Recently, the “living Lviv” has got a new mandatory route for intelligent and emotional experience – to the main building of the Lviv Polytechnic, at Den’s Photo Exhibition. Not only students and teachers, but also eager townspeople gladly review the top pictures of Den’s International Photo Contest 2015. Den’s atmosphere among the intelligent community has also been supported by two meetings with Larysa Ivshyna. The impressions of the discussions’ participants are the best proof of this.
“YOUR PROJECTS ARE THE BASIS FOR THE STATE DOCTRINE”
Andrii YATSIV, deputy director of International Institute for Education, Culture, and Diaspora Relations at National University Lviv Polytechnic:
“I was able to attend all three events at Den’s Days in Lviv, and I have to say that each of them was different in form and content, but interesting and relevant on its own.
“Also, it was an important signal to me when I saw many young journalists, students of the Lviv Polytechnic and other Lviv’s educational institutions for whom the opportunity to talk with Den’s editor-in-chief Larysa Ivshyna became a significant event in their professional life, the intellectual reference point and the motivation for their personal and professional growth. It also was an exceptional event for the academic community of the Lviv Polytechnic and for the International Institute for Education, Culture, and Diaspora Relations.
“This year’s international exhibition is complex – it is dramatic and optimistic at the same time, the best thing to say would be ‘realistic,’ for it shows the true Ukrainian reality, it focuses on really important things. The exhibition should be viewed slowly, it’s worth it to take the time and come here again.
“The meetings with Larysa Ivshyna have brought me to a thought that despite Ukraine’s information field has military aggression against our country and the Russian occupation of Ukrainian territory as its central themes, very little is still spoken about cultural, historiosophical aggression. This kind of aggression has lasted much longer and resulted in the occupation of minds for a large number of Ukrainians as they, due to a lack of knowledge believe in ‘Russian world’s’ pseudo-concepts.
“If the military aggression is fought against by the heroes of Ukrainian Armed Forces, the cultural aggression has for over twenty years been systematically defended by Den, the projects of which are the best ‘roadblocks’ of Ukrainian national cultural identity.
“Today, in the circumstances of the hybrid war, Ukraine needs not only a new military doctrine, but also a national doctrine in the field of education – historical, cultural, and scientific – which will help regain or de-occupy our territory at the cultural, intellectual map of the world. I am convinced that projects and publications of Den should become the basis of this doctrine.”
“WE CAN ALREADY FEEL THE NEWSPAPER’S EFFECT ON UPBRINGING”
Daria TKACH, film director:
“It is remarkable that every day we can read Den. For as much as twenty years we have had this pleasure. Den newspaper is a unique phenomenon, it is a publication that performs the state-building task. There is no other newspaper in Ukraine that would perform this kind of mission. Den’s staff is engaged in a huge work – they are nurturing the nation, reviving people’s self-esteem on the path to true independence. This is a great God’s calling. The highly professional staff, an army of talented people does a great job. It takes talent and hard work to bring such authors to the newspaper and educate a new generation at the school of journalism. Larysa Ivshyna has already started this work and excels in it.
“Taking Den in their hands, one experiences intellectual excitement from the first page to the last page and photos play an important role in it. Den has some good quality photographers. There are photos that one would never forget. For example, in front of my eyes is the photo of General Shukhevych’s wife standing in the yard and feeding the pigeons. I remember her innocent, bright smile and pigeons flying around, as if almost hanging in the air – and it seems that they are about to sit on her arm. Not to mention the impression given to us by the war photos. It is only logical that a newspaper that enjoys such powerful photographs on its pages, goes on to arrange a photo exhibition. It would be unfair to hide such treasures from the audience, to leave them out of such emotions. Personally, I experienced catharsis. I couldn’t hide my tears looking at these photos. All of them are very true. And true things always compel the heart to beat faster and the person to think and rethink.
“I was present at every Den’s event, and it is worth noting that young people are very active. We can already feel the newspaper’s effect on the upbringing. And it is very important for the youth not only to read the newspaper, but also to visit discussions and roundtables. Therefore, Den’s Days are a very significant event.
“Den’s language is fresh and new. The materials show that people have long ago said goodbye to the Soviet style. It is always interesting to read Ihor Siundiukov, Dmytro Desiateryk, Liudmyla Zasieda, Yurii Shapoval, and Volodymyr Panchenko. I also want to mention the texts and pictures of Anna Havryliuk. They add the charm to the newspaper. Den’s achievements are difficult to comprehend at once. The powerful library project is a unique phenomenon, which also forms an alternative with its authors and modern thinking.
“Another very important feature of the newspaper is openness. The sheer number of contributors demonstrates it. Andrii Sodomora said: ‘Once again, I am waiting for it to revive us.’ The same with Den, as it revives a person.”
