LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (10/27/02)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Weekly needs little bit of spice

Dear Editor:

I have read the Weekly with enthusiasm in the past. I don't read much of it anymore. I questioned renewing my subscription, but did so one more time "for the cause."

There just isn't much that captures my interest. Ukrainian news of any significance has hit the web days, if not weeks, before we receive The Weekly here in Canada. Well then, what would I like to see in the newspaper?

A glimpse into everyday life in Ukraine would be nice. We see practically nothing about the everyday life of "Ivan" and "Marusia" in Poltava or Kherson or Kyiv. What's their lifestyle? How do they make ends meet? What do their kids do? There are few articles about business, popular music, TV or culture of today's Ukraine.

There is more to Ukraine than tawdry politics and sad tragedies, themes that seem to dominate in The Weekly. Everyday life has improved for many in Ukraine. There are world-class shops, clubs, and so forth. But you wouldn't know that from reading The Weekly.

On the diaspora side, how about a page or two regularly dedicated to Ukrainians around the world to keep us in touch with one another? Similar to your "Newsbriefs" feature, write-ups should be brief with pictures if available. Not only are half-page articles unnecessary for every "chayochok," it's hard to get somebody to write that much. Getting these to you from anywhere is relatively easy in this digital age. Encourage people to do so!

The Weekly does many things well. It publishes materials that are not in the mainstream press to inform both Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians. News articles are presented in a fairly objective manner. The material is well-written, albeit somewhat dry.

Conclusion? It's time for a makeover. Not just for the sake of cosmetics, but to stay relevant and to survive.

Build on your solid foundation. Trim some of the politics - we're not all political junkies. Give us a glimpse of everyday life in Ukraine, from "seliany" to mystifying "tycoons." Introduce color - even The New York Times did! Replace boring UNA reports with articles that explain and promote UNA products.

The steak is there. Add a little tabasco, a few side dishes, and voila!

Eugene Cholkan
Toronto

Singer Vika Vradii deserves apology

Dear Editor:

I honestly felt that my photo of Vika Vradii - one of four published in the September 22 issue of The Ukrainian Weekly along with my report on the Requiem 2002 protests in Washington - was a forceful, and true, illustration of the intensity of her performance of "Hanba," the signature piece with which she once chastised Ukraine's pre-independence leaders and now, presumably, leveled also against its current leadership.

Dr. Ivan Holowinsky of Somerset, N.J., saw it differently (Letters, October 6.) and chastised Ms. Vradii for raising a "clenched-fist salute," and thereby - albeit unknowingly - mimicking the Bolsheviks of the 1920s and the "misguided" U.S. student and black groups of the 1960s.

Even though I was shooting Ms. Vradii from a distance of only 10 to 15 feet, I can't recall seeing the "salute" Dr. Holowinsky saw in the photo. But I can't deny the fact that for one-sixtieth of a second my flash did freeze her raised left hand, and there certainly is a clenched fist at the end of it. I'm not sure, but aren't salutes made with the right hand?

I reviewed the hundred or so frames I shot of Requiem 2002. There are 11 shots of Ms. Vradii, and her left hand has a clenched fist, which is pointing every-which-way, in the "salute" and all but one photo of her. (Prometheus on the bas-relief behind her also has his fists clenched, but they're shackled.) The only shot without a clenched fist is a head-and-shoulders close-up in which Ms. Vradii's eyes are shut. As with the "salute," I can't recall her taking a nap that evening either.

It may well be, as they say, that a picture is worth a thousand words, but it's not worth a damn if it misleads or gets misinterpreted. I apologize to Dr. Holowinsky if I misled him.

I think Ms. Vradii also deserves an apology from Dr. Holowinsky.

Yaro Bihun
Washington

Writer's opinion same as officials'

Dear Editor:

Ihor Dlaboha wrote (Letters, October 13) that the demonstrations in Ukraine aimed at toppling "the duly-elected president of Ukraine are akin to mob politics, which does not bode well for Ukraine's or any other country's image in the world. The diaspora should be concerned that attempts to isolate President Kuchma from international affairs will only contribute to the global impression that Ukraine, as a geopolitical national entity, is far from ready to join the circle of democracies."

The Melnychenko tapes provide clear evidence that President Leonid Kuchma was not elected freely and fairly in 1999. This view is upheld by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe which described the 1999 elections as not free and fair. It is President Kuchma's policies and duplicity since the late 1990s that have progressively isolated Ukraine - not the actions of the opposition. Mr. Kuchma has been semi-isolated since the Kuchmagate crisis began in November 2000 and now, after the Iraqi arms scandal, is set to be fully isolated and treated as an international pariah.

To blame the opposition for Ukraine's international isolation is surprisingly similar to the view espoused by the Ukrainian authorities. Interfax reported on October 14 that President Kuchma said, "Unlike Estonia, we, judging from massive actions and moves by individual politicians, have confirmed the European Union's opinion that Ukraine is not ripe for membership in the EU." At the same time, Interfax noted, Viktor Medvedchuk, the head of the presidential administration, attending a conference on Ukraine in Warsaw also blamed the opposition protests for de-railing Ukraine's European drive.

I leave it up to the readers to attempt to comprehend why Mr. Dlaboha is singing the same tune as the Ukrainian authorities. I, for one, fully agree with Javier Solana, a friend of Ukraine when he was head of NATO and who currently is in charge of the European Union's foreign policy, who said at the same Warsaw conference that Mr. Medvedchuk attended: "The course Ukraine is taking is not getting it closer to European institutions" and "Ukraine is not playing by the rules but with the rules."

Dr. Taras Kuzio
Toronto

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