Since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainians have shown resilience and continue their fight for the independence and integrity of the state. The world also supports Ukraine. This is evidenced by the solidarity actions held in many countries on the anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Galyna Grygorenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, spoke about them during a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine-Ukrinform.
“There are many events happening on the cultural front. It is they who draw the world’s attention to what is happening in Ukraine. They emphasize the importance of supporting Ukraine and the presence of this issue on the international agenda. Cultural events are the soft power through which we can speak to the world, proving our right to our own future, culture and language. That the whole world should support us in this unjust war. And, in fact, the unconditional victory of Ukraine, the restoration of the borders of 1991, is what we demand,” Galyna Grygorenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, said.
Thus, the immersive exhibition “Ukraine: a year of resilience, a culture of resistance” based on the works of Taras Shevchenko was opened in Paris. This event was supported by the Embassy of Ukraine in France in partnership with the Embassy of Canada in France. Also in Paris at the Institute of Political Studies, an immersive exhibition “War up Close” was held, which demonstrates the destruction of infrastructure in Ukraine as a result of the aggression of the russian federation. The same exhibition was shown in Washington, Warsaw, Berlin and will be presented in Brussels. For example, in Berlin, the event was visited by more than 1,000 people in one day. A concert was held at the Prague Philharmonia with the participation of the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra. The event also drew attention to the war in Ukraine. A concert was held at the Warsaw Opera where they performed “Requiem” by Giuseppe Verdi as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine. This event took place with the participation of the Kharkiv Youth Slobozhansky Orchestra and soloists from Ukraine.
On February 24, a large event in support of Ukraine took place at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The program “For Ukraine: A Concert of Remembrance and Hope” was presented by the Metropolitan Opera together with Lincoln Center and the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations. The Metropolitan Opera supports Ukrainian artists and even introduced an internship program for Ukrainian artists.
Concerts, festivals and other events in support of Ukraine took place in Poland, Latvia, Germany and other countries.
On February 27, a landmark event took place in Berlin. As a sign of solidarity with Ukraine, “Cafe Moskau” in eastern Berlin was symbolically temporarily renamed into “Cafe Kyiv”. At the event, Ukrainian and German public activists, artists and politicians discussed the future of Ukraine and Europe in the context of the anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine during panel discussions.
“During this event, different narratives were heard. After all, German society is not unanimous in its support for Ukraine. That is why it is important for us to continue our work and carry our messages, thus emphasizing the support of Ukraine. It is important for us to work on decolonial vision. We also talked about this during the event. russia has invested a lot of money in ensuring that Ukrainian history is viewed exclusively through Moscow’s vision,” Galyna Grygorenko said.
Actions of solidarity with Ukraine on the anniversary of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine are important not only abroad, but also in Ukraine. Last week was marked by many visits of world politicians and artists to Ukraine. The Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter illuminated iconic buildings in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa with symbols of invincibility. The Lviv National Opera hosted a concert-requiem “In Memory of the Invincibles” with the participation of world-famous Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. In addition, the Minister of Culture of France Rima Abdul-Malak visited Ukraine for the first time, and she visited Ukrainian museums of the wartime, from which valuable exhibits were evacuated. As part of this visit, Ukraine and France agreed on cooperation in the field of culture and support for Ukrainian artists.
