Will Kosach family members be reinterred in Kolodiazhne?

Without doubt, the arrival of the Swiss owner of the law firm in Lugano Roberto Haab became the main event of the international symposium. As the guest noted, there are no descendants of the Drahomanov-

Kosach family left who would have those last names. Haab himself was brought up in a family, where, unfortunately, Ukrainian traditions were not cherished and Italian was spoken because they lived in Italy. Ukraine seemed to be too distant and unfriendly. His mother – niece of Lesia Ukrainka, daughter of her sister Oksana – was also called Oksana (Lesia Ukrainka affectionately called her Oksanulka). When Haab was a child and later a young man he knew very little about Ukraine and about famous, as it turned out later, family member. He didn’t think of her as a well-known poetess but as a sick woman with a strong will for life.

Only after Haab’s mother died and he came into her room he was impressed with a large number of books written in Cyrillic. Fluent in Italian, German, English, and French, knowing Latin Haab began to search for the roots of his Slavic origin and to learn Russian. At that time he, unfortunately, thought that it was the same as Ukrainian. However, Haab has told The Day’s correspondent that he is now reading works of his great aunt in Ukrainian and understands almost everything.

The great nephew of Lesia Ukrainka was invited to the international academic symposium dedicated to the 140th anniversary of Lesia Ukrainka and the 100th anniversary of writing the drama Lisova pisnia (The Forest Song) not only because he belongs to the family of Drahomanov-Kosach. Although, from purely human interest, it is nice to be able to speak with a man, who for many connoisseurs of the family tree of these families is a bright representative of the family even judging only from the appearance. Vira Komziuk, head of the memorial museum of Lesia Ukrainka in Kolodiazhne, sees the resemblance of Mr. Haab to the Kosach family primarily in his eyes and figure. Ten years after his first visit to Ukraine in 2001 Haab is a recognized expert on genealogy of Drahomanov-Kosach family. He sought out many of their descendants who are now scattered all over the world. As the well-known researcher of Lesia Ukrainka heritage Tamara Skrypka writes: “Thanks to these contacts the new archive materials and biography facts of Lesia Ukrainka closest family became known.” It is Haab’s third visit to Volyn. He first came to Kolodiazhne in May 2002. Answering my question about what feelings he had stepping onto the courtyard of the Kosachs family mansion whether he took it only as an interesting museum or something ached in his heart, Haab honestly said: “I don’t want to go into any lyrical digression, but when I visit Kolodiazhne or Lesia Ukrainka Museum in Kyiv and look through family photos, touch family relics, it always seems to me that the shadows of my ancestors rejoice that I have an interest in them.”

International symposium “Lesia Ukrainka: life, culture, epoch” was organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ukraine, Volyn Oblast State Administration, Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature (Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences), but the greatest effort was made by Lesia Ukrainka Volyn National University (VNU) and Lesia Ukrainka Research Institute. Professor Ihor Kotsan, rector of the VNU gave Haab the book with drama The Forest Song recently published by the university publishing house. It was prepared for publishing by the university researchers of Lesia Ukrainka works based on the first prints from 1914. The drama is published in Ukrainian and English. Round table discussions took place at the university recreation facility at the lake Svitiaz. Nearly 100 applications for participation in the symposium were sent from all over Ukraine, Russia, Italy, and Poland. Kom-ziuk, head of Kolodiazhne Museum and Serhii Romanov, academic secretary of Lesia Ukrainka Research Institute noted that the scho-lars’ greatest interest was caused by the discussion on the topic: “Academic edition of Lesia Ukrainka works: digital or print format?” Mykola Zharkykh, who maintains the web site about life and work of Lesia Ukrainka, managed to get many Internet users interested in his pro-ject. Therefore, this way of popularizing Lesia Ukrainka works has perspective. Romanov says that Lesia Ukrainka Research Institute also accumulated interesting materials for publishing Lesia Ukrainka personal encyclopedia. However, this grand work still requires more funding.

Two interesting events took place before the international symposium. Exhibition Images of Lisova Pisnia in Graphics of Ukrainian Artists opened in Volyn Oblast Music and Drama Theater. Graphics from Lesia Ukrainka Museum at Volyn National University was presented there as well. There also took place the presentation of the new book by Ivan Drach, honorary professor of VNU, Krynytsia dlia sprahlykh (The Well for the Thirsty). People who came to the presentation liked Drach’s idea to create a university-based theater of Lesia Ukrainka, which would stage only works by the university patroness, because to most people Lesia Ukrainka is known, at best, through Lisova pisnia. Even at the all-Ukrainian festival of her plays that recently closed in Lutsk nine interpretations of this drama were presented. Meanwhile, drama of our famous compatriot is much wider, deeper, and still needs accurate reading and comprehension.

The participants of the symposium took with understanding the old desire of Haab (they recorded it in the event’s resolution) about reinterring ashes of Lesia Ukrainka closest family members in Kolodiazhne. His mother, sister of Lesia Ukrainka, buried in Prague, aunt Olha and Izydora – respectively in Germany and the US. In fact, if there will be consent of the state and members of Drahomanov-Kosach family, the idea can be realized. Then Ukraine and Volyn would have a pantheon, which would provide the feelings, Haab and Romanov spoke about, to all the living on this earth. The feelings of where we come from, what our history and our roots are. Because the now existing museums of the Kosach family in Kolodiazhne, Museum of Lisova Pisnia in Nechymne, where the participants of the international symposium went on excursions, proved this idea. Many scholars who wrote articles and books about Lesia Ukrainka and her family, who seemed to know everything about her, in those memorial places really felt that there is still the living spirit of those great people in there.