FACES AND PLACES: Diaspora: disconsolate desperation? (07/26/98)

FACES AND PLACES

by Myron B. Kuropas

Diaspora: disconsolate desperation?

During my 40 years of involvement with Ukrainians in North America, I have always been impressed with Ukrainian Canadians.

I've described my feelings in numerous articles on these pages, referring to Canada as "a Ukrainian oasis," "an inspiration" and "refreshing tonic."

I became somewhat disconsolate regarding Canada after hearing a presentation by Dr. Jaroslav Rozumnyj of the University of Manitoba at the 17th Annual Conference on Ukrainian Subjects. Held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on June 24-27, the theme of this year's conference was "Ukrainian Western Diaspora: Achievements and Problems."

Dr. Rozumnyj was speaking about Ukrainians in Winnipeg, a town that once boasted a Ukrainian mayor (Stephen Juba), and still has a cultural center and some 18 functioning Catholic, Orthodox and Baptist churches. Winnipeg is the home to both a Catholic and Orthodox metropolitan, as well as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. It has several museums, book stores, and numerous building halls which are owned and managed by the Ukrainian National Federation, Plast, SUM and other organizations. The oldest Ukrainian hall dates back to 1912.

Winnipeg also has a Labor Temple, still owned by the Communists, who, it is interesting to note, plan to host a delegation of Communists and fellow travelers from Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada in the fall to discuss Ukraine and the diaspora.

Despite past achievements, Winnipeg's Ukrainian community is declining, according to Dr. Rozumnyj, while other ethnic communities are thriving. There are some 16,000 Jews in Manitoba and they were able to raise matching funds for a $26 million cultural center, some of which was supported by federal and provincial funds.

Using the motto "A Center for Our Future, Celebrating Our Past," Winnipeg's Italians, who number some 17,000 have recently completed a $4 million center. The 77,000 Manitobans who are Poles also have a new center, as do the Mennonites, who are building a university.

The Ukrainian community numbers almost 160,000 in Manitoba, making it the fourth largest ethnic group after the English, the Germans and the Scots. Even so, Ukrainians were unable to emulate the example set by others.

The situation in Winnipeg is desperate, according to Dr. Rozumnyj, who argued that our emphasis in the past has been on freedom for Ukraine. We have neglected our diaspora, and we are paying the price.

Dr. Rozumnyj also stated that: 1) the age group between 30 and 40 is "lost"; 2) while old forms of Ukrainian cultural life are dying, new forms are not being created to take their place; 3) the Churches remain a battleground with priests from Ukraine creating ferment; 4) Ukrainian academic organizations such as the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences (UVAN) are ready to disband; 5) the fourth wave of immigration is not yet integrated into the community.

Despite Dr. Rozumnyj's somewhat gloomy assessment, there is hope. The leadership of the Ukrainian National Federation, one of Canada's oldest organizations, has been taken over by a group of younger professionals. The new president is Maria Pidkovich, an educator, of Toronto. She will be assisted by three vice-presidents, Michael Romach, a chemist, Walter Klymkiw, an educator, and Roman Kostuk, an attorney; and Daria Diakowsky, an educator, who serves as cultural/educational vice-president. John Pidkovich, a management consultant, is secretary, and Michael Kalimin, an accountant, is treasurer.

The UNF owns buildings across Canada, and it is my understanding that the leadership changes were made when it was learned that Mykola Plawiuk and Pavlo Dorozynsky, two former UNF leaders now living in Ukraine, were pushing to generate monies for activities of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Melnyk faction) in Ukraine by selling UNF property. In what can only be described as a victory for the diaspora, the new UNF leadership is opposed to the sale.

A fascinating panel at Urbana/Champaign, titled "Ukrainian Diaspora as Seen by Visiting Scholars from Ukraine" was presented by Ukrainians studying in the United States on various grants.

Serhiy Bilokin, visiting scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, argued that the various OUN factions failed in North America and have now brought their problems to Ukraine. If the antics of Messrs. Plawiuk and Dorozynsky are any indication, I would have to agree, at least in terms of OUN (M) activities.

Mr. Bilokin also believes that neither our Churches nor our political organizations have much to offer. The diaspora, he stated, is in trouble because it doesn't study itself enough. The suggestion that the diaspora should ignore Ukraine and concentrate solely on its own problems is not the answer either, he believes. Such an approach will only lead to further assimilation.

Volodymyr Chumachenko, a visiting scholar at the University of Iowa, was astounded when he first visited the Ukrainian Village in Chicago. The diaspora has done much in America about which people in Ukraine know little, he argued. There are some 150 books on Ukraine published in the West - books with which historians in Ukraine are unfamiliar. People in Ukraine have a negative image of the Ukrainian diaspora because of all the scurrilous literature that the Soviets published about "bourgeois nationalists." It will take time to change this perception. Time is also required to reform the humanities curriculum, which is currently in a shambles.

Taras Hryshchenko, a Fulbright scholar at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, agreed with Dr. Chumachenko. More books were published on Ukraine in the West than in the former USSR; these books forced the Soviets to publish what little they did publish about Ukraine. Once the diaspora released the first Ukrainian encyclopedia, for example, the Soviets were compelled to follow suit. He believes that Ukraine owes a great debt to the diaspora.

Dr. Hryshchenko addressed other problems as well. Today, he declared, Ukraine has an image problem and few leaders know how to deal with it. The diaspora has played a role in protecting the good name of Ukraine and needs to continue to do so. Ukraine's leaders, however, are slow to catch on to the importance of developing a positive image in the United States. Personally, I believe that with few exceptions, Ukraine's leaders aren't particularly concerned about their image in the West.

There was much fascinating discussion at the Urbana conference regarding the Fourth Wave. More about that in future columns.

Myron Kuropas' e-mail address is: [email protected]