The International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations, Lviv Polytechnic National University, held an intellectual conversation «TIME TO KNOW. DIASPORA: Culture» on the occasion of the release of the podcast «Diaspora. Culture» (a joint project of IECDR and «Radio Pershe»). The participants talked about the importance of learning about the cultural achievements of the Ukrainian diaspora of the past and present.
The event was moderated by the co-authors and leaders of the project – Nazar Danchyshyn and Romania Strotska from IECDR. They expressed their gratitude to the leadership of Lviv Polytechnic for supporting humanitarian initiatives, in particular to Iryna Klyuchkovska, director of the IECDR, initiator of the project, and the honored guests of the event.
– Among the key competencies of the future, along with the ability to work in a team, empathy, analytical and critical thinking, there is also an intercultural competence. That is the ability to interact with representatives of different cultures and peoples. But the basis of this competence is our national identity. Knowledge and understanding of our culture, our history, our language and our values give us the opportunity to be confident in ourselves, to understand our country, our state, and, accordingly, to understand the values and cultures of other peoples, – noted Liliia Zhuk, Vice-Rector for Education and Strategic Development, Lviv Polytechnic National University.
Iryna Klyuchkovska emphasized the importance of the project topic:
– How can we create a Ukrainian global space when we know so little about what was happening outside Ukraine? When we do not know what kind of science was created, what culture was created, when we do not know ourselves... The fact that there is Ukrainian diaspora outside Ukraine is an integral part of our history, our culture, ourselves and our life. Therefore, it is our duty to know, to learn about it and to preserve it as our own.
The first episode of the podcast is dedicated to the bright memory of Kvitka Tsisyk, who «knew how to speak to people’s hearts». The popularizer of her work, singer Oksana Mukha, joined the event via video conference.
The invited expert Roman Yatsiv, Professor of Art History, took part in the second episode of the podcast, which will start soon. He took part in two episodes about the artists Edward Kozak and Zoya Lisovska, whose work Roman Yatsiv objectively examines and organizes their heritage. At the meeting, Professor shared the names of artists «who are waiting» for coverage of their activities in podcasts and monographs, including – Volodymyr (Bill) Tytla (animator of the Walt Disney studio, author of «Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs», who was born in Ternopil region), Oleksandr Arkhypenko (sculptor and artist, one of the founders of cubism in sculpture, who was born in Kyiv), Oleksa Hryshchenko (representative of the Paris school from Chernihiv region), Vasyl Kurylyk (Ukrainian-Canadian artist and writer) and others.
– We must treat each artist extremely professionally and competently. There are lots of exciting adventures, which will show us a unique cultural interaction as well as great contributions of Ukrainians to the world culture. It is obvious that this is a big task for young people, for all of us, emphasized Roman Yatsiv.
