EDITORIAL: A tribute and a celebration (08/25/02)

EDITORIAL

A tribute and a celebration

"Ukraine Lives!" was the title of The Ukrainian Weekly's editorial written on the occasion of last year's milestone 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. It is also the title we chose for our latest book, released in jubilant commemoration of the historic act of August 24, 1991, that once again placed the name "Ukraine" on the world map.

The book contains contemporaneous reports on events leading up to the re-establishment of Ukraine's independence, as well as news reports filed from the scene by our Kyiv Press Bureau on that momentous day in 1991 when the Parliament of the Ukrainian SSR, then still known as the Supreme Soviet ("soviet" is the Russian word for council), proclaimed the independence of Ukraine. Also included are reports on the often tense and exciting events that transpired soon thereafter, including the remarkable referendum of December 1, 1991, that affirmed the Ukrainian nation's overwhelming support for independent statehood.

Significantly, the 288-page book (which is similar in format to our earlier releases, the two-volumes of "The Ukrainian Weekly: 2000") also covers the compelling events that led up to independence in the recognition that independence - though it may have seemed sudden when it happened - certainly was not an overnight development. Thus, the book transports readers to Ukraine, then still part of the USSR, at the time of the newly proclaimed policies of glasnost, perestroika (or perebudova in Ukrainian) and demokratyzatsia. Articles about that period are augmented by a detailed timeline of events from December 1987 through December 1991.

In addition, the volume contains unique materials related to Ukraine's first decade of independence - encompassing the fields of politics, the arts, religious life, philately, etc. - along with special reports, commentaries by scholars, observations by foreign leaders, and reflections by youths of both Ukraine and the diaspora related to last year's celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Ukrainian independence. Perhaps most notable among the never-before-published materials is an account of Ukraine's participation in the Olympic Games.

Materials in the book are organized into chapters: "From Perebudova to Independence," "Independence: The Early Years," "The Tenth Anniversary," "Ukraine's Independence Day" (a collection of Weekly editorials published on each successive Ukrainian Independence Day, which gives a snapshot of both independent Ukraine's progress and the diaspora reaction) and "Attributes of Statehood." The epilogue to the book provides another perspective from which to consider the passage of 10 years since the re-establishment of Ukraine's statehood.

The dramatic full-color cover is the work of our colleague in Ukraine, the extremely talented photographer Efrem Lukatsky. We won't reveal what exactly is depicted on the cover, other than to say that it is a reflection of both the past and the present of Ukraine, its history, its culture, its religious heritage and its aspirations.

The Ukrainian Weekly's subscribers in North America, as well as all members of the U.S. Congress, will soon be receiving copies of "Ukraine Lives!" via the mail. (Readers from outside the United States and Canada who wish to receive a copy of the book must order it from our administration.)

We are sure that "Ukraine Lives!" will hold a special historical significance for Ukrainians around the world. It is meant to serve as a resource for researchers and a keepsake for readers.

But, most of all, "Ukraine Lives!" is a tribute to Ukraine and a celebration of the realization of its long-held dream of independence.

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