Ukrainian Australian leader promotes closer, more active relations with Ukraine (08/28/05)

Ukrainian Australian leader promotes closer, more active relations with Ukraine

KYIV - The Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Ukraine has responded favorably to the Australian Ukrainian community's proposal for a closer and more active relationship.

The chairman of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations (AFUO), Stefan Romaniw, initiated dialogue with the Deputy Minister for Culture and Tourism in Ukraine, Olya Kostenko, and requested a meeting to brief senior officials at the ministry.

A meeting was held with the director for culture and ethnic minorities in Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora, Yurii Kompaniec.

Mr. Romaniw presented a series of briefings proposing the establishment of Ukrainian institutes/cultural centers in communities of the Ukrainian diaspora. The brief provided a model based on similar structures such as Goethe Institute and the Alliance Françoise.

The AFUO also presented a proposal for ministry and over-all government support for the first Australia-Ukraine film production, "The Company of Heroes," which was funded and produced by Ukrainian Australian Yurij Boric and directed by Oles Yanchuk of Ukraine.

The AFUO also supported a proposal by the Ukrainian Embassy in Australia to invite a cultural group from Ukraine to participate in multicultural festivals in Australia in 2006.

Discussion in Kyiv was focused on relationships and practical examples of cooperation. The briefing session has laid the foundation for a follow-up meeting with Ms. Kostenko over coming weeks.

"We wanted to present our ideas to the bureaucracy and for them to brief the minister. Our next meeting should be a tick off of results meeting," Mr. Romaniw said.

The outcomes of the meeting were as follows, with the ministry agreeing to:

continue examining strategies for international cooperation;
fund annual training programs and on-theground costs in Ukraine for up to 15 dance instructors, choirs and singing directors from Australia. These would be focused programs on a rotating basis;
view the film "The Company of Heroes"; and
examine the proposal for Ukrainian institutes/cultural centers in the diaspora.

"We have broken new ground and the AFUO is keen to progress the discussions. In our proposal we highlighted the importance of the government of Ukraine becoming involved also in promoting Ukraine through language, culture and tourism to the international community," Mr. Romaniw said.

"We call on the government of Ukraine to pursue the proposal of introducing and funding cultural centers similar to other countries'," Mr. Romaniw added.

"Geographical boundaries do not separate a nation. The spirit lives and like anything that grows it needs to be fed," Mr. Romaniw said. "It is time for Ukraine to provide support to ensure that language and culture grows."

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