There is both demand for and supply of intellect

Vinnytsia is the second city that our photo exhibit has visited this year. We also held a traditional readers’ conference and an event called “A Gift to My School” there.

Vinnytsia oblast is not a terra incognita for Den/The Day. There are a lot of our readers and partners here. But, as the last meeting showed, we still do not know much about Vinnytsia residents. Nor do they know about us.

A few words about a special Vinnytsia atmosphere are in place. The 150-seat library hall could barely accommodate all those who wished to take part in the discussion. Besides, the Timiriazev Vinnytsia Oblast Library itself astonished us with dynamism and modernity. Its director Natalia Morozova told The Day about many new projects they carry out to retain the “reader in the flesh.” One of the latest of them is the social project of a free telephone line for the handicapped. Now a Vinnytsia resident with impaired eyesight or movement limitations can call a certain number, choose the required context menu, and listen to the book they want. The Vinnytsia Oblast Library has set an unprecedented example. While most other libraries are complaining about underfunding and lack of governmental support, the staff of this one is solving social problems on their own by implementing innovative ideas.

Although Vinnytsia is not so far from Kyiv, many of those who came to the Timiriazev Vinnytsia Oblast Library for the conference “Shaping Young People’s Historical Memory” heard about the newspaper Den for the first time (!). Interestingly, it is these people who stayed behind until the end of the conference. The trouble is that out of the information mishmash which Ukrainian media feed to the public, young people tend to choose what is simpler, easier-to-grasp, and “more glamorous.” Unfortunately, when Ukraine’s Ministry for Education and Science was assigning Den/The Day Library books the classification “To be used as additional reading in secondary schools,” it did not take pains to inform the institutions under its jurisdiction about the existence of this literature.

After three hours of discussions, questions, answers, and reflections, even those who came not exactly at their own will understood that they found themselves in a medium that cultivates the intellect of a self-conscious nation, a nation with a genuine and successful future, and, accordingly, felt a desire to join this “laboratory.”

One of the participants, Anastasia Herasymovska, a first-year student at Vinnytsia State Teacher-Training University, emailed her impressions to the Den’s editorial office the next day after the conference. Here follow some extracts from this letter:

“The weekday, Tuesday, promised nothing special: going to the university, bleak weather, and a not exactly fine mood. At the university, the dean’s office told us to be obligatorily present at the conference held by the newspaper Den. The newspaper Den… The name sounds familiar, but what is this? Maybe, another canvassing campaign, for the presidential election runoff is coming up?

“When the conference was over, the tiny candle of hope and warmth in our hearts began to flare up. Everybody must have been thinking over the bar that they had set for themselves. I am very grateful for this and wish to continue marching steadily and resolutely towards our goal, for our goal is to be a strong, educated, and united young nation.

“I wrote this at night and I am sending it as it is.”

Letters like this are like the reaction of a body to a stimulus; they let us believe that Ukrainian society lives on and wants to feed off an intellectual product.

Den’s meetings with students have always been notable for being fresh and rich in content. The Vinnytsia debate was not an exception, either. And although some people were not bold enough (many of them sent written questions to Den’s editor in chief), the resulting debate could well be compared to polemics at a scholarly conference with the participation of experienced specialists. What interested the audience were such questions as historical memory, bilingualism, the way Den selects materials for publication, what is to be written to be worth being published in the newspaper, who Den owes its popularity to, who is its life and soul, whether Ukrainian politicians read this newspaper, and why Yevhen Marchuk keeps silent.

As the newspaper’s space is limited, we present here just a fragment of the three-hour debate at the Timiriazev Vinnytsia Oblast Library hall.

A question from the audience: “Why did James Mace choose Den and the newspaper him?”

Larysa Ivshyna: “If you are doing what is important for people, you will be approached by people capable of appreciating this. So I cannot imagine James going somewhere else. He did not have much of a choice.

“His figure is now being slightly mythologized: for example, some say that James was doing very well in Ukraine. James Mace came to us when he was unemployed. He came to Ukraine ‘to heal Ukrainian historical memory,’ but this was not interesting for Ukrainians, except for some limited groups of people scattered all over the country.

“James felt very bitter over the conditions we lived in, perhaps even without noticing it. Back in Soviet times we all thought we lived more or less well. But, from the viewpoint of a free world person, we were rather a strange society.

“James did not really have a job to earn a living. And if we hadn’t had an English-language weekly, we would not perhaps have met James. You know, he first worked as English-language digest editor. And, initially, I knew neither the subject of his research nor his own self. But we were still following some parallel courses, and we eventually came closer.”

A question from the audience: “Why is Yevhen Marchuk keeping silent?”

