“Chicago that we love!” reads the caption of a photo of the BANDERA restaurant, published on the website of Ukrainian People Magazine, one of the largest Ukrainian community magazines in America. This got us thinking: were they, too, reading The Day, perchance? After all, we have repeatedly put it just like that: this newspaper has published texts discussing what Poland, Holland, Russia, or Britain we love. True strength does not come from marching in step with somebody, for their path can lead to an abyss, but rather from clearly outlining what we see as worthy of respect in our international partners and where we are ready to identify with their views. It has turned out that our guess was spot on: they do read us in Chicago.
The Day has always paid great attention to the diaspora issues, as we held roundtables and published texts dealing with great creative legacy of Ukrainian immigrants as well as the current everyday life of our compatriots abroad. Over 18 million Ukrainians reside outside this country, and they feel a spiritual connection with the homeland. In fact, the Ukrainian diaspora is one third as large as the present population of Ukraine. The editor-in-chief of the famous North American publication Ukrainian People Magazine Olga Ruda told The Day how she had created a popular media outlet from scratch, what was the prevailing mood in the Ukrainian community in the US and Canada, and how the diaspora was reacting to current information challenges.
“THE EUROMAIDAN MADE WAVES ALL OVER THE WORLD”
Today, Ukrainian People Magazine is a leading Ukrainian magazine in the US that supports the Ukrainian diaspora in the world, democracy in Ukraine and mass cultural events in the US and Canada. When and how did it occur to you to start such a magazine?
“My first job was as a caregiver, which can be defined as an employee responsible for the care of patients with chronic or incurable diseases. When we find ourselves in another country, we take any job on offer to support ourselves and afford a home of our own. Engineers, teachers, economists, journalists, and programmers – immigrants usually do not work in a job fitting their qualifications at first, because it takes time to adapt. After a while, I started working for the Chicago Ukrainian-language newspaper Ukrainske Slovo, engaging in advertising, penning articles, and attending various events. After some time, I started an advertising agency. However, I continued to dream of launching a publication of my own. The Euromaidan and the war with separatists finally became the required impetus, making me an editor, marketing director, advertising agent, website developer, promoter, distributor, moderator, photographer, and reporter all at once. Besides acting as a detonator for Ukraine, the Euromaidan events made waves all over the world, increasing the diaspora’s willingness to aid the old country. And the farther away from the homeland, the stronger was the waves’ impact. You cannot imagine how it was here in Chicago! People collected clothes, donated money, discussed with children and other relatives who would go to Kyiv and what they should bring there, sent parcels... We met at Ukrainian businesses and banks, everywhere where Ukrainian TV was on, and were virtually glued to the screens. In many small and large cities of the US and Canada, people held support rallies and protests to draw attention of the American and Canadian governments to the events in Ukraine. It was then, a year and half ago, that the first issue of Ukrainian People Magazine appeared. There were originally only five of us: two in Chicago and three in Ukraine. In a month, we prepared and released our first issue, with 64 pages on glossy paper, 5 sections and 8 headings. Ukrainian People Magazine speaks of Ukrainians and to Ukrainians. For now, it focuses on the Ukrainian diaspora. We publish not just interesting stories about famous Ukrainians and events in the diaspora communities around the world, but also information from Ukraine, still extant recipes of traditional cuisine, fashion, leisure, and health advice.”
What news do you prefer? Do you have a large staff?
“Our primary focus is on cultural and charitable activities of our communities around the world. Also, we closely monitor news from Ukraine. From the very beginning, we were actively seeking cooperation with the diaspora communities in various states of the US and provinces of Canada. In this way, we found reporters in California, New Jersey, Florida, Canada (Winnipeg), and then in other countries, including Italy, Australia, the UK, France, and Germany. A lot of journalists and creative people from Ukraine offer assistance by informing about art projects and sharing unique photos, historical studies, poems, and stories. Therefore, in addition to the main headings, which are Chicago (Illinois, USA), Diaspora, Ukraine, Famous Ukrainians, Hollywood, Crime, Leisure, and Health, we eventually established additional ones: Our History, Ukrainian Cuisine, Fashion, Literature Page, Arts, Volunteering, etc. We have 15 employees all in all, but only 5 of them are full-timers, for whom making the magazine is their primary job, exciting mission, hobby and even life itself (sorry if I am sounding a little pathetic).”
