Den is superb!

The days of Den in Lviv started with the participation of the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief Larysa Ivshyna in Ostap Drozdov’s political show “In Plain Words” (TV channel ZIK, the recording is available on Den/The Day’s website www.day.kiev.ua). The show was of course about the recent events in Ukraine which Ms. Ivshyna characterized as a “very high level of tension and great stress for the society.” “There is a need to ponder it,” she said, “There are high points of breakthrough, the Ukrainian society has evidently cleared a high moral bar. But there is apparently a mismatch of the very high price and not so noticeable result. Political result. So we need to ponder over this time seriously and critically and set new goals before ourselves. On the whole, I think that this is a time of supertasks and superefforts. For we must understand that an occupation of a part of the territory indicates the very bad previous policy, which has made this possible, and quick improving of many things at which we used to look with indulgence.”

The discussion about the situation in Ukraine continued at the National University “Lviv Polytechnic,” where Den/The Day’s editor-in-chief took part in a roundtable under the topic “Modernization of National Character,” whose numerous participants, including students of Lviv higher educational establishments, teachers, civic activists, met Ms. Ivshyna to the sound of the Anthem of the European Union, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.

“We have powerful weapons, given by the newspaper, we have two wonderful collections, ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing’ and ‘Subversive Literature,’ we have wonderful analytics from The Day as food for thought and we invite you for conversation,” Iryna Kliuchkovska noted in her opening speech and gave floor to Ivshyna, who right away told about her love to Lviv and Lviv Polytechnic on the whole; in particular, she emphasized that she “loves to discuss burning issues with young people of various ages, because the stress has opened people’s ears for listening differently,” so sent a message to the audience for a friendly conversation on a serious topic.

YOU WON’T FIND INDIFFERENT PEOPLE AT THE STANDS WITH THE PHOTOS

“We have lost a part of our territory. Maybe temporarily. But still it’s occupation. Is there only Russia’s fault, because it is aggressive and cannot be a member of civilized community because of its political leaders and behavior? Is Ukraine to blame for getting into this situation? How are we supposed to live with this understanding? How should we fight for more people to feel Ukrainian identity irreversibly? I have many texts dedicated to this topic. I said about Ukraine and Ukrainian identity in the first foreword to the book Ukraine Incognita which celebrated its 10th anniversary two years ago,” Ivshyna noted. The Day’s editor-in-chief emphasized that now we should talk about modernization of the national character.

You will find the most interesting fragments of the discussion on the abovementioned questions in the Friday issue of Ukrainian-language version of the newspaper, and the full recording of the conversation is available on the website of Den/The Day (www.day.kiev.ua).

Below are the first responses and impressions from the launch of the Photo Exhibit:

“Every year we invite Larysa Ivshyna to visit Lviv Polytechnic, and we are very glad that every year she agrees,” rector of Lviv Polytechnic, Professor Yurii BOBALO said at the launch of the Photo Exhibit of The Day. And this time, when Ivshyna came to visit us, I was very glad and told her, ‘I hope that this meeting is not our last one.’ It is not simple to organize such a big exhibit, because it requires great organizational, moral, and material efforts. Last year I visited the exhibit in Lavra, saw all the photos we had many times exhibited in Lviv Polytechnic, and I must emphasize that all of the photos are strong in terms of life, because they show us, our history, and our reality.”

“Opinion-journalism in the photos and materials of The Day is knowledge, which according to apt and deep words said by Larysa Ivshyna, are important for fostering people who will act otherwise,” junior research fellow at the International Education and Culture Institute (IECI) of the Lviv Polytechnic Halyna TEMNYK considers, “A special thing in interpreting the philosophic meanings of these photo works are apt and witty titles. Sometimes it is one word, which with the help of a photo becomes a key to understanding our many-sided life, like in the titles Crossing, A Double Talent. The photos talk to us with their childish immediacy, power of love which overcomes all hindrances, Christian’s spirituality, self-assertion in work, the value of human life and the wonderful world of nature around us. The historically important mission of the newspaper Den is in highlighting the significance of every day of Ukrainian reality.”