L. I.: “For me, this is the question of a decade. It has been tormenting me since 1999. It seemed to everybody at the time that Mr. Marchuk did not speak ‘loudly’ enough. But the ability of a society to hear depends not only on a politician’s ability to speak loudly but also on whether people are prepared to hear what is being said.

“Many were prepared to hear Mr. Marchuk at the time, even though there was strict censorship – beyond any comparison with what we have today – and there was no internet to boot. Anyway, Ukraine missed its chance also because people did not have a clear vision of the [presidential] candidates and had fears that were easy to speculate upon.

“In 1999, one more candidate of what is known as Kaniv Four was also running. What did he have on the ‘scales’ to vie with Marchuk? Education, language, or public administration experience? He had none, but would say stubbornly: ‘I must be there because I want to.’ What did it end with – for him and for this country? The Ukrainian world still cannot get rid of such ‘contenders’ who have nothing to offer but are still making claims. Hence the result: ignorance must rule over learnedness.

“The same occurred in the latest elections: Marchuk finished fourth in 1999 and Yatseniuk in 2010. Again, a lot of debates over a faulty campaign and all kinds of mistakes. This may be right, but one should be guided by more important things. One should elect educated people, but people have not learned to do so in the past 10 years.”

Tetiana NAZARUK, ninth-grade pupil, Secondary School No. 27, Vinnytsia: “Our history knows many instances when Ukrainians showed valor and fought for the liberation of their fatherland under the guidance of a wise leader. However, now that Ukraine is an independent state, a large number of our compatriots have lost hope in their own strength, in their own importance for the state. What do you think could make Ukrainians regain the sense of being part of public life?

L. I.: “Undoubtedly, many people have a lot of reasons why they should be in despair, but we must still remember that Ukraine used to go through even harsher times, when the language was banned and lands were divided.

“Today, people should, first all, learn to take a different attitude to themselves on the macro-level. Try to start your day with a smile, do it your daily morning exercise. And you will see the surrounding world begin to change.

“In reality, the intellectual circle of like-minded people is just a stone’s throw away. Type ‘Ostroh Club’ (a club of young people’s free intellectual communication founded in June 2006 by students from Ostroh, Odesa, and Kyiv under the auspices of the Den editor in chief Larysa Ivshyna during the national conference ‘Days of Science 2006’ held at the National University of Ostroh Academy – Ed.), in the browser window, enter the website, and see how many young, energetic, and intellectual people around you are seeking contacts and wish to create a Ukrainian milieu. We must unite. We ourselves must be active in creating our world.

“Do not let the ‘quagmire’ swallow you. Believe in yourselves and become centers for crystallizing a new quality of this country. You should not give in to despair. Yes, the current situation is that we have politicians of not very high quality, and this was caused by certain factors. But this does not mean at all that Ukraine should suffer from this so hard. We have a lot of value-related advantages, and we should arm ourselves with them. And we must change our politicians.”

In the beginning, the conference reflected some pre-election tension. Den’s new acquaintances harbored a gnawing suspicion of a hidden political subtext. In the second hour of the debate, a note from the audience asked the chief editor if it was possible to see hidden support for certain political forces and their leaders on the pages of our newspaper. Ms. Ivshyna answered that Den/The Day does not need to hide its views. The newspaper openly states its position. All one has to do to see this is read Den/The Day.

As Diana Leliuk, 11th-grade pupil at a Zhmerynka secondary school, rightly noted, Den is a visiting card of the Ukrainian people. Indeed, our contributors have repeatedly written that the newspaper should have a televised version based on the same principles and visions of Ukrainian statehood. “Believe me, I would like this, too. If you ever go to see politicians, ask them what they are personally doing for Ukrainians to see adequate Ukrainian television. In the Soviet era, in spite of all its problems, censorship promoted search for high-quality materials. In conditions of freedom, the situation is different, but it still should shape a high-quality demand. This is why it is so important that libraries, newspapers, and, above all, television should produce a high-quality and intelligent product. All of us, who have a demand for the truth, must see that we are not so few. It is important for me to see what kind of people you are and for you to see that I am prepared to share my opinions, support, and persuade,” Ivshyna said.

As an individual absorbs 90 percent of information visually, so what the participants heard at the Vinnytsia Oblast Library, they could see at the Inter Chic gallery in the works displayed as part of the Den 2009 Photo Exhibit which had been previously shown in Kyiv, Lutsk, and Zhytomyr. This was also a surprise because far from all cities have such a high-profile art project as the Vinnytsia gallery that hosted Den’s photo exhibit.

Those who came to meet Den showed a demand for quality. While people keep talking about their future choice in terms of who is better and who is worse in cafes, on a bus, or at the home table, visitors who came to see the photo works spoke about present-day requirements and the lessons of our history. Culture and spirituality are around us. They should be seen, supported, and photographed – with your heart. Den is going to announce a new photo competition shortly, so those Vinnytsia residents who think they need esthetic and intellectual things may try to make an attempt. We will be glad to see new names – not only at photo exhibits but also on the pages of Den/The Day.

