Posted on 08/30/2023 2:28:28 PM PDT by MeganC
Kharkiv is one of the cities in Ukraine eliminating traces of the country's Soviet past by removing Russian art, symbols, books and language.
Few cities in Ukraine are making as much effort as Kharkiv, a city with a Russian-speaking tradition, to erase its past.
Hundreds of streets with Soviet names have been renamed, dozens of monuments demolished and countless books written in Ukrainian have replaced Russian ones on bookshelves.
"These books have a therapeutic effect on people," explained historian and book publisher, Oleksandr Savchuk. "That is, a person seems to get some protection by reading that in fact, Ukrainian culture exists, Ukrainian art exists, the state of Ukraine exists, and there are outstanding artists, painters, architects, sculptors, and public figures among Ukrainians. All of this is about us. This is to acquire identity. That's why people buy these books."
Russia's full-scale invasion prompted many citizens to turn to the Ukrainian language.
"When I said something in Russian (at the beginning of the invasion), it felt like an unpleasant taste in my mouth, as if I had eaten something rotten," said Mykola Kolomiets, an artist and teacher.
Natalya Denisova is the artistic director and puppet creator at the Kharkiv State Academic Puppet Theatre. She admits that after 18 months of war, it is difficult to hold a calm debate on the use of the invader's language, but she's not in favour of wiping it out:
"People have lived with this language. Sometimes it was strongly imposed. It so happened that, willingly or unwillingly, people mostly spoke Russian. And if we say that it happened by force, that the Russian language was forced here, I doubt we should force it out. Then we are no different from each other."
Fuelled by Russian bombs and by the Ukrainian authorities, the war accelerated the derussification process that began after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Expose the US political corruption in Ukraine. And then end the war.
Amen to that!
Over 500,000 Ukrainians have died in this tragic war.
That's roughly the same number of Ukrainians dead in 18 months than the 4 years of the American Civil War.
And for what? So Biden's corruption doesn't hit the fan.
Don’t bother with Megan C or any other Zeepers. They are incorrigible. It’s like stacking ping pong balls in the wind. Futile. I read their diatribes for entertainment.
Stalin re-opened Orthodox churches while Zelensky is banning them.
Stalin was better than the current Ukraine pig government
Non compos mentis.
“Non compos mentis.”
Your slip is showing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_abuse_of_psychiatry_in_Russia
I know. But it’s good to brush up on my skills every now and then.
“Stalin re-opened Orthodox churches while Zelensky is banning them. Stalin was better than the current Ukraine pig government”
Oh look, you really are a Stalin supporter who defends statues of your favorite mass murderer!
Geez, my original post on that was just being snarky and here you went and proved me right. I’d have rather been wrong than to think a Stalin fanboi is actually posting on FR.
“a shameless Russian apologist”
Link please.
Oh so you support shutting down Christian churches? Got it
“Ukrainian war is built on lies”
For once we agree on something.
Straw man argument. Try again.
Getting pretty desperate there, aren’t ya Honey?
Says the person doing nothing but Straw man arguments LOL
“Kharkiv is one of the cities in Ukraine eliminating traces of the country’s Soviet past by removing Russian art, symbols, books and language. Few cities in Ukraine are making as much effort as Kharkiv, a city with a Russian-speaking tradition, to erase its past.
Hundreds of streets with Soviet names have been renamed, dozens of monuments demolished and countless books written in Ukrainian have replaced Russian ones on bookshelves.”
EXCELLENT!
Past time to re-establish dominant Ukrainian identity, culture and language.
“Ukrainian culture exists, Ukrainian art exists, the state of Ukraine exists, and there are outstanding artists, painters, architects, sculptors, and public figures among Ukrainians. All of this is about us.”
LANGUAGE IS MOST IMPORTANT:
Language expresses and reinforces culture AND influences the personal identity of those living within the culture and creates boundaries of their behavior.
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