2002: THE YEAR IN REVIEW: Diaspora demonstrates multifaceted activity (01/12/03)

2002: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Diaspora demonstrates multifaceted activity

The Ukrainian World Congress was particularly active in diaspora circles in 2002. On January 27, The Weekly printed a letter by UWC President Askold Lozynskyj which introduced the Election Fund 2002. The fund's sole purpose was preparing programming and arranging airtime on local television stations before the parliamentary elections in regions of Ukraine that were still susceptible to Communist propaganda. The letter asked Ukrainians in the diaspora to support the UWC effort by "offering suggestions, materials and donations."

Two months later, on March 31, the UWC joined the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in proclaiming 2002 as the Year of Patriarch Joseph Slypyj, noting the 11th anniversary of his birth. The statement called for all people of good will to "honor this heroic pastor who endured 18 years of imprisonment and suffering for his Church and his faith."

On April 17 and April 25 Mr. Lozynskyj met with Oleksander Moroz, Yulia Tymoshenko, Volodymyr Lytvyn and Viktor Yushchenko, four of Ukraine's bloc leaders in Kyiv. The meeting focused on issues important to the Ukrainian dispora to be considered by the next parliamentary session, including: government support of Ukrainian national Churches; the popularization of the Ukrainian language in Ukraine; recognition of Ukrainian freedom fighters and affording them certain economic privileges; condemnation of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; the return of repressed Ukrainians and their descendents to Ukraine; safeguarding national and religious rights of Ukrainians living in the Russian Federation; and adoption of a new law on rights and privileges of Ukrainians living outside Ukraine. Mr. Yushchenko, Mr. Lytvyn and Ms. Tymposhenko agreed to all the proposals of the UWC; Mr. Moroz expressed reservations, but said he was willing to work with the UWC.

In May another UWC statement appeared on the pages of the Weekly, this one on the October 2002 census in the Russian Federation. The last census conducted in 1989 found 4.6 million Ukrainians residing there. However, there was suspicion that this last census had severely undercounted the Ukrainian population. In its statement, the UWC urged its brothers and sisters in the Russian Federation "to recognize that they are an integral part of the world Ukrainian diaspora, and that their emotions and loyalties dare run to both countries, the one where they reside and raise their families and the one which is their ancestral homeland and which is now free and independent."

In August, an analytical essay by Mr. Lozynsky titled "The Ukrainian diaspora, East and West" appeared in The Weekly, defining more clearly diaspora issues of national awareness, cultural deficiences and the indigenous versus émigré phenomenon relevant not only to the Russian Federation, but to the Ukrainian diaspora worldwide.

In June, The Weekly printed the text of the UWC's declaration on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Akcja Wisla in Poland, which deported over 140,000 Ukrainian men, women and children from the ethnically Ukrainian territories of eastern and southeastern Poland.

In August, the UWC president traveled to Australia in response to an invitation from the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations. Mr. Lozynsky's visit addressed the current Ukrainian political situation and its implications for Australia-Ukraine relations, issues of cultural and linguistic preservation, and other matters. Two issues seemed paramount in Ukrainian and Australian politics. The first, due to the mortality of the older generation and an unequal replacement by its progeny, is a striking need for a supplemental immigration. Secondly, Australia has not yet opened any new diplomatic missions in the coutries that were once in the USSR.

These issues were discussed with both Ukrainian community leaders and Australian government representatives. Although the results of the meeting remained unclear, a news release noted that "the thrust of the argument was that the Australian states seek trade relations with Ukraine and, thus, all of Australia would benefit economically. Also, the Ukrainian American exemplary record of hard work and loyalty was offered as a major argument for Australia's inclusion of Ukraine and new Ukrainian immigrants.

Finally, in November, the UWC marked the solemn 69th anniversary of the Famine of 1932-1933 with an informative statement that called upon "the government of Ukraine and other governments worldwide to recognize the Famine in Ukraine as a genocide against the Ukrainian people and to condemn the perpetrators." Also, meeting in a limited session, on September 21, the UWC discussed its program for observing the upcoming 70th anniversary of the famine, "suggesting most significantly the need for a suitable monument in Kyiv from the Ukrainian diaspora honoring the memory of the victims." By October 30, Kyiv's City Council and the Office of the Mayor gave the go-ahead for the erection of a diaspora-funded memorial.

Also, preparing for the 70th anniversary was the Hollywood Trident Foundation, which on June 16 called for the Ukrainian community's help in contacting survivors of the famine in order to record their recollections on videotape. The oral histories will be recorded and distributed to educational and media venues worldwide.

This year also marked the 90th anniversay of the founding of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization. The celebration of this momentous event actually began on December 26, 2001, in Adelaide, Australia where over 160 "plastuny" gathered for a nine-day jamboree. Paticipants hailed from most major urban centers of Australia, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Geelong, Adelaide and Brisbane, as well as from North America. At the Plast Open Day 20 members from the Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM) and about 200 members of the Melbourne Ukrainian community joined the Plast members in celebration of their jubilee.

In May National Deputy Viktor Yushchenko, an honorary Plast member, addressed members of the youth Organization, "stressing the responsibilities of Ukraine's youth to continue the fledgling democratic tradition established in Ukraine and voicing the expectation that members of the scouting organization would take the lead in ensuring a free and open Ukrainian society."

