Lviv Polytechnic Institute is the oldest technical university in Europe. This year it marks its 165th anniversary. The Day used this festive occasion to get to know its students and lecturers. The latter say that this newspaper serves as a textbook for their students, especially those enrolled in LPI’s International Institute for Education, Culture, and Contacts with the Diaspora. In fact, The Day’s meeting at LPI took place on the initiative of its director, Iryna Kliuchkovska.
“There are distorted views on Ukrainian history in our country and abroad,” said Yurii Bobal, rector of LPI in his opening address at the readers’ conference entitled “Shaping Youth’s Historical Memory,” which was attended by The Day’s editor in chief Larysa Ivshyna.
The Day’s Library Series project was presented to a very friendly and attentive audience. It was stressed that this project is meant to correct the wrong views on Ukrainian history and that it targets young people. In the course of discussion it was pointed out that history has a greater significance for Ukraine as compared to other countries. There was immediate rapport between the presenters and the audience with regard to historical issues.
Kliuchkovska said that Ivshyna’s lecture fit into the context of the university’s educational strategy. Although LPI is a technical university, special attention is being paid here to the humanities. Better than anyone else, The Day’s editors understand the resentment of the LPI teaching staff and students over the decision by the Ministry of Education and Science to cut down the share of the humanities in the curriculum of technical colleges. “The humanities taught at the Ukrainian universities are, above all, the prerequisite for the revival of this nation. We are not simply producing highly-qualified specialists for the world; we’re shaping, above all, the citizens of our country,” said Ivshyna.
The discussion of issues that the young Lvivites are concerned about continued for more than two hours. It was a long-awaited event and it left everyone with pleasant impressions. It could have lasted longer but for the editors’ tight schedule. The Day brought to Lviv its Library Series and the 2008 photo exhibit.
This marked just the beginning of creative cooperation between The Day and LPI, as the projects scheduled and being carried out by the International Institute for Education, Culture, and Contacts with the Diaspora are proof that we are working in the same direction.
UKRAINE FROM A WORLDWIDE PERSPECTIVE
Ihor DERZHKO, deputy head of the Lviv Oblast State Administration:
“Ukraine boasts a number of periodicals with large print runs, yet there is no one like The Day, which has for more than a decade firmly adhered to the state-building course.
Its powerful Library Series project includes publications that form the cultural platform of our future. I am fond of this newspaper and have collected a large number of clippings from the time it was launched.
“If it weren’t for the editors’ consistent effort, the Holodomor topic would have again been put off for several years. Without you we would remain unaware of the wheelings and dealings in the upper and lower political echelons in our country. Your experts assess Ukraine from a worldwide perspective. The Day is the most consistent patriotic periodical. I thank you for your dedicated effort.”
SYMPHONY OF EMOTIONS IN THE PHOTOS
Vasyl PYLYPIUK, art photographer, winner of the Taras Shevchenko Prize:
“The Day is Ukraine’s only newspaper that holds photo competitions. I always say at press photographers’ meetings that they should read this newspaper, learn from its professional experience, and send their photos to the editors’ office.
“I am proud to know that this newspaper is the informational sponsor of the first international 2009 Light and Shadow photo salon. We have received 3,000 works from 43 countries. I compared The Day’s photo display to these works and can say that they are The Day’s photos are no less professional. Above all, these photos are a symphony of life-asserting emotions. There is so much dignity and self-respect even in the stooping figures of all those old men and women. It is very important for the rest of the world to see this kind of Ukraine, a country that is brimming over with optimism, strength, and energy. The Day is doing a great and extremely important job.”
ON SOCIAL OPTIMISM
Natalia HUMNYTSKA, research fellow, International Institute for Education, Culture, and Contacts with the Diaspora:
“The Day‘s Library Series is an extremely interesting project, a brainchild of the editor in chief and her team. It has an even greater meaning along the historical, cultural, economic, and social lines. The editors are absolutely right in collaborating with the younger generation because the latter will determine the future of this country.
“The readers’ conference dedicated to the shaping of historical memory is another very important endeavor. Regrettably, the humanities are a lost domain in our country because there has been no systemic official policy in this field. Our society still has to develop self-identify and organize itself; it lacks self-awareness as a strong European nation. This mission is being carried out by The Day and its editor in chief.
“After my trips to Kharkiv and Donetsk, I realized that we, the people of Galicia, are at fault before the eastern Ukraine. We ought to have lent them a helping hand at the outset of our national independence — for example, in terms of a student and lecturer exchange.
“Meanwhile, this newspaper has been carrying out precisely this mission of social unity relying on its own resources. For this I wish to thank the editors from the bottom of my heart. Frankly, I haven’t watched television for more than two years because some of the programs make my heart race. Why should I wreck my nerve cells? The remarkable thing about this newspaper is that it is sowing the seed of social optimism, so I tell many people to read The Day.”
SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE!
Yurii BALANIUK, deputy head of the student union:
“I read The Day and other periodicals on the Internet, so I can practically instantly compare comments by various people. What I regard as The Day’s advantage is its attention to the younger generation.
