LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (08/18/02)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Filmmaker reacts to writer's review

Dear Editor:

In her solipsistic review (July 27) of my film "My Mother's Village," Orysia Tracz, a graduate of the Baba School of Criticism uses plotky (gossip) and vstyd (shame) to try to silence the film's subjects when they express a point of view that differs from her own. In so doing, she perfectly personifies an attitude that has alienated so many diaspora Ukrainians from their community.

Ms. Tracz complains that the film is not her story. Who ever said it was? The irony, of course, is that the film is about her more than she realizes or maybe she realizes it only too well but, can't bear to admit it for fear of feeling "uneasy," as she puts it. Now that Ukraine is free, perhaps Ms. Tracz should work on freeing herself from some of her own delusions about what defines a proper Ukrainian.

Ms. Tracz is correct, however, when she points out the UPA was incorrectly translated as Ukrainian Patriotic Army. It should, of course, be Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

John Paskievich
Winnipeg

No such entity as "OUN-UPA"

Dear Editor:

In reference to recent articles published in The Ukrainian Weekly (July 28 and August 4) about the rehabilitation of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, it is necessary to clarify references by the writers, Dr. Taras Kuzio and Ivan Poltavets, to the "OUN-UPA."

In fact, there was no such thing as OUN-UPA, as these were two separate entities. Though the UPA, or the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, was under the ideological influence of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, it is incorrect to refer to them as if they were one.

Furthermore, the resolution now being discussed in Ukraine refers specifically to recognizing veterans of the UPA as fighters for the freedom of Ukraine.

Eugene Stakhiv
Waldwick, N.J.

Iowa program needs community support

Dear Editor:

Since Ukrainian independence, Iowa State University has been intensively involved in numerous projects all over Ukraine. They have tremendous impact on U.S.-Ukraine relations. Now, if you ask people from lowa about Ukraine, they would recall not only its geographic position and Chornobyl, but also friendly, self-motivated and hard-working Ukrainians.

Keeping this impact in mind and believing that the development of a stable and prosperous Ukraine begins with the development of young people's technical and leadership skills, we continue our Exchange Program with Ukrainian universities. The Ukrainian American community actively supports this effort to bring talented young people to the United States for training. We work with exchange students to help them to identify their potential, to discover relations among nations, to understand how to improve their lives for a stronger Ukraine.

I personally became convinced of the impact of this program after a trip to Kyiv earlier this spring. While I was in Kyiv, four young men who had participated in an exchange program with lowa State University hosted me for dinner. I was so impressed with the way they had used their training in the U.S. to bring needed skills to the private sector of Ukraine. These serious, hard-working young people are now an important part of the backbone of successful business ventures in Ukraine, providing a real benefit to the economy of Ukraine.

Thanks to the generosity of the Ukrainian American community we have been able to host well over 500 Ukrainian students, scholars and trainees in lowa. One family stands out as having done a tremendous job in raising money for this program. Stefan and Kateryna Dwojak of Venice, Fla., have worked very hard for years as volunteers to raise money within the Ukrainian American community for our program. They have also personally donated over $20,000 of their own money to this program for this school year. We are extremely grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Dwojak for their leadership in this fund-raising campaign and for their personal commitment and contributions. They ask that anyone who would like to join them in supporting this program please send checks made out to lowa State University, either through the Dwojaks or directly to the College of Agriculture, 104 Curtiss Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1050.

Currently we have over 40 Ukrainian students studying at Iowa State University. I have the honor of serving as the faculty advisor to the recently established Ukrainian student club. Dwojak funds will finance the Ukrainian Club. Others are invited to support the establishment of a strong student club. One of the important aims of the club is to educate Americans about Ukrainian culture as a way of increasing cross-cultural understanding and respect for Ukraine.

We are eager to bring eight to 10 more students to our university to study as soon as possible. But we can't do it without the help of the Ukrainian American community. If you want to support our Ukraine-related activities with good advice or financially, please contact us. We appreciate any help and strongly believe that educated young people are key to a successful Ukraine.

David G. Acker
Ames, Iowa

The writer is assistant dean of the College of Agriculture Advisor and advisor to the Ukrainian Club, Iowa State University.

The Ukrainian Weekly welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be typed (double-spaced) and signed; they must be originals, not photocopies. The daytime phone number and address of the letter-writer must be given for verification purposes.

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