IMPRESSIONS

Oksana NESTEROVYCH, art researcher, Inter Chic gallery:

“The Den photo exhibit is a very illustrious event for Vinnytsia. Although we do have photo clubs and very interesting photo artists, the palette and the range of views that we saw at this exhibit really stunned us. For a solo exhibit, even of a very professional photo artist, cannot embrace so many emotions, events, and spheres of life. A photograph is the range of emotions about the surrounding world, which the photographer experiences.

“This exhibition is so interesting that it has drawn an unbelievable response in Vinnytsia. It attracts very many people. Visitors keep coming from 10 a.m., when the gallery opens, until 6 p.m. Very many people vote with pleasure. The works never leave the visitors indifferent.

“In my view, it is very good that captions do not say whether the work was done by a professional or non-professional photographer. For you can see the high level of this exhibit. All the exhibited photos, including those taken by children, are very interesting and of high quality.

“Of special interest is the nomination for beginners and children. If this trend continues, Ukraine will soon have very many good and professional photo artists.”

Natalia MOROZOVA, director, Timiriazev Vinnytsia Oblast Library:

“A readers’ conference at our library is a significant event. It gathered a large audience and was in line with the announced theme.

“We worried at first over whether we made the right choice of a participant category. Naturally, it is important to hear what young people think and whether they read serious periodicals. Sometimes, when we conduct monitoring, we see what the present-day younger generation is interested in. Very seldom do we see serious literature and periodicals that have nothing to do with studies and cannot help write an essay, a term paper, or a diploma thesis.

“We were pleasantly surprised when we saw those who came to meet Den and when they began to ask questions and broach ticklish problems.

“Den’s conference with Vinnytsia readers showed our library’s staff what we have forgotten a little. Holding events of a more or less pretentious nature, we forget that it is so interesting and useful to touch upon moot points and discuss them in a wide circle of like-minded people and opponents.”

Liudmyla ZHALOVAHA, vice-principal, Secondary School No. 4, Zhmerynka:

“I visit Den’s photo exhibit every year, and every time I can see a different, newer, and more modern approach. You can feel the cult of life in this photo exhibit. A talented team selected wonderful works and created an atmosphere that inspires positive emotions in us, visitors.

“Much to our regret, the level of Ukrainians’ cultural requirements is very low today. A good ‘taste’ is still to be developed in our society by such means as Den’s photo exhibit and classroom conferences which the newspaper holds.

“Unfortunately, the present-day younger generation reads very little: they enthuse about other, more primitive, things. Therefore, we should make more efforts so they get in touch with and reach out for things beautiful.

“I am very pleased that my pupils, who came with me to meet Den, also participated in the debate. It was so good to hear our 11th-grader Diana put so many interesting questions to Den’s editor in chief.”

Pavlo KALENYCH, manager, Olhopil joint-stock company:

“Events like Den’s photo exhibit give society an impetus to develop a sense of identity. They lay the foundation for a growth of Ukraine. The trouble is that when we begin to talk about nationalism, it is regarded as something bad. But if one loves their language, land, culture, and traditions, it is only nice. Every individual should be a nationalist deep in their heart and not be ashamed of their roots, their fatherland. Only then will Ukraine live better. And as long as politicians impose on us the way of spiritual and cultural development, nothing will change.”

Larysa TYMCHENKO, free-lance journalist, Vinnytsia Oblast online publications:

“The art of photography is being gradually depreciated now. The country is crawling with bogus masters of photography, while it is so difficult for a really talented one to make their way up. It is good that, by holding this kind of events, the newspaper Den gives a development impetus to everyone who knows he or she has a talent for this craft.”

Ihor MARCHUK, chairman, Club of Successful Entrepreneurs:

“This country’s political situation is like the two sides of a medal. Those who rule the state are on the one side, and the people who live in this state are on the other. Like the two banks of a river, they live separated from each other. If the state thinks that it cares about the people, we, entrepreneurs, can say: let it think that we pay taxes. Business is pinning no hopes on the government today, nor does it count on any support.

“But this does not apply to ordinary people. For there is no visible split among the Ukrainians, which politicians are so much hyping up. Ordinary people have one society which is not divided into western and eastern Ukraine. Language is also an artificial problem. Everybody is aware that there is one Ukraine and one, Ukrainian, language, but you can speak any, even Chinese, tongue – no objections! This is why topmost politicians ought to think about the nation’s intellectual, educational, cultural, and spiritual development.

“There is more radiance than darkness in the eyes of Ukrainians, which Den’s exhibition also proves. It is emotionally charged, so things are not so bad in Ukraine, as some keep trying to bring home to us.”