“That’s Olhopil!”
How an obscure poem by Pushkin helped a village in Vinnytsia oblast acquire a truly European look
Last month’s Village Day in Olhopil, Vinnytsia oblast, was quite unusual: a monument to Aleksandr Pushkin was unveiled there. There is evidence that the poet crossed through Olhopil several times on his way from Tulchyn to Odesa and back. There was no other route at the time, so there was no way Pushkin could pass by this Podillian village. Of course, what he had seen there was later reflected in his poetry. They say that in France a hitherto unknown poem was discovered which is ascribed to the Classic. The poem contains the following words:
That’s Olhopil, devil take it!
That’s where I broke an axle in my carriage,
And lost a hundred roubles at cards,
To top it all!
However, there is another version. It is rumored that all this is but a witty invention of Pavlo Kalenych, director of the local agrarian company “Olhopil.” Kalenych is a person of diverse talents, a good manager, a born grain grower, and an unsurpassed wit. Yet in this approach there is one unbreakable rule: no jokes may harm the cause. On the contrary, they have to promote good undertakings.
This was confirmed by the event which recently took place in Olhopil. The preparations lasted several months: streets were cleaned, buildings renovated, flowers and shrubs planted according to the rules of landscape architecture... The sculptor Mykola Kryzhanivsky was absorbed in the creation of the composition of the copper figure of Pushkin at its center, a broken carriage wheel, and a scattered pack of cards... The facade of the village community center with its Muses and Pegasus, the symbols of poetry, became a kind of background for the monument.
The preparations also included the reconstruction of the road. Now, an excellent asphalt road not only runs through the village, but also connects the raion center and Olhopil, which now looks a true European town.
Despite the unbelievable July heat wave, guests started arriving early in the morning. They were coming from other raions and oblasts, as well as from the capital. In fact, one village’s holiday grew into an impressive festival of traditional arts on the raion scale. But that was only the beginning. Later, the festivities moved onto the street in front of the community center.
The hostess (and, by the way, the artistic director of this unusual event) Larysa Verpeka, director of the international travel agency Chaika-Tour, ascended the stage, built specially for the purpose, to greet the guests and usher in... Aleksandr Pushkin in person!
The poet (Roman Seham-Semenov, actor of the Vinnytsia Oblast Theater of Music and Drama) arrived in a carriage which seemed to have just left the paintings of the early 19th century. He addressed the audience with “his” poem I’m Now Going to Olhopil...
Then followed the hostess and the poet’s digressions into the past, bringing back the Olhopil of two centuries ago and more, and introductions of the guests.
“I had an opportunity to see each room. I saw nice, sincere, smiling faces — this means that you are a strong Podillian family. One can’t but feel proud of you for creating an islet of Europe in this small village. And your community center is no worse than any in the capital,” said Liubov Spiridonova, deputy head of the oblast state administration.
Oleksandr Urban, who is the Russian deputy director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture, expressed confidence in the strengthening of friendly relations between Ukraine and Russia due to such events.
During the festivities an exhibit of works by Borys Korpusenko, a renowned Ukrainian photo artist, The Day’s former photojournalist and winner of international contests, was opened at the village community center. By the way, Kalenych helped organize the photo exhibit as well. And although Korpusenko has been living in Kyiv for a long while, he decided to hold his first personal exhibit at his birthplace. Thence the title for his collection, A Bow to My Native Land. Quite a few works cover the lives of his fellow countrymen, who greatly enjoyed watching the fascinating images.
The feast was a success, and went on well after midnight. The little village in Podillia taught a good lesson to those who erect monuments to tsars and tyrants...
Ivan BONDARCHUK, chairperson, the Vinnytsia oblast society “Ukraine-Russia”:
“Such feasts unite people and remind them of their joint responsibility for the community’s further development. I am very grateful to the people of Olhopil for setting an example of living and working, honoring our common culture; for keeping the heritage which is called the friendship of nations. This beautiful monument will become a place for reunions; it is there that couples will declare love and propose to each other.”
Pavlo KALENYCH, director of an agrarian company:
“I am impressed with the number of guests who arrived to take part in the festivities. The festival is not confined solely to Olhopil, it acquires a broader dimension. It is going to be marked each year on the first Saturday in June, closer to Pushkin’s birthday.
“We, the new generation of business owners, have to foster cultural and spiritual development in the country. The development of villages is possible only on condition of unity between culture and business. Olhopil is no province, and this is confirmed by the event which is taking place today. We are determined to prove that ‘province’ is a mental concept rather than a territorial one. And we are going to continue developing good social and cultural projects.”
Mykola KRYZHANIVSKY, author of the sculptural composition, Merited Teacher of Ukraine, Lieutenant General of the Ukrainian Cossack Registry, regional Otaman of the Vinnytsia oblast company:
“Mr. Kalenych is a well-known Ukrainian patron and benefactor whose deeds prove that man cannot live on bread alone. The soul must also be satisfied with a certain content. And the weightier the content, the better.
“I would like to see the tradition begun in a Ukrainian village continued by our Russian colleagues. I believe that in some Russian village, the residents will also be able to erect a monument to one of the great Ukrainians. This will be a manifestation of the true friendship of our nations.”
Mykola KOLOSOV, journalist:
“This is a diverse and versatile event. The sincerity and frankness of its participants, as well as their sizable involvement, are appealing. The unveiling of the monument to Pushkin is of immense importance to our nations. We have to understand that the Ukrainian and Russian cultures are closely intertwined. Therefore we must develop spiritual friendship.
“There also is another aspect to this festival, a moral one: cleansing souls of all that is alien and unnecessary. Let’s resort to poetry, to our classics more often — even in our pragmatic day to day life.”
