The recent events in Ukraine have given rise to an irresistible desire for something new, a new society, policy, economy, etc. The problem of a new cultural policy in Ukraine was discussed a week ago Friday by experts from the Ukrainian Club. The participants first tried to determine the format of national culture. Andriy Yermolayev, president of the Sophia Center for Social Studies, noted that the Ukrainian cultural policy is entirely different from the being pursued by the Ministry of Culture. It is a balanced existence of Ukrainian society on a whole, a so-called cultural democracy. It is based on the understanding that culture is formed by all forces in society, and is thus its property. Oleksandr Bohomolov, vice president of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, proposed placing the problem on a broader base, namely the creation of a New Ukrainian Project. As the assembled experts unanimously agreed, this project should rely on a standardized and consistent linguistic, historical, and ideological (democratic) policy.
The experts focused most on the language issue in Ukraine. Although the use of the official language in the popularization of national culture is undeniable, Ukrainian remains an “article of trade.” Halyna Yavorska, an expert practical linguist, said that whereas in the early 1990s the language policy was based on the postcolonial syndrome, now there is a vast range of opportunities to build the right kind of linguistic environment. During the meeting most of the experts insisted that the use of the mother tongue at home would immediately resolve all problems in the sphere of cultural policy. Others recalled that in the course of Ukrainizing television, for example, this medium did not become any more transparent, professional, or effective. Cultural workers, however, insisted that the Russian cultural environment has no effect on the development of the Ukrainian one. Another participant, a stage director, stressed that if he produced his masterpiece on Ukrainian soil it would be Ukrainian property, regardless of the language.
When the subject of television was discussed, almost every participant mentioned that practically all the channels had begun proclaiming their unbiased approach during the Orange Revolution. Oleksandr Hrytsenko, head of the Razumkov Center for Economic and Political Studies, pointed out that radio and television are working every day to restore a Soviet identity. Andriy Yermolayev quoted Yuri Andropov: “We don’t know the country that we are living in.” He added that the professional media could help Ukrainians learn more about their country and its culture.
Another pillar that bolsters what is still a virtual model of the new cultural policy is history, or rather its revision. Volodymyr Nikitin, deputy director of the International Center for Advanced Studies, noted that the “downtrodden” complex has to be overcome first and that it is crucial to assume responsibility for a new kind of cultural and political progress. Eventually, it would be worthwhile to switch to the principle of building a national heritage by revising everything attributed to it a priori. Andriy Yermolayev emphasized that our national history, which consists of a list of grievances and claims, should be revised once and for all, and this should be done now, because rewriting it every year causes social disorientation. He added that history is a sensitive matter that requires a consistent approach.
As for the cultural sphere, it should be noted — and Mr. Nikitin said as much — that it is currently divided into “higher” and “lower” culture. There is no average concept of so-called mainstream culture. Cultural workers present at the meeting pointed to insufficient funding for their projects and stressed the interdependence between the economy and culture; that the economy is assessed in terms of culture and vice versa. Since the financial aspect was beyond the purview of the discussants, the debates ended there. However, it was pointed out that investors would be found after building a positive cultural image of Ukraine, if not from within the country, then outside its borders.
