Recently The Day’s editorial board received a very interesting letter from Chicago resident Dr. Daria Markus, the editor of the Encyclopedia of the Ukrainian Diaspora. The text of her letter is reproduced below:
Dear Editor,
I read with great pleasure some very interesting articles published by The Day on the Internet. They always spark discussions in the circle of my friends in Chicago. But this time I would like to hear your comments on the new name that has appeared in Ukrainian society, the “Coalition of NATIONAL UNITY.” Why not the “Coalition of UKRAINIAN UNITY”? Why are they so afraid of the word “Ukrainian” in Ukraine?
Please don’t explain to me that there are more than 100 ethnic minorities in Ukraine, because all those ethnic groups consist of Ukrainian CITIZENS. By ethnic background they are Greek, Moldavian, Bulgarian, Polish, etc., and can’t be forced to become Ukrainians. As citizens of this country they enjoy equal rights, but this does not mean that they can impose their culture and language as the dominant one on the titular population. They have to maintain and develop their culture and language, and the state has to support them, especially when a culture or language is in decline or on the verge of extinction. This cannot be allowed to happen since it could be a terrible loss for the treasury of the world’s culture. That’s why the Ukrainian government should be more worried about the Gagauz or Tartar languages than the Russian language. I have never heard of attempts by any ethnic groups to make their language the state one in Ukraine.
Returning to the name of the coalition, why not call it the “Coalition of NATIONALITIES’ UNITY”? It is nonsense to explain the new name by the efforts to unite Ukrainians in the west with those in the east. All over the world Ukrainians realize not only how different but also how similar they are. It is not understood only by those who are afraid of the word UKRAINIAN. But we won’t be able to build the Ukrainian state without this word.
