PEN Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute hosted a delegation of foreign writers and cultural figures from France, Belgium and Latvia. This is the second visit under the In Solidarity With Ukraine program.
The participants are expected to become ambassadors of Ukraine abroad, creating materials about Ukraine in the international media and launching support projects.
The In Solidarity With Ukraine visit program is organized by PEN Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute with the support of the Prague Civil Society Centre. The media partner of the In Solidarity With Ukraine program is Espresso TV channel.
During the week, teacher and writer Denis Pepic, director and journalist Olivier Truk, war correspondent Olivier Weber, author and writer Emmanuel Carrer, and volunteer and writer Janis Jonevs met with Ukrainian cultural and human rights organizations, military, journalists and artists, and got acquainted with the socio-cultural context of the country.
“I am surprised that Ukraine is not afraid. You keep smiling and creating. This gives me an answer to the eternal question about the usefulness of art. If art exists in times of war, then it is important,” said Jānis Jonevs, a Latvian writer.
The delegation got to know Kharkiv, its history and architecture, and saw the consequences of the Russian war against Ukraine: “The resistance in Ukraine is also in the hearts and art. The people I met from Kharkiv to Kyiv to Odesa show me how they organize this spirit of resistance through culture and heritage. In describing nearly twenty wars in the world for my books and reports, I have rarely seen such determination and organization. Your struggle for freedom is ours too,” said Olivier Weber, French writer, reporter and war correspondent.
The participants met with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Crimean Platform. They talked about Crimea, the importance of foreign journalists investigating the crimes of deportation of Crimean Tatars, and consolidating support for Ukraine. Among the cultural organizations, we learned about the activities of the Book Arsenal, Dovzhenko Center, National Art Museum of Ukraine, and Khanenko Museum. They also visited the Ukrainian House, the Khanenko Museum, and Public Broadcasting.
A public event “Republic of Literature. French Writers in Kharkiv” was held in Kharkiv, with a discussion about the war, Ukraine, Europe and justice, and a reading of French poetry. Members of the delegation Emmanuel Carrer, Olivier Weber, Olivier Truk, and Ukrainian literary critic Tetiana Ogarkova took part in the event. The event was moderated by Volodymyr Yermolenko, a philosopher, writer, and president of PEN Ukraine. The discussion was held within the framework of In Solidarity With Ukraine and the Fifth Kharkiv project with the support of UkraineWorld and Ukraine Crisis Media Center. The Fifth Kharkiv project is implemented by the Kharkiv Literary Museum with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
“This trip helped me realize that I was reading about what was happening in Ukraine from too far away. I was able to delve into the cultural and cognitive aspects, focus on the production and management of art during the war, understand the emotional aspects and the grand strategy of both the state and civil society,” Denis Pepic, a teacher and writer from Belgium.
Until the end of the year, the Ukrainian Institute and PEN Ukraine will host 2 more delegations, from Spain and the Netherlands.
