Turning the pages back... August 19, 2001 (08/13/06)

Turning the pages back...

August 19, 2001

Ten years ago The Ukrainian Weekly reported on the thoughts of Ukrainians in Kyiv on the 10th anniversary of independence. Halyna Tarasiuk, a prominent Ukrainian writer, Natalia Skrynnyk, director of the language programs at the Prosvita enlightenment society, and Roxana Fortunska, a fourth-year university student and summer assistant to Ms. Skrynnyk, shared their thoughts on what this anniversary meant to them and to other Ukrainians.

In Ms. Tarasiuk's opinion, the most pressing problem was the lack of economic restructuring initiatives by the government. Ms. Tarasiuk also was troubled by the lack of cultural development in Ukraine, saying: "There are no programs for the advancement of culture, no financing arrangements for the arts and even publishing has totally fallen apart. Neither are there any laws in place which would encourage patronage of the arts. Rich people do not originate from the nationally conscious sectors of society."

Additionally, Ms. Tarasiuk spoke of the transition of the status of the Ukrainian language. In the early years of independence, she explained, no one was antagonistic toward the Ukrainian language. All sorts of people readily accepted that they were in Ukraine and, therefore, it was normal to speak Ukrainian.

At the time of the interview, Ukraine had only one Ukrainian-language television station, owned by the state, but it did not promote a Ukrainian spirit, according to Ms. Tarasiuk. She explained that "the television industry is in the hands of people who are ready enough to accept the idea of a Ukrainian territory, but not one that is really Ukrainian."

When asked why Ukrainian is rarely heard in Kyiv, Ms. Fortunska responded: "Most people do not know Ukrainian; they think in Russian. As for the young people, they think that it is prestigious to speak Russian. Ukrainian pride does manifest itself, but it's usually only when an athlete wins a medal. On a daily basis everyone just speaks Russian, you rarely hear Ukrainian music in the cafés."

To correct this attitude, Ms. Fortunska suggested that all government people, famous stars and artists, particularly young ones who are idols, would have to show pride in speaking Ukrainian. Also, the mass media would need to speak Ukrainian, she said.

However, Ms. Fortunska was not optimistic about the future of Ukraine. She felt that the only solution was to learn foreign languages and to go abroad to work. Many young people had become disenchanted with the situation and Ms. Fortunska said, "I don't have the feeling that the politicians are interested in the future of Ukraine. People don't have any sense of security. First the people need economic security, then they will be able to think about the national question."

Source: "Interviews: Ukrainians in Kyiv comment on Ukraine today," by Fran Ponomarenko, The Ukrainian Weekly, August 19, 2001.

| Home Page |