“Hromadskyi Prostir”, 11.02.2024

On 9-11 February, the training course “Economy Grows Through Culture” was held in the historic centre of pottery, the village of Dybyntsi (Bohuslav community, Kyiv region). The course was attended by representatives of public associations whose main focus is the development of local culture, business and creative industries, as well as representatives of the cultural and economic sectors of small communities in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Odesa regions. Over the course of three days, renowned cultural and economic experts and well-known activists gave speeches.

One of the issues raised during the event was the role of culture and tourism during the war and in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. Here’s what the speakers had to say about it:

“We need to think about how to combine culture and economy after the war. After all, culture influences economic content. It is a magnet for talents and visitors to the community, a platform for interaction between sectors of the economy” (Oleksandr Butsenko, Director of the “Democracy through Culture” Development Centre).

“If we lose our cultural heritage, it will be very difficult for us to recover from the war. It provides Ukrainians with an understanding of who we are and where we come from. It is an investment in statehood. However, in order to use cultural heritage as a community resource, it needs to be preserved” (Yaroslava Vashchenko, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine).

“We need to use any tool to draw attention to Ukraine, especially during the war. If we do not talk about our intangible heritage, we will lose a great deal of tools in this war. The primary role in preserving intangible heritage is played by its bearers, the community, whose opinion researchers have no right to neglect” (Valentyna Demian, Head of the Expert Council on Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine).

“Regarding the importance of culture in times of war… The year before last, we made a video about how Shchedryk changed attitudes towards Ukraine. A century ago, the Oleksandr Koshyts Choir was one of our best ambassadors, and although Ukraine did not win then, our subjectivity was imprinted in the minds of many people around the world” (Bohdan Logvynenko, founder of the Ukraїner project).

“The war will lead to more demand for adaptive tourism, as the number of people who have lost limbs will increase. Adaptive tourism provides access to tourist destinations and services for all sightseers or tourists, including those with various disabilities. This allows all citizens to continue to be active members of society, to enjoy travelling and leisure without any physical barriers and restrictions, and to achieve psycho-emotional relief” (Yurii Hladenko, Director of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Religions of the Sumy Regional State Administration).

In addition, several speakers shared tools for working with society in the sphere of art. For example, British playwright, theatre director, and stage manager Chris Baldwin spoke about cultural resources for solidarity, recovery, and development, in particular, about the “creative theatre” approach that the artist uses in communities: “We involve community residents, ordinary citizens, as actors. But in order to create a performance, we first come to the community, listen to different stories from the locals, because we want to learn the unique history of the place from its inhabitants.”

Veronika Chyzhevska (Weronika Czyzewska), a Polish cultural activist, cultural manager, and director of the “Borderland: Arts, Cultures, People” Centre, told the course participants about a similar practice of theatre performances. Every year, the Polish town of Krasnogruda, located near the border with Lithuania, hosts the Bridge Mystery, where residents and young people take part in performances based on stories about their small homeland:

“The generation that contributed to our record of the history of the region, has already passed away. Now it is our responsibility to them: to preserve and to pass this history on to the next generations,” says Veronika Chyzhevska.

A highlight of the event was the presentation of the book “Folk Calendar of Bohuslavshchyna”, created by folklore researcher Olena Chebaniuk and historian Oksana Humeniuk. The book was artfully designed by Oleksandra Fedoryshyn, using old photographs, photographs of ancient elements of clothing and jewellery, and the colours of local satin stitch embroidery.

This publication is dedicated to the calendar traditions of the Bohuslav region, their local peculiarities, original elements of rituals and folklore. It includes materials from our historical and ethnographic expeditions and archives. One can also find here a questionnaire that can be used to record stories, memories, folklore and ethnological material, as well as samples of local clothing from the stock collections of specialised institutions and private collections.

“If you tell me how you celebrate the holidays, I will tell you who you are. Our identity is evidenced by the festivities that are meaningful to us. In the Bohuslav region [Bohuslavshchyna], many traditions of Christmas celebrations are still alive and well-remembered. St Andrew’s evenings are very common here: people used to dress up and craft masks. And there is still a tradition of trampling on the cowslip. People worship their deceased ancestors. The connection between grandparents and grandchildren is important,” shares her discoveries the author Olena Chebaniuk.

As part of the presentation, the representatives of the “Around Us. UA” NGO Oksana Humeniuk and Victoriia Oliynyk demonstrated a collection of Ukrainian folk costumes from Bohuslavshchyna, recreated by local craftswomen Kateryna Robak, Kateryna Zubko, Kateryna Zamnius based on photographs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and exhibits from museum and private collections.

In addition, during the three-day course, the participants could also attend a banner exhibition by the “Around Us. UA” NGO and the “Medvyn. Uprising” educational initiative “Brazhnyky – Masters of Ukrainian Clothing”, which tells the story of a Ukrainian couple who, for 40 years of work in the United States, sewed folk costumes for the best Ukrainian emigrant artistic groups and movies.

The training course was organised by the “Around Us.UA” NGO.

The event was held in partnership with the NGO Democracy through Culture Development Centre and the Bohuslav Volunteer Headquarters.

Originally posted here: https://www.prostir.ua/?news=na-bohuslavschyni-provely-navchalnyj-kurs-ekonomika-cherez-kulturu&fbclid=IwAR2sY7bwsy-WruNelfGN8CVBVX81qWsfLkNlCrbK1Kn88hg4pDgnI_1lDXc