You have an interesting way of writing, since you create engrossing novelette-like stories. How have you come to write in this genre?
“I am pleased to hear this. I have always wanted to express my thoughts on paper as simply as possible. I do not like it when a journalist tries to show off how many ‘smart’ words they know and how well-educated they are. It makes one’s story dry and uninteresting. I wish my stories to resonate with all people, to be understood even by those who have only ever studied at a parochial grade school.”
“UKRAINE NEEDS NOT ONLY ECONOMIC COOPERATION, BUT ALSO MILITARY SUPPORT”
In your opinion, what events taking place in Ukraine are of greatest concern to the US and Canada? What is on their agenda now?
“The resignation of Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, who received 40,000 dollars in speaking fees from the Russian propaganda broadcaster RT and was seen at a dinner alongside Vladimir Putin, the meeting between Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak, the scandal over Russian hackers’ attacks on Hillary Clinton – all this indicates that ‘there is no smoke without fire’ and raises concerns about the priorities of the sitting US president’s administration. Relentlessly prodded by the local Ukrainian community, the government of Canada has provided continuous support to Ukraine and continues to help it. On March 6, the defense minister of Canada announced a two-year extension of the UNIFIER military training mission, which involves about 200 Canadian soldiers instructing Ukrainian soldiers in modern combat skills at Yavoriv and Kamianets-Podilsky Training Centers. In mid-February, the lower house of the federal Parliament of Canada unanimously approved in the third and final reading the agreement on free trade zone with Ukraine. The Canadian-Ukrainian community and the government of Canada regularly announce grants and training programs targeting Ukrainian students. However, Ukraine needs not only economic cooperation. More than ever, Ukraine needs military support today. On February 3, 2017, Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Peter Kent called on the current Canadian government to provide ‘additional support to our Ukrainian allies.’”
“THE FIRST UKRAINIAN NEWSPAPER I ENCOUNTERED IN THE U.S. WAS DEN/THE DAY, AND I STILL GET INFORMATION FROM IT”
Where do you get information about events in Ukraine?
“I get it from Den/The Day. I not only read, but also love your newspaper. When our sysadmin (by the way, he is also of Ukrainian origin) was installing programs on my new computer a few years ago, he bookmarked a few Ukrainian websites on his own initiative, to make looking for information easier. The Day was his very first choice for that, and I still get the information I need from it.
“For me, given that I have gone for more than five years without a TV, the leading Ukrainian newspapers are the main source of information and news from Ukraine. I use Den/The Day to read analytics, polemics, stories from today’s Ukraine, Ukraine Incognita contributions and much more.”
What can the Ukrainian diaspora achieve in the present age of international turmoil, and is it coping with its mission?
“In over 15 years I have spent in the diaspora milieu, I ‘discovered’ almost daily these smart, intelligent, and generous people who managed to maintain an overseas Ukraine through decades and stay Ukrainian even after integrating in the American society. Preserving the Ukrainian language, traditions, culture is effectively a matter of survival of the people itself in a foreign country. Only having talked a lot to these somewhat conservative, but also trustful people, one realizes how much they have done for their homeland, how much labor they have invested in building ‘Ukraine in a strange land,’ complete with churches, schools, banks, museums, political, civil society, and children’s organizations; how many books they have published and how much money they have donated! And now as well, the third and fourth waves of immigration continue to jointly assist Ukraine, its military and orphans in wartime. Our Parish of St. Joseph the Betrothed alone has raised more than half a million dollars for wounded soldiers!
“There are approximately 300,000 highly educated Ukrainians worldwide now, who already have significant achievements in various fields and can be united into a powerful pro-Ukrainian lobby. We need to develop cooperation with them, to tell the world about them, their inventions, modern Ukrainian art and more. We need to create a large-scale national program of investment in intellectual capital as well. It is important to use their skills in joint projects to strengthen the voice of Ukraine worldwide. It would be nice if our talented people, including businesspeople, did not have to go elsewhere to get recognized. Had our government created decent conditions for doing business, reduced bureaucratic pressure, managed to invest enough money in research through increased public funding and provided interest-free loans, we might have seen more talents working for the benefit of their homeland.”
