Literature Message to the World Has Been Sent!

Thus, on March 16 within the framework of the project “Shevcheno’s Word Unites Us. Story of One Testament”, Daria Kariakina (OUTLOOK) and Vlada Lytovchenko (International Fund for Cultural Cooperation) gathered high-ranking guests at the National museum named after the poet to show one more time that modern literature projects are interesting and can be successfully carried out to promote intercultural dialogue.

And a pretext for that was pretty significant – 202nd anniversary of birthday of the classic of Ukrainian literature, the great Kobza Player, and 170th anniversary of its famous poem The Testament.

The Story of One Testament was being created at Taras Shavchenko Museum by Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of foreign states, each was doing it in own native language. Over 30 diplomats, ready for culture integration and literature exchange, accepted the invitation. Heads of diplomatic missions in person and representatives of Embassies of Afghanistan, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Georgia, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Moldova, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan gathered to once again show how important dialog between countries and nations is in this times of turmoil for the whole world.

It is a great pleasure for us, OUTLOOK and IFCC, that foreign representations showed interest in every activity of the event. Alongside everything else, 18 Ambassadors, orchestrators of the event Daria Kariakina and Vlada Lytovchenko, Director General of GDIP Pavlo Kryvonos were captured on photos within the framework of the topical photo shoot with Kobzar books thus sending a message of unity and deep respect of international community towards our genius.

This deep photo shoot resulted in pictures being placed with leading Ukrainian mass media. More to that, as soon as in April all photos together with pieces of works declaimed and interesting facts about lives of authors will be presented in a special magazine published by Directorate General for Rendering Services to Diplomatic Missions (GDIP), Hospitality is Our Profession.

Ambassadors of Foreign Countries Participate “Story of One Testament” Project

GDIP as a specializing organization couldn't have stayed aside the event that was called to unite nations and cultures. Deputy Director General Serhyi Bondarenko left his review of the project: "Directorate General for Rendering Services to Diplomatic Missions is an organization that serves to take constant care and ensure that the diplomatic corps lives not only comfortable but also full life in Ukraine. We have always willingly joined projects that aim at making connections between countries of the world deeper. Right now project Shevchenko's Word Unites Us gains momentum therefore I wish its orchestrators success in implementation of their ideas."

On March 16, 2016 National Taras Shevchenko Museum hospitably opened its doors for distinguished guests; alongside diplomats, among them there were representatives of expatriate communities, nongovernmental organizations, culture figures and everyone who cares about issues of culture integration development.

Director of the National Taras Shevchenko Museum Dmytro Stus was the one to deliver salutary speech; being a person directly connected to Ukrainian literature, he noted how important and significant such events were not only for modern Ukrainian society but for the world as a whole.

Orchestrators of the event, Daria Kariakina and Vlada Lytovchenko, joined salutations, too.

“It seems to me that today we demonstrate to Ukraine and to global community that the most important instrument of a diplomat's work is word, culture diplomacy is the most efficient diplomacy and the most melodic language is the language of understanding”, noted Daria Kariakina, supervisor of the OUTLOOK Project.

Head of International Cooperation Fund, founder and co-orchestrator of the project Shevchenko's Word Unites Us, Vlada Lytovchenko said: "Second year in a row Ambassadors eagerly participate in the project. It is a pleasure that cultural diplomacy brings people together and that diplomats support such events. It means that, indeed, Shevchenko is a poet of humanity".

«І мене в сім’ї великій,

В сім’ї вольній, новій,

Не забудьте пом’янути

Незлим тихим словом…»

Symbolically, declamation of works by gems of literature treasury began with respects to artwork of the Great Kobza Player. Thus, the famous Testament sounded in English, Bulgarian and Flemish from the lips of Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria Krasimir Minchev and of Canada Roman Vashchuk as well as a student of Kyiv Taras Shevchenko University Kateryna Taranova.

Except for poems of the Ukrainian poet, Ambassadors also declaimed works of authors from own countries because each nation has own literature prophet. Lines of classics in Arabic, Spanish, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Georgian, Dutch, English, Romanian, Moldovan and Pakistani languages sounded from the stage of the Museum. Within the framework of the event works by Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī - Afghan poet, philosopher, genius mind, Yakub Kolas - founder of Belarusian literature, master of depicting native nature, Kubanychbek Malikov - one of the first who brought Taras Shevchenko to attention in Kyrgyzstan. In 1939 he wrote the first poem in Kyrgyz literature about the Kobza Player "A Talk to Taras Shevchenko", a piece of it was read during the event.

