A charity evening was held in memory of the famous Ukrainian poetess, artist, public figure Vira Vovk, who, despite the fact that she lived a significant part of her life in Brazil, never stopped cherishing and multiplying her love for her native Ukraine.
This event was initiated and organized by the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations, Lviv Polytechnic, to honor the long-time patroness of IECDR, a devoted adviser and friend of everyone who was lucky enough to know her, Vira Vovk. Over the years, Mz. Vovk was a good friend of our University and every time she was in Ukraine, she visited Lviv Polytechnic.
Moderating the event, Nazarii Danchyshyn paid considerable attention to the fundamental values of Vira Vovk.
― The Ukrainian language in a foreign land and the Greek Catholic Church became the form of existence of Vira Vovk in a foreign land. Her godfather was Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi, so the Ukrainian language and the Church are two powerful pillars of Vira Vovk’s identity, emphasized Nazarii Danchyshyn. ― As the writer once remarked, you must love the language. This makes everything accessible. Ukrainian is and always will be the language of my heart, the language of my parents, the language of my poetry, the language of my spirit.
Nataliya Chukhray, Vice-Rector for Education and International Relations, addressed the audience with a welcome speech on behalf of Rector Yuriy Bobalo.
There was also a letter from Yurii Bohaievsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Brazil (2001–2006). In particular, he wrote:
«I am grateful to fate for the fact that on the long path of my diplomatic service I had the opportunity to meet such an unusual personality, to join the numerous admirers of her fascinating and incomparable creative talent.
In my memory, I will continue to cherish pleasant memories of touching meetings and heartfelt conversations with her both in Rio de Janeiro and in Kyiv during her multiple visits to Ukraine, which was always Vira Vovk’s native land, to which she was devoted throughout her life abroad and for which she always worried and cheered. She was a truly great Ukrainian».
