Creating a Space for the Ukrainian Language

The Ukrainian Justice Ministry recently registered a civic organization called the Congress for the Protection of the Ukrainian Language. Its sole aim is to protect the Ukrainian language and promote its development as the official language. Branches have opened across Ukraine, and it will soon have offices in Russia, Canada, the USA, Australia, and Germany. During the organization’s launch its representatives announced the findings of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine as part of its “Analysis of comprehensive measures to ensure the multifaceted development of the Ukrainian language and the planning of budget allocations for their implementation.” According to this report, Ukrainian-language books make up less than 40% of library fonds, while Ukrainian-language print media occupy close to 20% of the market. Publishers in Ukraine issue 46 copies of Ukrainian-language newspapers per 100 Ukrainians versus 386 copies of Russian-language newspapers per 100 Russians. Specialized educational literature in Ukrainian meets 17% of the demand in the social, humanitarian, natural, and mathematical sciences, 34% in economics, and a mere 7% in the technical and engineering sphere. According to the latest census, one-quarter of the Crimean population is comprised of Ukrainians, while schools with Ukrainian as the language of instruction do not even constitute 1% of all schools in the Crimea.

As Valentyna Strilko, chairperson of the newly created organization, points out, “the number of people who want to study Ukrainian abroad is declining. Thus, the development of Ukrainian studies in Germany may come to a halt in the immediate future. Germany’s only Ukrainian studies faculty at the University of Greifswald may be shut down in 2005 or 2006. The closure of this faculty may lead to the disappearance of Ukrainian studies as a university major in all of Germany. Meanwhile, its disappearance may entail the termination of all Ukraine-related studies.” Ms. Strilko believes that the more support the official language has from civic organizations, the sooner Ukraine will become a powerful state, because the official language is the core of the country’s sovereignty. The congress plans to cooperate actively with other civic organizations and public institutions that want the Ukrainian language to occupy its rightful place in every sphere of public life and become a universal language of daily communication in all corners of our homeland. Congress members are already taking their first steps toward this goal. Teachers are helping to open Ukrainian language history museums in the nation’s schools. Congress Deputy Chair Iryna Farion, who lectures at Lviv Polytechnic University, and her students are developing an artistic project entitled the Ukrainian Political Poster, which is designed to infuse our citizens with a patriotic spirit. Congress members are now preparing a study of the language habits of the nation’s executives and developing an effective mechanism to prevent violations of the Language Law.

Foreign guests and Ukrainian diaspora representatives noted their plans to support the development of the Ukrainian language both in Ukraine and in their home countries. Those attending the presentation also discussed numerous problems they face in creating a Ukrainian-language environment abroad: opening Ukrainian schools, publishing books, and broadcasting radio and televised programs in Ukrainian.

The guests shared their interesting observations of the changes in Ukraine over the past year. Stepan Horlach, member of the board of the Canadian Friends of Ukraine, was amazed to hear passersby’s cordial greetings in Ukrainian and see their genuine smiles. Only last year he watched as self-absorbed and tense people rushed to and fro, oblivious to everyone around them. The attitude toward customers has changed significantly, as store clerks no longer look down on those who speak Ukrainian. On the contrary, whenever they hear customers speak beautiful Ukrainian they eagerly switch to this language. Mykola Kolodka, another member of the Canadian Friends of Ukraine, is fascinated by the multitude of new editions on Ukrainian history and arts, especially those that are filling in the blank spots of Ukraine’s history, as well as the large number of books banned in the Soviet period. Ukrainian citizens can finally learn the true history of their country. “Every year I live in Ukraine for six months,” says Mykola Goyan, an Australian philanthropist of Ukrainian descent and British citizen, adding: “I can state that the period of independence has given Ukrainians a real opportunity to feel their freedom. And this matters a great deal, because I can see that with every passing day Ukrainians can fend for themselves better and better. When a person is free, s/he knows what to do, and this has critical importance for the development of the country. Ukraine has been under a dictatorship for seventy years, but now you can do as you please — study, work, search, and succeed in life. The time has come, and we shouldn’t count on anyone to help us. Throughout our history we have looked to our allies for support, but they have let us down much too often. Today we must count on our own strength and take care of ourselves.”