Rousing Greek dances, performed by ethnic Greek bands from Mariupol and Odesa, alternated with bard performances. This popular genre was shaped in the USSR and was an indispensable element of hiking tours and evenings by a campfire – to the accompaniment of a guitar, of course. Its lazy curves have inspired authors from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Odesa, so a lot of their songs, sung at the Olvia fest, were dedicated to the guitar.
The festival of Olvia presents Greek culture, but on a broader scale it is polycultural, just like the land which hosts it. The boundary between the steppe and the sea is a transit area, which has always been settled by sea-farers and dry land travelers. True tolerance has always been the region’s hallmark. The contemporary Olvia festival has greatly contributed to building bridges between cultures and peoples. This year it has seen a presentation of Indian culture and Vedic food by a group of young people from Mykolaiv, who take an interested in India. Everyone was welcome to help themselves to Indian dainties: not only the guests of the fest, but also villagers from Parutyne, a place close by, attracted by exotic sounds of Hindu songs.
“We have been collecting samples of bard songs and rock music from all over Ukraine, to treat our guests to something interesting. This time around, our audience could meet a remarkable blues performer from Kyiv, Pavlo Rudenko. The local music circles were represented by the amazing Alisa Drahan, author of music and lyrics in beautiful Ukrainian,” says Oleksandr Karpenchuk, general producer, Art-Music.
The festival agenda also included a beauty contest “Aphrodite of Olvia,” which crowned Anastasia Kolomatska as the winner.
