A “new language” of unity
The Garden of the Ukrainian Diaspora was planted in Lviv
Yesterday in Lviv, in Shevchenko’s Grove (The Museum of People’s Architecture and Life), the Garden of the Ukrainian Diaspora was solemnly planted. Those planting the young trees included the mayor of Lviv Andrii Sadovy, president of the Lviv Polytechnic Yurii Bobalo, director of the Lviv Polytechnic’s International Institute of Relations with the Diaspora Iryna Kliuchkovska, and the poets and public activists Roman Lubkivsky and Ihor Kalynets. Editor-in-chief of The Day Larysa Ivshyna was an honorary guest of the event.
Most of the gardeners were students from Lviv’s ten higher educational establishments, including ethnic Ukrainians who live abroad and came to Lviv to study. The future dentist Anis Ettayeb said that he had gladly volunteered for the activity, as he is half-Ukrainian.
He lives with his parents in Tunisia. His mother and father became acquainted back in Soviet in Lviv, while studying at the medical institute. Anis’ mother is originally from Lviv. His grandmother still lives here. He speaks perfect Ukrainian, which his mother taught him. He says he has embroidered shirts – both here and at home in Tunisia. He doesn’t wear them just for any holidays, but to go to church and for Easter – by all means. Lviv is also where he found his love. Yet, his future wife is not a Galician girl, but a Polish one who also studied in Lviv. He promised to come back to Ukraine sometime to eat apples and cherries from the Garden.
Larysa Ivshyna planted a winter apple-tree. Skillfully holding a spade, The Day’s editor-in-chief pointed out: “I have some experience in this field.” Answering the question how the idea of creating the Garden of the Ukrainian Diaspora appeared, Larysa Ivshyna said: “It was at the time when in Kyiv they tried to create that ugly modern Independence Square. I wrote a small column in the newspaper entitled ‘Without pathos.’ I wrote that a new era required a new language. Since we hadn’t realized it yet, it would be better to plant gardens, make fountains, arrange flowerbeds, and refrain from building blocks for the time being. This wonderful idea took root only in Lviv. I am happy and thankful that it was accepted and put into practice. I hope that the Garden will live for many years and Ukrainians who will come to Lviv will know that here is something deeply symbolical, uniting Ukrainians in the entire world. What do we lack most of all? We need a context that will stir up feelings. We reached the moment when we should decisively make a choice about the right way of living.”
Larysa Ivshyna planted an apple-tree representing the Ukrainians in Russia, Roman Lubkivsky planted one symbolizing the Ukrainians of Belarus. The garden will also witness the blossoming of both sweet and normal cherries from Ukrainians in Lithuania, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Greece, Portugal, Canada, Serbia, Germany, and Georgia. 45 trees were planted altogether.
“This place will become a symbol for Ukrainians who live abroad,” predicts Lviv Polytechnic president Yurii Bobalo. “At least when staying in Lviv they will know that there is a place where one can plant a tree and see it bear fruit. Since all countries where Ukrainians reside are represented here, I think all of them will come to enjoy this garden, which hopefully will keep growing every year.”
Also a skillful gardener, Lviv’s mayor Andrii Sadovy planted a sweet cherry tree and thanked Larysa Ivshyna for the idea of the Garden of the Ukrainian Diaspora, pointing out that The Day is a reliable partner of the city’s government and Lviv in general. “Each planted tree is a very positive thing for our city,” the mayor emphasized, “and the Garden of the Ukrainian Diaspora is an example of unity: all Ukrainians are united regardless of their place of residence. We must all stay together, and I wish the state government understood this.”
Roman Lubkivsky called the atmosphere in the Garden of the Ukrainian Diaspora a gulp of fresh air: “I’m pleased that the initiative of The Day’s editor-in-chief was supported precisely by Lviv. The good deed of planting trees is a tradition for our nation. In my opinion, this garden will be a good place for meditations – in order to have our troubled but nevertheless optimistic thoughts about the unity of Ukrainians. This seemingly merely decorative idea grew into the all-Ukrainian good deed.”
