zaporizhzhia is also a heavy industrial city, polluted by coke plants and steel mills. Approximately 132 industrial concerns are based here (the only aluminum plant in Ukraine is here). Due to the heavy pollution, mortality is quite high (due to respiratory problems).

Thanks to the very energetic head of ULS, Tetiana Miroshnichenko, we had an opportunity to meet with the leaders and activists to ULS, Rukh and other civic organizations. Due to the dynamism of such persons as Mrs. Miroshnichenko and her associates, who are working constructively, the status of national awareness is improving. But at the present, there is not a single Ukrainian school. Oleksander Hapon is organizing a private academy called "Sichovyi Collegium." ULS and other democratic organizations were active in saving the island of "Khortytsia" from further industrial development and preserving it as a historical monument. A beautiful museum based on "Khortytsia" was 100 percent Ukrainized during the past year. Also, ULS has plans to build on this island a church in Kozak style. There is a tremendous need for Ukrainian literature, especially textbooks. Our efforts here should be intensified.

From Zaporizhzhia we traveled to Donetske, a heavy industrialized (mostly coal) city, which contains a large anti-Ukrainian element opposed to anything that is Ukrainian. But our fearless leaders from ULS don't give up. Under the leadership of Dr. Volodymyr Biletzky, a man full of vitality and energy, ULS is promoting Ukrainization "slowly but surely." Local ULS and Rukh chapters publish the only Ukrainian newspaper "Skhidnyi Chasopys" (Eastern Journal). ULS organized a group of young people who in kozak attire, traveled on horseback to Don and Kuban, promoting the Ukrainian cause. These young men are very interested in making contacts with our "Free Kozaks" in the diaspora. Generally speaking the youth in the southern and eastern regions get very excited about the Kozak traditions and ULS banks on this. The city has only one Ukrainian private school, which opened two years ago. We met with ULS leadership from the entire oblast. As before, the need is still great for Ukrainian literature, textbooks in particular.

We arrived in Kharkiv during the international Ukrainian medical congress. The president of ULS here is Dr. Anatoly Kindratenko, a physics professor at Kharkiv University. During the past year, the situation improved: there are some "friendly" people in the local government. This is the only oblast, where the teachers of Ukrainian receive a 25 percent bonus in salary. Among 170 schools, 22 are Ukrainian. Even though 63 percent of the population claims to be Ukrainian, only 33 percent consider the Ukrainian language as their native tongue. There are districts in the Kharkiv oblast where there are no Russian schools, only Ukrainian. In our discussions, a need surfaced for experienced people, in areas such as economics, medicine, law, police work. As throughout Ukraine, a tremendous shortage of paper exists here. Prof. Kindratenko is working on a project to produce paper from straw. During our stay in Kharkiv, we were interviewed by a local radio program and talked about the ULS tasks and the status of Ukrainian language in Ukraine.

While in Poltava we had an opportunity to participate in the conference "Realization of the Ukrainian language in the Oblast." This conference was organized by a representative of President Leonid Kravchuk and by the local government; all segments of society were invited. At times very "hot" discussions evolved. The democratic leaders are very impatient and would like to see a full Ukrainization in one year. The ULS members receive official documents from the government that permit them to monitor the changeover to the Ukrainian language in the establishments. In Poltava itself, 87 percent of the 320,000 population consider themselves Ukrainian; here the status of Ukrainian schools is quite good. Among 38 schools, 34 are Ukrainian. The law says that the Ukrainian language has to be instituted in the oblast by 1994. But in some cities of the oblast, such as Komsomolske - there are no Ukrainian schools at all and the local government is anti-Ukrainian.

We completed our journey in Kiev. Through the efforts of ULS/Prosvita we had meetings at: Kiev-Mohyla University, Kiev University, City Hall, Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Defense. At Kiev-Mohyla University work was proceeding at full speed. It was pleasant to see, for a change, a project being realized in practice, instead of sitting at the "discussion table." During the first year the academy accepted 220 students. The ratio of instructors to students is 1:15.

We met in the City Hall with the committee responsible for introducing the Ukrainian language in all aspects of official life. This committee was quite disturbed by the following:

• the government is greatly preoccupied with minorities, and much less with the majority;
  
  
• implementation of the law concerning the Ukrainian language moves at a snail's pace;
  
  
• the draft of the Constitution does not mention Ukrainian as the official language; and
  
  
• the textbooks published with financial help from the diaspora were not distributed throughout Ukraine.

At republican radio and television interviews we talked about these issues. Through this Committee we met with Prof. Anatoliy Pohribny, the deputy minister of Education. Prof. Pohribny assured us that the school textbooks were published, and, as far as distribution is concerned, we should talk to his assistant, Valery Donoy. When we raised the issue with Mr. Donoy, he also assured us that the textbooks will be distributed "tomorrow" to all the regions of Ukraine (quite a task to be done two weeks prior to the start of the school year!). The Ministry of Education is heavily Russified; you can't hear the Ukrainian language! On the main floor we still could see memorial tablets glorifying the "heroes of USSR."

The Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, under the apt leadership of Gen. Konstantin Morozov, was the only ministry where a decree exists to switch over to the Ukrainian language in six months (employees that don't like the idea may leave) was being enforced. This is another example of constructive work proceeding at full speed. We met with Gen. Volodymyr Muliava and his assistant Maria Vlad. These individuals burn the midnight oil and with help from ULS, try to Ukrainize the Ukrainian army. The Ministry of Defense has an acute need for Ukrainian books on military subjects and encyclopedias, and especially would welcome advisors from the diaspora with military expertise.

Summarizing our trip to Ukraine this year, we concluded that:

• all ULS regions received books/magazines sent by ULS-Chicago and are available to interested readers;
  
  
• the status of the Ukrainian language in the eastern and southern schools is not satisfactory;
  
  
• all localities were enthusiastic about the English teachers/volunteers. This project raised the prestige of local ULSs. They hope to see this project repeated next year;
  
  
• the five textbooks published with financial help from the diaspora were not properly disseminated throughout the regions that we visited.

The shortage of Ukrainian literature, especially in the form of textbooks, is still great, specifically in the eastern and southern regions. The need for sending literature to these regions is still acute, since they do not receive much help from Kiev (and Lviv can't cope with the demands).

The Ukrainian Language Society in Chicago, during its two-and-one-half years of existence, sent over 100 bags or approximately three tons of Ukrainian books and magazines to Ukraine and plans to continue to do so in the future. Most of the material sent and the funds necessary for shipping (which are quite high) are donated by private individuals. If any readers would like to help in this project and are interested in become members of ULS-Chicago (dues: $10 per year), please write to: Prof. Vira Bodnaruk, president; Ukrainian Language Society-Chicago; 425 Ridge Ave.; Clarendon Hills, IL 60514.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 3, 1993, No. 1, Vol. LXI

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