“At one time we were taught Ukrainian history in a haphazard manner and in accordance with the existing ideology. Now we are faced with a different problem: how do we instilling in people a respectable attitude to the past?
“I visited Donetsk oblast recently and saw absolutely normal people, but there was a barrier between us when we tried to discuss history or politics. We discussed things and held debates, and then I began to comprehend their concept of the red star in a different way, just as they started having different ideas about Stepan Bandera. In the end we agreed that there is no one to be followed, neither in eastern nor in western Ukraine. What we see is a sham [political] elite. Therefore, direct contact with our peers is very important, such as provided by the Ostroh Club of Free Youth Intellectual Exchange. I liked one photo on The Day’s display, entitled ‘Something Has to Be Done.’ We really have to take urgent measures; we must struggle for what we consider to be a just cause.”
LISTENING TO JAMES MACE
Natalia PROKIP, student, LPI National University:
«The Day’s readers’ conference came as a pleasant surprise, considering that I had read James Mace’s Your Dead Chose Me several months prior to the event and had written an article on the Holodomor for a student conference scheduled for May 14. What struck me as unusual was the fact that an American, a resident of a democratic country with the best possible living conditions, should busy himself with the subject of the Holodomor. Apparently, Ukrainian researchers ought to have dealt with this issue.
“Another interesting aspect is that Dr. Mace, unlike many other researchers, wrote also about the consequences of the Holodomor, something we are aware of in our economy, politics, culture, and morals. He wrote about a society overwhelmed by fear and prophesied the realities we are faced with today. That was the key point of my article. I live in a dorm and other tenants have learned a lot about James Mace from me, as well as my fellow students, because I take his book with me to every class and read it during every break. What I heard during The Day’s literary conference tallied with my concepts.”
MOVING FORTH, KNOWING LATTER-DAY HISTORY
Anatolii IHNATOVYCH, President of the National Student Union:
“I first familiarized myself with The Day’s projects in Ostroh, when Alla Dubrovyk, the chairperson of the Ostroh Student Brotherhood, invited me to attend a meeting of the Ostroh Club. Initially, I felt skeptical about the whole idea. What new concepts could I expect to hear about? The fact remains that contacts among students are frequent, all over the country. I had a fleeting knowledge of The Day before that meeting, reading some of the issues only when I could spot an article on students and their problems. The several hours I spent in Ostroh changed my attitude; I even put down some of the ideas voiced by Larysa Ivshyna. If you don’t want to learn from your mistakes, you should attend Ivshyna’s lectures, for this lady has professional experience, and, above all, she is well-versed in contemporary history. Her visit to LPI with the photo exhibit was a logical continuation of The Day’s activities. From now on we will move forward together.”
WE STARTED FROM SCRATCH
Bohdan POLISHCHUK, Ph.D. student, Lviv Polytechnic Institute:
«After Ukraine received its long-sought national independence, many regrettably forgot past experiences, particularly the mistakes made by historical figures. Rather than start by learning from their experience, we actually started from scratch. Naturally, we started repeating past mistakes, ones that the Ukrainian nation had made again and again. Is it possible to change the situation now? This was the subject of the meeting with The Day, and this is something I am still pondering.”
YOUNG PEOPLE CHOOSE THEIR TRAJECTORY
Iryna KLIUCHKOVSKA, director, LPI’s International Institute for Education, Culture, and Contacts with the Diaspora:
“The Day’s visit to LPI was not a formal event. It dovetails with our university’s educational strategy, which is based on the following thesis: history does not begin with us; we will not be able to make progress without knowing our history.
“Our university has a powerful branch of the Prosvita Society; all events organized in collaboration with it are supported by the administration. Of course, all these are extracurricular projects, yet they turn out to be effective aspects to the educational process, aimed at shaping of youth’s historical memory in the first place.
“That was why I felt so enthusiastic about the idea of The Day’s visit and a conference dedicated to the shaping of historical memory. The presentation of The Day’s books and photo exhibit marked an important event in the life of our university, considering that young people are especially sensitive to the lack of public trust in the political institutions; they badly need moral authorities.
“It is fortunate that The Day chose one of Europe’s oldest technical higher education institutions as the venue for the debate. This university is paying serious attention to the shaping of historical memory and other projects in the field of humanities. In fact, our institute is directly involved in this sphere, so we enthusiastically supported The Day’s proposal to hold the conference and the photo exhibit.
“We have the bas-reliefs of Roman Shukhevych and Stepan Bandera on the university fa?ade. Fifteen years ago we spoke about the Holodomor and our key historical figures. In this context, The Day’s publications are very instrumental; they are a powerful information source. We know that our young people cannot be forced to attend a scheduled discussion or read a certain book simply because they are told to do so. Our young people choose their trajectory themselves.
“Thus, the packed hall during The Day’s visit was the best proof of genuine interest. A friendly dialog and informal contacts are very important for our students. Immediately after the conference they bought copies of the Library Series books and subscribed to the newspaper.”
