I tensely await the moment when our country unveils a new, or should I say next, monument. No, I do not consider myself a pessimist, and I believe that Ukraine does have many talented architects and innovative sculptors. That is not the point. Nor is it that the project now on paper lacks much similarity to the appearance the person to which it will be dedicated, Oles Honchar. It has to do with the lack of a new visual language for our time. Can you imagine a Monument to Independence that is not merely bronze or stone but a symbol that unites the Ukrainian people, arousing their deep emotions? It seems to me that only then would building it make sense. Today it often occurs to me that current events are returning us to the life of the late eighties when real life was one thing and official information something altogether different. Perhaps we should create something new and not monumentalize that dualism. Perhaps it would be best to proclaim a ten-year moratorium on throwing money down a rat hole by erecting monuments incapable of expressing anything new. For it seems to me that what will help us is not new idols or graceful young ladies carrying Ukrainian palianytsia bread or tridents instead of hammers and sickles. We have to feel what language we need at the turn of the century, and until we find it we could landscape a lovely park very convenient for our people in the center of Maidan Nezalezhnosty, our city’s main square. We could find a place to put up our national flag so that it would fly over Kyiv like the French one over the Arc de Triomphe. Certainly, this is not our tradition, and many will disagree. However, I think greenery, flowers, and fountains make more comfortable places than pomposity in concrete and granite.
It seems to me that such a decision could signal a change in the language of the time. A new language in general also demands that through the media it readers, viewers, and listeners. However, not long ago I heard about an interesting and grotesque incident. On Independence Day while covering an awards ceremony for prominent Ukrainians, one television channel mentioned the award winner it supported and ignored all the others. Another also mentioned its own hero and ignored the rest. It took days to get the whole picture. This is a perfect example of a gap that for the present no one can bridge. For four years our newspaper, Den’/The Day, has been attempting to make us fellow Ukrainian citizens hear one another. Judge the results for yourselves. But I should say that the time spent working at the newspaper has taught us to value our readers’ opinions, to think about every letter we receive, and hold in esteem your attitude.
We readily accept any of your critical remarks. Our conscience is clear. We were always trying to live up to the words of Miller often quoted in our articles. The Day must become a place where the nation can talk to itself considering alternatives, fighting, and seeking answers. This aim may be too modest compared with the problems our country now faces. However, Tomorrow there will be another Day.
