“To cherish every moment of life”

Den/The Day is staging a photo exhibit in Zhytomyr for a second time. As previously, it is held at the Ivan Franko State University. In the spirit of European practice, this educational institution often hosts high-profile cultural events.

“I began walking past the pictures once they began to be hung out,” says Natalia Misiats, head of the Slavic and Germanic Languages Department. “And when I came across the photo of Lina Kostenko, I froze. What a wonderful picture! You go up the stairs and see dark clothes against a dark background. You can see nothing but the poetesses’ serene face. If you look at classical paintings, you will see that the artists also presented faces and hands as blotches of light. And what a nice hand Kostenko has!

It seems to be conducting music, shading the face from the sun, and telling the enchanted audience not to worry… But I also saw a different thing: this gesture resembles ‘No pasaran!’ This means we must get together to keep evil at bay.”

There were enough of those who wished to share their first impressions even before the exhibit opened. The spacious corridors gathered students and other residents of Zhytomyr, for the event was not just a university affair. Some were lively discussing something, some were voting for their favorite photos, and others were making entries in the visitors’ book, such as “Unsurpassable!” (N. Shchur) and “Every picture expresses the Ukrainians’ desire to see their country happy and successful” (N. Stepanchuk). The opening was “blessed” by John Paul II – the pontiff’s statue was among those present.

“Den has established a code of life ethics that most of the media does not have,” Rector Petro Saukh began as a host. “The first foundation of this code is veneration of the past; the second is active efforts in the present, and, finally, the third is responsibility for one’s own actions and for the future. All three are embedded in the exhibit. Take a closer look and you will feel the horizons of our history, the pulse of the present day, and the future prospects.” After the speech he handed the editor-in-chief Larysa Ivshyna a certificate of honor which read “Den Is the University’s Friend.” Apparently, the newspaper has a lot of certificates of honor in its “arsenal,” but this one is not only good-looking but also humane. Ivshyna thanked him and said: “An exhibit like this is only possible when people believe and submit the works they value. Look, are the displayed photos not something from within the human soul? Here is one of them, At the Watch. Who will say where these Scythian stone figures are from? The author, Kostiantyn Bobryshchev, ‘discovered’ them in the Kharkiv region. This is our immensely rich Ukraine, a country of civilization. And the photos on display are an example of the civilization that we have and that must be felt, fathomed and shown. People are living a difficult life today. It seems sometimes that we are living in the worst period possible. But one must look at things from the angle of eternity and think about whether we can see any encouraging signs. I am sure we can. We can see an alternative quality gathering strength. It is in the faces of young people and in dignity that is unaware of slavery. I am convinced that Den reflects in consonance with its clever readers, lives their lives and shows their inimitable ego to themselves. A newspaper can be the catalyst of social progress.”

The event also had regional repercussions. “Today’s event is like a culture and art exchange that has blended the spirits of ancient and modern Ukraine,” says Volodymyr Areshonkov, deputy chairman of the Zhytomyr Oblast Council. “To tell the truth, we would like Zhytomyr region to have a greater role in the project [a call for local photo masters to work – Ed.], for the region is eager to show its architecture, nature, culture, and, what is more, its people.” (Incidentally, the exposition includes the works of Zhytomyr residents, such as Lay Rose by Leonid Shevchuk, which portrays the Rev. Stefan in front of the local Holy Transfiguration Cathedral.) Areshonkov also admitted that he used to practice photography and even teach photo art in school. He taught children to look for “living people” and interesting real-life scenes to be photographed.

It is perhaps not up to us to say how many projects we are carrying out. And, naturally, we would like readers to support us. Take, for example, the project “A Gift to my School.” Why not donate some books from The Day’s Library to the school you went to? Moreover, their prices are very reasonable. This will be appreciated by our teachers and, moreover, prove that there are many active people.

This time, the event embraced not only Zhytomyr itself but also other cities and villages in the region. It would be very good to reach out to the remotest nooks, where library stocks have not perhaps been replenished since the Soviet era. The well-known maxim “Pupils make their school famous” was put into practice by Oleksandr Antoniuk, deputy chief of the

Family, Youth and Sport Department of the Zhytomyr Oblast Administration; businessmen Leonid Krieger, Ihor Latiuk-Romanovsky and Oleksandr Stoiko; and Zhytomyr Collegium director Nadia Paloivoda, who donated books to a schoolchildren’s research association. “I gave some books from Den’s Library to a comprehensive school in Baryshivka, Zhytomyr district, where I once began my teaching career,” Antoniuk says. “I liked those publications. Besides, no media resource will replace real-life contact with a book. I think the children of my pupils will also read them.”

As is known, there is a large Polish diaspora in Zhytomyr. So our Polish-language edition of War and Peace was presented to the Poland House, the Polish Juliusz Slowacki Culture and Education Society (Nova Borova, Volodarsk-Volyn raion), the Pulyny Association of Polish Culture (Chervonoarmiysk), a comprehensive secondary school (Nepiznanychi, Yemilchyn raion), and the Polish Regional Research Association. The community’s formal and informal leaders proved to be generous.

The essence of the spectator’s impressions can be found in the opinion of Kateryna Ternova, a Zhytomyr Collegium 10th-grader: “Ukraine seems to have formed a jigsaw puzzle at the Den photo exhibit, where all the fragments perfectly fitted one another. For if you look into the information space, you will see nothing but isolated pieces, and here the fatherland emerges integrated, easy-to-grasp, and majestic.” 

The photo exhibit will remain open until April 14. The university rector’s office cordially invites people to visit it and vote for the most popular photo.