Another important bridge

For each city, where The Day’s Days take place, they are a meaningful dialog between the editor-in-chief and students, readers’ conferences with discussions of The Day’s Library publications, Larysa Ivshyna’s participation in TV and radio programs, and, of course, exhibition of “extracts” of our Photo Contest. At the moment, Lviv residents prepare for a quality exchange of thoughts and some unforgettable impressions. The Day’s Days will be taking place May 28 through 30 at the Lviv Polytechnic Institute and are supported by the International Institute for Education, Culture, and Contacts with the Diaspora. This year, Lviv will become the third city to see the best photos of The Day’s 2012 International Photo Contest: in Lutsk the public chose their favorite photos in winter, in Donetsk in early spring, and in Lviv they will have such opportunity on the verge of spring and summer seasons, from May 29 to the middle of June. The Day’s editor-in-chief Larysa Ivshyna will present the best photos of The Day’s 2012 Photo Contest at 14:00 at the main building of the Lviv National Polytechnic University. Do not miss it! Such meetings are another opportunity to open to each other anew. Like, for example, Donetsk opened wide and sincerely to The Day this year. Letters of gratitude and fascination caused by photos and communications were coming from Donetsk dwellers up to the end of April. Also, we have found new friends and partners for our project in Donetsk oblast during this period.

Of course, every visitor of The Day’s photo exhibition will be able to vote for their favorite photo, and later learn about the “Lviv’s point of view” on the photo report of the country’s life in 2012. By the way, Volyn and Donetsk oblast residents were united by favoring Tenderness, a picture by our photo journalist Mykola Tymchenko, Wings by Olena Zen, and Red-Haired Beauty by Stepan Lupuliak. We think that Lviv will not remain indifferent to humane and optimistic stories these photos tell either, but it will choose its own favorites as well. Of course, the choice will be wide: for the Lviv public The Day has prepared 150 photos, picked out of a few thousands of works that were submitted to the contest. Lviv residents will be able to not only view the best photos in permanent nominations (“Events,” “Figures,” “The Ukrainian World,” “Life as It Is,” etc.) but also revive one of the strongest emotions of the last year in the photos dedicated to the European football championship.

After the opening of The Day’s 2012 photo exhibition, a discussion on the subject suggested by the organizers “How to make Ukrainian dream come true?” will take place, with the participation of The Day’s editor-in-chief. Discussion at the Lviv Polytechnic Institute will develop in the context of The Day’s new project, the series of books “Armor-Piercing Political Writing.” Students of the Lviv Polytechnic Institute and their colleagues from other Lviv universities will be able to express their views on this topic. The Donetsk university students are also invited to participate in the discussion: they will be able to do that on skype. This is what the moderator of the discussion “How to make Ukrainian dream come true?” and director of the International Institute for Education, Culture, and Contacts with the Diaspora at the Lviv National Polytechnic University Iryna KLIUCHKOVSKA shared with The Day:

“Recently, a meeting with the laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize, artist Anatolii Kryvolap took place at the Lviv Polytechnic Institute. When he saw how many students came to listen to him, he asked with surprise: “What can interest students majoring in exact sciences in meetings with artists?” Personally for me, this question was rather unexpected, since the tradition of communication between students and outstanding figures has been created long ago. After all, it is no coincidence that there is an inscription LITTERIS ES ARTIBUS above the entrance to the Lviv Polytechnic Institute main building, which was built back in 1877. It is extremely comforting that science and arts have been walking hand in hand ever since the founding of the Polytechnic Institute in 1844. The spirit of art, of the liberal thought, and creativity reigns in our lecture halls. Perhaps that is why the academic community is so eager to gather at Lviv’s best hall (and maybe even the best hall of the whole Ukraine) – Mateiko Hall.

“During such meetings, we want to discover new names, show new tendencies, and not only in art, but in society in general. It is important that we use examples of special people for this. We always want to show a story of success. It has to be done, because now is the time when 80 percent of young people, especially those who study technology, declare their intention to go abroad and work there.

“Bohdan Hawrylyshyn paid us a visit and told a story of his own success. When he left Ukraine, he went through hell and eventually ended up in Canada chopping wood and studying… And having a very special goal, he achieved everything he has now. We also had meetings with Vira Vovk, who was able to establish herself in a foreign country as a university professor and brilliant translator from German and Portuguese. It was a great pleasure to meet Anatolii Kryvolap, who told us (and first of all, told the young people, who filled the hall) that ‘when a person has a goal, they can achieve success in their country, can become a professional and be wealthy.’

“After all, Larysa Ivshyna is such a successful figure herself. She comes from a small town of Lokachi in Volyn oblast, which she often writes about, while remembering her roots and her mother. Ivshyna always walked the path, which was very clear for her. She got her university degree and continuously worked on herself (because she understood perfectly well that despite all the diplomas, daily self-education is important for self-realization and understanding of the processes we live in) and finally, she achieved everything she has now. She achieved a lot as an intellectual, as a manager, as a woman. She created a high-quality intellectual product, The Day newspaper, and through it, she creates the story of success of contemporary Ukraine.

“Yes, this is a very hard path, as any other path to success of every person is. Anatolii Kryvolap said during the meeting that when he was 40, he realized he was ‘a pathetic zero.’ I commented on that then by saying that only a very strong person could say that.

“It is important for me that The Day’s editor-in-chief and her team work tirelessly even in the toughest times, because they work for the sake of a very high goal, for the sake of enlightening. There is no doubt that meetings with Ivshyna are important for us, because her own example consolidates young people’s faith that their personal dreams can come true. The most important thing is to choose your path correctly and follow it consistently.

“The meeting with the newspaper itself is also important for us, because it shows students that without this deep understanding of your own history, your roots, your present you cannot move forward.

“It is great that our discussion is going to take place in the context of ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing.’ In the afterword to the publication, Ivshyna writes that ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing’ is created so that a smart reader should not miss their smart predecessors.

“Works by the best of the best are collected in ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing.’ It contains the quintessence of Ukrainian thought of the past century. We just do not read it…

“Basically, each of the authors included in ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing’ has Ukrainian dream in their works. These are reflections on politics, culture, art, and social life on how to come to an independent united Ukraine, where a person will be able to realize themselves in the atmosphere of civil and political freedom. It is important for us to know the way this dream transformed. Did it die or does it continue living in some new shapes? This will help young people decide what they want for themselves, their families, and for the society in general.

“Finally, ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing’ describes it all, it is like our testaments. I am holding Honest Letter to Halychyna Youth by Ivan Franko. This is an appeal to young people, and even though over a hundred years passed since it was written, it still remains relevant. It should be read and comprehended. ‘Acquire knowledge, theoretical and practical, strengthen your will, turn yourselves into serious, conscious, and stately men, full of love for their people and able to reveal that love not through flow of noisy phrases, but through restless, quiet work…’ And this is very important, this is what students must understand. Because in my opinion, this is one of the paths to success.

“I am sure that the young people who come to the meeting with Larysa Ivshyna will be interested in this series of books under a rather unexpected and sharp title ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing.’ Perhaps, those books will reveal their ability to pierce the shell around themselves and their environment, to read at home and discover new names (which are not known to everyone, I am sure), to get artistic inspiration and move forward.”