OLEH DUBISH: “You can’t oppose the issues of culture and defense”
Recently, a narrative has been actively spreading in Ukraine that culture is unimportant during the war – all resources are spent on defense, and there is simply no time for it. However, this is a harmful thesis that needs to be refuted. After all, it is culture that defines the national identity of Ukrainians and rejects the main thesis promoted by the Russians that we are one people.
This important issue will be discussed during the Art of Victory Forum, implemented by the Cultural Front project with the support of the U.S. Embassy, by one of the event’s co-organizers, Oleh Dubish, Chairman of the Board of the Polish-Ukrainian Partnership Charitable Foundation and the Board of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce.
“This opposition between the needs of culture and defense, in my opinion, was artificially incorporated into society. The Russians are destroying our identity through our culture. And the myth of the unimportance of culture, the artificial opposition of culture and defense, we will, among other things, debunk at our forum,” says Oleh Dubish.
In his opinion, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was right when, in response to a proposal to cut spending on culture, he asked, “What are we fighting for then?” But Ukraine is closer to the words of another prominent personality, the famous poet Serhiy Zhadan: “We must pass on the most important things to our children: our culture and our weapons.”
So in terms of culture, Ukraine must protect its museums and other historical monuments. But there is one more important aspect in terms of preserving Ukraine’s historical and cultural heritage: our scientific and technical potential.
“We are not “Papuans” in this regard, we have a lot of scientific and technical developments, including in the field of the defense industry. We made the Satan, we have a whole industry of technical museums dedicated to rocketry and the aircraft industry. We have a number of people who show our Western partners that it is possible to place investments and production here. Thus, we are leaving both culture and weapons to our children,” said the co-organizer of the Forum.
An important part of Oleh Dubish’s speech will be cooperation with Ukraine’s Polish and American partners. After all, a significant part of the historical and cultural heritage of our country is associated with Poland and the United States, so it is important for us to work in close cooperation. Our partners are ready to join the renovation of cultural heritage sites. But this issue will be relevant after our victory.
To learn more about the Forum and register for participation, please follow the link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1672447053263491/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D
Допис створений в рамках проекту за підтримки Відділу преси, освіти та культури Посольства США в Україні. Погляди авторів не обов’язково збігаються з офіційною позицією уряду США. / Supported by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy to Ukraine. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Government.