“The year 2013 in Ukraine was full of events. That was a year of deceived hopes and shattered illusions. That was a changeable, disturbed, but romantic time before the storm of the Revolution of Dignity,” emphasizes junior research fellow of IECI Bohdan SYVANYCH, “I have a feeling that during that year we made two steps upwards. The photo exhibit of the newspaper Den is a bright illustration of this way, which was not simple. It is very good that on this way we have such a good companion as the newspaper Den which cares about making progress not only within the framework of broadening our freedom, but also all-embracing intellectual advance. I very much like the standpoint of the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Larysa Ivshyna, who firmly stands on this groundwork and is ready for discussion of a variety of questions, proof of which are roundtables that have been held many times in Lviv Polytechnic and which have already become a tradition, and I had a pleasure to attend them.”

YOU CANNOT BE BORED WITH DEN

“The establishment of a successful Ukrainian state is impossible unless we realize the national integration projects, in which creation of qualitatively new social discourses would be based on Ukraine-centered idea groundwork and consolidating mechanisms for the Ukrainian people,” considers junior research fellow of IECI Andrii YATSIV. “Namely in this direction the all-Ukrainian newspaper Den with the editor Larysa Ivshyna at the helm has been working. The unique projects for Ukrainian culture space, such as Ukraine Incognita, the Photo Contest of the newspaper Den, Summer School of Journalism, publication of the collections ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing’ and ‘Subversive Literature,’ aimed at forming of a qualitatively new generation of educated, creative, and intellectually courageous Ukrainians, who will be able in the future to create a new European Ukrainian reality. This year the anniversary 15th Photo Exhibit of The Day, which has visited the Lviv Polytechnic, is an example of uniting of talented Ukrainians, masters and amateurs or photography from most of the regions of our country. Their fresh and brave look gives us optimism and encourages to action.”

“I am very glad that the Photo Exhibit of The Day has come for another time to Lviv,” says a 2nd-year student of the Institute of Architecture of the Lviv Polytechnic Volodymyr TSAPUK, “I am from Lutsk, and at home I don’t always have an opportunity to go to the exhibit, but I always have an opportunity to do this in Lviv. Through these photos we look at entire Ukraine, where else can we get such a cross section and clear impulse? Therefore this exhibit is interesting for me as an artist and as a Ukrainian. Apart from that, the exhibit concentrates the events. I am very glad to see Ms. Ivshyna, listen to her, see the new publications from The Day’s Library series, follow what new monumental books The Day has published. Of course, all publications of Den are good, but Extracts and ‘Armor-Piercing Political Writing’ series… Do you know what I like? When at home at calm atmosphere you read a book and recall between the lines and pages when this publication appeared on The Day’s pages. There is a big difference, when one and the same article is published in a newspaper and in a book. I mean there is a different flow of events, hence – a different level of analysis. Coming back to the Photo Exhibit… Knowing how tense the exhibit would be (at the launch and afterwards), I came in advance, before the launch, in order to have an opportunity to look at everything calmly and analyze. I have chosen one work to vote for and marked it in the questionnaire. That’s nice! I also won’t ignore the glossy supplementary of The Day. I like its artistic design the most, because it is close to me. As for reading, I prefer the newspaper, because it publishes the materials that are interesting to me. On the whole I can say: my daily route starts with a news stall, where I buy the newspaper Den. Therefore I want to thank The Day for all of its projects: the actions, the publications, and the meetings. I am saying this absolutely sincerely. The Day is superb!”

As a reminder, the Photo Exhibit Den-2013 will be on display at the main building of Lviv Polytechnic till April 30. In this period of time the visitors will have an opportunity to look at over 150 photos – the winners of the International Photo Competition of The Day, and not only look at them, but also vote for the one they liked the most, and write something in the Guest Book. Incidentally, already the first responses (“Thank you for wonderful emotions granted by the exhibit. Each work is charming and special in its own way”; “The exhibit is wonderful. Thank you”; “Thank you for deep aesthetics of healthy and verbal things”) indicate that the exhibit did not leave anyone indifferent.