Ukrainian book comes to schools in the nation’s east

The new academic year will start in Ukraine in half a month. It will start in Luhansk region, too. However, much remains to be done if we are to see the children starting school on time. School buildings are in need of repair. Some institutions lack such necessities as desks, blackboards, stationery. However, one of the most troubling issues is the condition of school libraries. They experience an acute shortage of current literature, especially Ukrainian-language one. Co-founder of the volunteer association Narodny Tyl (People’s Home Front), now head of the Luhansk Regional Military-Civilian Administration Heorhii Tuka asked the volunteers for help, and they responded to his call. The drive’s organizers are the Narodny Tyl and the Ternopil Regional Maidan Self-Defense. Book collection points will be opened to the public in 68 Zhylianska Street in Kyiv and 1 Hrushevskoho Street in Ternopil. Books can also be sent by mail.

“We appealed to publishers and authors,” the campaign’s co-organizer, ethnographer and author Lilia Musikhina told us. “Authors Nina Fialko and Olha Derkachova have already brought books to us, while musician and artist Yurko Zhuravel has offered his assistance. We managed to fill a few boxes with books in days.”

Den has also joined the drive. By the way, involvement with such initiatives has become a good tradition for our publication. We handed over to the volunteers on August 11 books from Den’s Library series, including Ukraine Incognita, Ukraine Incognita. TOP 25, The Power of the Soft Sign, issues from subseries “Subversive Literature” and “Armor-Piercing Political Writing,” as well as the latest issues of our glossy supplement Route No. 1.

“Eastern Ukraine’s libraries now lack Ukrainian publications about history and culture, even textbooks,” Musikhina told us. “Any Ukrainian-language books will help, both those by domestic authors and translated. I thank Den for joining our initiative. I am sure that someone else will fill that region’s information and spiritual space unless we do it first. To prevent this war’s repeat in the next generation’s time, we need to show children who live in Luhansk region today that we are cut from the same cloth and are guided by the same universal values. I hope that the books which we will collect will help these children grow into true patriots. There is a great demand for Ukrainian music and books in eastern Ukraine now. However, information and awareness work is needed not only in the Donbas, but also in our deep rear areas. After all, it seems sometimes that our citizens live worlds apart from each other. Ukraine is more than just territory, being Ukrainian has to do with the blood that flows in our veins, our culture, and worldview. Fighting on these fronts is also very important.”