Ambassador of Georgia to Ukraine Mikheil Ukleba demonstrated perfect possession of Ukrainian language; he read a piece of Shota Rustaveli's poem The Knight in he Panther's Skin.

Spouse of Ambassador of Belgium Luke Jakobs Ann Jakobs Blontrok presented a poetic work by Flemish author Guido Gezzelle, first translation of the poem into Ukrainian sounded from the lips of translator Oleg Zhupansky.

Works, so different in topics and filling, that tell about painful loss and joy of first love, pride for Homeland and striving to be free, might of a human and magnificence of nature got united in expression of great authors.

Magnifical and ornate literature of Arab countries was represented by works of Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri (Iraq), Gibran Khalil Gibran (Lebanon), Khaled al-Asaad (Syria), Mahmoud Darwish (Palestine), Mohammed Moftahh Elfitori (Sudan).

Spiritually close to us yet with own distinct nature, European literature sounded with words of Miguel de Cervantes (Spain), Adam Mickievicz (Poland), Frenando Pessoa (Portugal), Franz Presheren (Slovenia), Yaroslav Seifert (Czech Republic), Mihai Eminescu (Moldova, Romania); representatives of wise and philosophic Asia cited ideas of Abai (Kazakhstan), Rudaki (Tajikistan) and Alisher Navoiy (Uzbekistan).

Upon reading poems each speaker took part in another ritual that symbolized world traditions getting united - assembling of a unique jigsaw puzzle of Taras Shevchenko's portrait made of pieces of his legendary work, the Testament, translated into different languages of the world.

With special respect we would like to note that alongside diplomats our project drew attention of notable representatives of science from abroad. Especially for the event Academician of Moldova Academy of Science Mihai Chimpai came from Chisinau to read a piece from work by Moldovan and Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu.

Bottom line for the solemn part was drawn by First Deputy Minister for Culture of Ukraine Ihor Lihovyi. He recalled that when he was serving at a diplomatic mission, state leaders demanded fostering economic cooperation. "But it has always occurred to me that the most important was to built culture atmosphere at a country where you have the honor to represent Ukrainian people. I believe in success of our common mission", he assured.

In addition to enjoying melodics of foreign languages, all guests of the fest had an opportunity to get acquainted with art of all the authors, immortalized on paper. Foreign diplomats gave a true library of world geniuses of poetic word to the National Taras Shevchenko Museum.

Colorful editions in various languages, of various sizes and styles were united within the framework of one exhibition to show how important and significant literature of each country is. Books, especially brought from Uzekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Argentina and Sudan, astonished with their unusual decoration and introduced Ukrainian guests to literature heritage of different states. And carefully preserved Kobzar in various languages of the world at the Embassy of Iraq in Ukraine proved significance of literature and culture of the country where diplomats work one more time.

Such events inspire and make one enthusiastically plan and put into practice new projects over and over again, projects aimed at uniting cultures and developing international dialogue. Impressed by such attention to our project, Outlook will continue work in this sphere by launching a special column where we, together with Ambassadors of foreign countries, will be telling you about outstanding poets and writes of the world,

The event became a true festivity thank to colorful performances of talented bands: Exemplary Children's Band "Ladonky", they preseted a song Bulo Kolys Na Vkrayini (Once Upon A Time in Ukraine), chapel of pandura players of R. Glier Kyiv Institute of Music, art director Iryna Rodionova, they played Sadok Vyshnevyi Kolo Haty (Cherry Garden by My House), vocal band Kalynovyi Hai, they presented a routine to lyrics of Taras Shevchenko's Reve Ta Stogne Dnipr Shyrokyi (Wide Dnipro Roars and Groans).

Team of orchestrators of the project Shevchenko's Word Unites Us thanks everyone who took part in preparation of this large-scale event and believes that every year world literature will bring together and unite representatives of all countries. We would like to express our special gratitude to all Embassies that participated, Directorate General for Rendering Services to Diplomatic Missions, we thank our partners InterContinental Kyiv Hotel and personally Anastasia Zholinska and Jrean Baptiste Pigeon for wonderful locations, design studio Svitlo for authentic outfits for the orchestrators, wine making company SHABO, Bukva bookshop for the books provided for the photo shoot, special media partner Europa Plus radio station, online media Obozrevatel and NewsOne TV channel.