Finally, on August 11-24, more than 1,700 Plast members gathered in Lviv for the first International Plast Jamboree to be held in Ukraine. The 14-day jamboree, proceeding under the slogan "Discovering the Ukrainian Planet," was divided into two significant parts. During the first week, the participants were divided into 22 camps dedicated to various aspects of the scouting experience. During the second week, the campers gathered at a main camp outside of Lviv near the ancient feudal castle of the town of Svirzh for more jamboree activities, including bonfires, sports competitions, traditional Ukrainian arts and crafts, as well as tours of Lviv and nearby sites.

On August 24 members of Plast not only commemorated the 11th anniversary of Ukraine's independence and the culmination of their jamboree, but also took part in the reburial of the remains of their organization's founder, Dr. Oleksander Tysovsky from Vienna to Lviv's Lychakiv Cemetery. Plast members solemnly filed onto the site of the burial as the words to the Plast oath resounded throughout the cemetery.

In addition to hosting the Plast jamboree and a visit by the UWC president, Australia witnessed other noteworthy events. On February 2, Australian Football League legends Alex Jesaulenko and Ron Barrassi traveled to Kyiv to hand over $250,000 worth of aid to children affected by the Chornobyl disaster. The aid was spearheaded by the Sunday Herald Sun and was flown by Lauda Air free of charge. Mr. Jesualenko, who traces his roots to the Luhansk region of Ukraine was also to be inducted into the Ukrainian Museum of Sports in recognition of his achievements as an AFL player. He is the first Australian sportsman of Ukrainian descent to be afforded the honor.

Also in February, The Weekly reported about a visit to Ukraine by the chairman of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations, Stefan Romaniw. He participated in a series of meetings to promote Australia as a business, investment, tourist and migration destination. A further reason for the visit was to call on the Australian government to show a greater interest in Australian-Ukrainian relations.

Back in Washington, on February 16 the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council reaffirmed its recognition of the Ukrainian World Coordinating Council in Kyiv as the main non-governmental organization representing Ukrainians in Ukraine and abroad, and established a separate fund in support of the UWCC. The UACC called upon the central organizations in the United States, Canada and Western Europe to give their full support, both financial and moral, to the UWCC.

On March 4-5 in the United Nations, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), met and considered two issues: eradicating poverty, including through the empowerment of women throughout their life cycle in a globalizing world; and environmental management and mitigation of natural disasters. Oksana Sokolyk, president of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations (WFUWO) was present at this 46th session of the CSW.

The session produced documented recommendations to be submitted to ECOSOC, which included proposals to "ensure the full participation of women in sustainable development decision-making and disaster reduction management at all levels." It also noted that "in order to eradicate povery and promote gender equality and democracy, and stengthen the rule of law, both women and men are involved in decision-making, political agenda-setting and in allocation of resources."

The diaspora circles of Eastern Europe also were active in 2002. On April 22, a statue of Taras Shevchenko by sculptor Viktor Lypovka was unveiled in the Belarusian captial of Miensk in a park located near the Embassy of Ukraine. The unveiling marked the formal opening of a series of cultural events organized as part of a Days of Kyiv festival in the Belarusian capital and what has been declared as the Year of Taras Shevchenko in Belarus. It was a memorable week in the life of Ukrainians in Belarus and attested to an upturn in relations between the two neighboring Slavic countries. Also announced was a Days of Miensk festival in Kyiv scheduled for next year.

On July 28 The Weekly printed a feature about the Ukrainian community in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Ukrainian Community Center is located in an outlying area of the capital on the second floor of a dilapidated building. The center hosts dance classes, a youth band and children's choir. Most of the Ukrainians in Georgia are people who resettled during Soviet times, and were sent there to work in factories or to serve in armed forces. Because there are not enough people for a congregation, there are no Ukrainian churches or parishes in Georgia. Ukrainian Churches, however are reexamining the possibility of providing clergymen for the congregations there. The author of the article, Theodora Turula of the Chicago area, noted that the Georgian Ukrainian Community Center resembles our own diaspora centers in the United States.

In April The Weekly reported that Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski had expressed regret over Akcja Wisla. He stated: "On behalf of the Polish Republic, I would like to express regret to all those who were wronged by Akcja Wisla ... The infamous Akcja Wisla is a symbol of the abominable deeds perpetrated by the Communist authorities against Polish citizens of Ukrainian origin ... It was believed for years that Akcja Wisla was the revenge for the slaughter of Poles by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in the east in 1943-1944. Such reasoning is fallacious and ethically inadmissible. It [invokes] a principle of group accountability, with which we cannot agree. The slaughter of Poles cannot serve as an excuse for the brutal pacification of Ukrainian villages and the expulsion of populace. Akcja Wisla should be condemned."

In November, The Weekly published a position paper released in Warsaw on October 12 by the board of the Union of Ukrainians in Poland concerning the elimination of the consequences of Akcja Wisla. The union stated that, "in the last decade, both the Polish administration and political elites not only failed to commit themselves to the eradication of those consequences, but also to carry an unequivocal assessment of the causes and effects of the deportation, whose impact on the situation of Polish citizens of Ukrainian nationality is evident to the present day." The statement continued by providing evidence for that conclusion in the realms of the law, historical studies and public rights, and pointed to the present consequences of Akcja Wisla.

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