“Individual sports or cultural attainments are not enough.”

Major European or North American universities with academic departments specializing in Slavic studies, particularly world Slavic history and culture, often portray Ukraine as seen by our neighbors, who are not always friendly (perhaps unfriendly, as a rule). Western media, which frequently rely on foreign sources, present a vague, often incomplete or obviously distorted image of this country. Strange as it may seem, this is food for thought not so much for people from Ukraine, but those who came to Ukraine, after overcoming a variety of obstacles and all kinds of prejudices. How is Ukraine changing? We are continuing to pose this question to The Day’s respondents, people who wanted to settle and work in Ukraine, and to change the situation for the better.

Motria ONYSHCHUK-MOROZOVA, Senior Coordinator, Corporate Management Program, Central and Eastern Europe Division, International Financial Corporation:

Since the 1990s I have been flying to Ukraine from Canada almost every year, working on interesting projects for several months at a time, and finally settling in Kyiv in 2001. I have been a permanent resident ever since. I remember seeing somber, poorly dressed, aggressive people walking past me when I visited Ukrainian towns and villages in the early 1990s. Depression was in the air. Stores were empty except for bottles of mineral water and dried seaweed. I also remember asking for an admission ticket at the Kyivan Cave Monastery, offering money, speaking Ukrainian, and hearing the woman in the booth say she didn’t understand me. Now the mood in this society is very different. People have become more confident. They feel freer, show more hospitality, and smile to each other. On weekends you can see couples and whole families taking strolls and visiting street cafes. At present, our service is much better than in Russia, where I often go on business trips. Whenever I speak Ukrainian, they try to respond in Ukrainian. Young people are growing up to become pragmatic, practical-minded individuals, planning to get a good education and well-paid jobs, hoping for on-the-job- training opportunities abroad; they know how to make the best of their leisure. Too bad they have a limited choice of Ukrainian music. Many radio stations here have awful play lists; they offer the same kind of primitive variety of Russian pop songs, except for a handful of FM stations that play jazz, blues, and classical music at fixed hours. I have a greater choice when I listen to Moscow Radio. It’s a paradox. Also, the Ukrainian media are being pressured. Like before, people are distrustful of television and the press. Indeed, the news often sounds like commercial or promotional campaigns, except I can watch news bulletins on several channels.

It is good to know that small and medium businesses are developing in the private sector. Energetic and talented businesspeople are interested in tangible foreign investment projects. Using their knowledge and experience, these individuals are trying to follow the best examples of how to conduct business.

Unfortunately, Ukraine’s international image leaves much to be desired. For example, my colleague’s relatives recently arrived from Canada. They were pleasantly surprised to see that Kyiv is a modern European city and that its residents are civilized and well-dressed; they were expecting to see people dressed in rags, living in a country ruled by a crazy government. I regret to say this, but this is how most ordinary foreigners view Ukraine, after watching, hearing and reading about rigged election campaigns, the Gongadze case, and the Ukrainian media being oppressed by the regime.

Ukraine cannot and does not want to work on its international image. Russia, in contrast, has worked to improve its image, going about it in a professional manner, probably improving it more than life is in reality. In Ukraine, positive phenomena are often cancelled out by political tensions. Ruslana’s victory, of course, added to Ukraine’s image in the world arena, but individual athletic or cultural achievements are not enough. Culture and sports play an important role, but this must happen in conjunction with political and economic reforms. I don’t think that culture alone can bring about any transformations. Some African countries boast very interesting legacies and traditions, but this does not alter their image of being poor, underdeveloped states.

I think that tourism should receive a fresh impetus in Ukraine, local service should be upgraded, so that people can visit this country and learn more about it. I know that Kyiv is perhaps the only post-Soviet capital city that doesn’t have a single hotel that meets international standards, like the Hilton or the Marriott, whereas these hotels may be found in Tbilisi, Baku, and Tashkent.

Vitaly ANTONOV, President, Universal Investment Group, Chairman of the Board, Public Joint Stock Company Galnaftogaz, Honorary Consul of the Lithuanian Republic to Ukraine:

We were destined to live in an epoch marked by change. Actually, changes for the better, all things considered. Many entities had their inherent functions and names restored; we were given back private ownership and our economy became a real economy; commodities became real, as did money. The law became what it should be, something everyone must observe and protect. Freedom also became a reality, something everyone had to comprehend and preserve. Of course, a host of other issues and problems emerged, but we all know that life without any problems is possible only where we do not live. All things considered, an increasing number of Ukrainian citizens are becoming aware of this.

Ukraine is gradually staking its proper place in the political and economic space. Of course, not as dynamically as we would wish, but still the process is underway.

An increasing number of people in this society are abiding by such natural concepts as feasibility, necessity, and usefulness. Fortunately, ideology is ceasing to be dominant.

Over the past couple of years, corporate and business culture and the culture of personal relationships have registered noticeable progress in Ukraine. Competition is becoming civilized. Business people are learning to respect domestic investors, thus narrowing the large gap between rich and poor. In reality, domestic investors, regardless of how much they have to pay, are capable of extricating this country from its economic and social crisis, and finally producing what we know as a civil society.

Irena STETSURA, Editor-in-Chief, Kyiv Cult Magazine:

Back in 1993, when I flew from New York to Ukraine and then stayed, I found myself in a post-Soviet country with all the concomitant Soviet hallmarks. Anyway, I thought so at the time, although I’d never visited the Soviet Union. People looked depressed and downtrodden. Since then people have lifted their heads, smiling faces have appeared, people are showing an interest in life. They no longer stare blankly at their feet, a symptom of hopeless despair. Middle-aged people are becoming aware that a lot of things depend on them. The younger generation presents an altogether different picture; these boys and girls are filled with energy, aspirations, ambitions, demands; they are self-confident in the best sense of the word. Apparently they are hard put to find jobs to their liking, but they are determined and they have quickly adjusted themselves to overseas methods of education and employment.

Ukrainians are generally very talented, so when it comes to making up for fifty years of shortcomings in a given field of endeavor, they prefer taking giant strides rather than going step by step, striving to master the latest innovative techniques. Back in the early 1990s, women at Soviet Ukrainian stores relied on the good old abacus to bill their customers; and all at once, in a short period of time, they switched to computerized cash registers. Apparently this process would have taken longer in North America. Committees and civic organizations are being formed in order to influence decisions that concern their quality of life at the state and local level. This is the beginning of understanding and a manifestation of the democratic spirit.

Our parliament is a topic one cannot possibly avoid. During my first couple of years in Ukraine, I was scared and embarrassed to watch our MPs on television. They yapped, they knew practically nothing about what they were trying to discuss, they were only learning their subjects. This was understandable. Today, these people appear to have learned everything; they have been everywhere and seen everything. They are pleasant to look at and interesting to listen to, except that these gentlemen still need interrupters to become truly European, because they don’t know Ukrainian, and mastering Ukrainian must be the law.

Otherwise, changes are apparent. Kyiv is a beautiful city, complete with decent shops and restaurants. Ukrainian products are attractively packaged. Ads and commercials read well and look nice. People are well dressed (when I first arrived, I found local women often looked vulgar, but now you can’t tell a Ukrainian national from a foreigner).

Considering that the population had to make a complete U-turn, with the coming of a market economy, and that the people did it, it’s a fantastic achievement.