Yevhen Nyschuk: Ukrainians abroad should boycott Russian cultural figures and support their own

Cultural centres abroad need a certain “rebranding” to represent modern Ukrainian culture to the world. At the same time, the mission of cultural artists during their trips abroad is to promote Ukrainian culture and raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, believes Yevhen Nyshchuk, former Minister of Culture and General Director of The Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater.

In contrast, every Ukrainian in the world can become a cultural ambassador for Ukraine and make their own contribution to the promotion of the country and its culture.

Yevhen Nyshchuk headed The Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater after serving in the Aerial reconnaissance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where he was mobilised in April 2022. He is currently in the military reserve.

What can every Ukrainian in the world do to promote Ukraine? Why is it harmful to speak Russian abroad? And how can we encourage foreigners to invest in Ukrainian culture?

He spoke about this in the project “Bridges of Ukraine” of the civic initiative “Holka,” a partner of which is The Ukrainian Review.

A lot, starting with vigilance whenever there is an exhibition of a Russian artist or a Russian opera star performing. This must be boycotted. When one or two events are disrupted, organisers will lose money and be less likely to invite Russian opera divas or ballet performers again. In the West, this works because money is counted there.

At the same time, we need to support ourselves. Some may not like opera, but we should attend if Monastyrska, a bearer of Ukraine’s fantastic opera tradition, is singing. And we should remember those who could have continued to impress and inspire, like National Opera of Ukraine soloist Shapoval, who went to the front and was killed. This should become a flash mob where, at the end of performances, there is a dedication to cultural figures who died on the front lines.

Such a movement could be coordinated by institutions, communities, or cultural information centres in many countries. They don’t necessarily have to rely on government funding. You mentioned the century-old Ukrainian diaspora, which was organised not by Soviet Ukraine but by conscious communities. Yes, it often takes just a few active people out of a hundred to remind everyone of who we are, what is happening on our land, and why there should be no presence of the Russian cultural sphere in New York.

A major European tour starts from Krakow: Berlin, Zurich, Geneva, Paris, Prague, and many other cities. By late spring or early fall, we plan to tour Canada and the United States. Tickets are already sold out in many cities, with 85% of sales being to non-Ukrainians.

Our tour, and theatre in general, often thought to appeal only to Ukrainians displaced from home due to language and ethnic themes, has proved interesting to a wider audience.

Therefore, we must focus cultural diplomacy and tours by groups like Antytila and Boombox on German, French, American, and Canadian audiences, not just Ukrainians. This will allow us to be fully seen.

The emotion derived from cultural encounters offers wider opportunities to solve political and military aid challenges. Every artist going abroad now also raises funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In a few months alone, we have donated nearly 10 million UAH through Return Alive.

The century-old diaspora has done a lot for Ukraine. But generations change. Some groups have become overly folkloric. The skirts are now so high that they never existed in traditional Ukrainian clothing. Sometimes, it’s surprising to see a choir director still teaching Ukrainian songs in a Soviet-style program. This needs to change.

It’s essential that the current wave of Ukrainians abroad complements what was built before. For instance, children could perform contemporary dance or other modern styles to popular Ukrainian songs. Our modern hits could be covered, allowing this necessary rebranding. This is the taste of modern Ukraine.

Recently, I travelled to Warsaw for work, and it’s exhausting and frustrating to hear Russian spoken everywhere. These people aren’t from Russia—they’re from Ukraine. I’ve recently entered the reserve, and my patience is wearing thin. Even in Ukraine, this isn’t as irritating. But abroad, hearing Russian makes you think they’re enemies from Russia.

Perhaps this is politically incorrect or undiplomatic, but sometimes I want to approach them and say, “Where are you from, why are you doing this now? Make an effort, learn Ukrainian, and speak even if you make mistakes.”

This is our presence here. By speaking Ukrainian, you show you’re not the enemy, even to a Pole, a Czech, or a German.

First of all, transparent laws are needed to motivate foreign businesses and to encourage our compatriots, especially successful ones with experience abroad, to return and establish branches here.

Corruption must be intolerable during the reconstruction period. During the recovery period, we just have to cut off hands for this.

We should review every area to determine how it can develop differently and rebuild the infrastructure of our cities. This applies to places like Mariupol and Azovstal. In Soviet times, Mariupol was made into an industrial city harmful to health, yet historically it was a recreational area, with Greek settlements, fertile soil, and a climate conducive to wellness.

Ukraine is a country of vast opportunities, and it should be promoted as such—not as a poor country but as one with incredible potential. It’s a land of capable people who have fought one of the greatest evils of the third millennium. This must be communicated to the world.

“Bridges of Ukraine” is a programme that aims to build bridges between Ukrainians who remain in Ukraine and those citizens of our country who have left for various reasons and can help the state during the war and in post-war reconstruction. Millions of Ukrainians abroad can do much more than just one ambassador and act as ambassadors of Ukraine’s interests: advocate for the needs of our country at the local and national levels in the countries where they are currently living, promote Ukrainian culture and language in the world, and counteract hostile disinformation in the information field.

Margarita Sytnyk – Communications manager, Co-founder of the Civic Initiative “Holka”