Where are the Ukrainian geniuses of the past and why are they not celebrated all over the world?

MIKE JOHANSEN is definitely one of those forgotten and executed geniuses, an authentic poet and writer, a brilliant literary critic and translator from ancient Greek, Latin, German, French, English and a number of Scandinavian and Slavic languages. Like thousands of other members of the Ukrainian intellectual and cultural elite, he was executed by the Soviet regime. He was 42.

On March 4th his "rediscovered jewel from 1932"  - the bright and full of humour and literary experiments novel The Journey of the Learned Doctor Leonardo and his Future Lover, the Beauteous Alceste, to the Switzerland of Slobozhanshchyna - will be discussed in the German-Ukrainian Reading Circle.
More about the project here.

The 2014 book of a British journalist and one of the world-leading experts on disinformation and propaganda Peter Pomerantsev (born in Kyiv, 1977) focuses on the political developments in Russia in the early 21st century and the propagandistic culture of Russian media. Nothing is True and Everything is Possible is a memoir about his experiences working as a television producer in Russia between 2001 and 2010. The book won several literature prizes and was translated into over a dozen languages. 

In 2019 Pomerantsev published his second book on Russian propaganda, This is not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality, which was shortlisted for the Gordon Burns Prize and named a Times Book of the Year. 

On the first Saturday of March we will discuss his first book and relate it to the current developments in the Russian society, both inside the country and in emigration.

“The levels of talent – even wizardry – musicological, composer-ish, vocal – which run through her and in so many different ways are extraordinary”  – London Jazz News (UK)

“One of the most impressive singers und musicians of the European jazz- and world music scene” – Mirjam Jessa, Ö1 radio (AT)

GANNA, a Ukrainian vocalist, composer and pianist, is finally coming to Bielefeld! 

Do not miss her performance in Bunker Ulmenwall on February 14th! ♥️

As a teaser, a couple of Ganna's compositions, based on Ukrainian folk songs - Spivanka (village Kryvorivnia, the Carpathians) and Vesna (village Lysets', Khmel'nyts'ka region). Enjoy!

What does the Russian invasion of Ukraine mean in practice? How are people in Ukraine  coping with war and occupation? What are the most important and controversial issues in Ukraine today? How do Ukrainian writers and intellectuals imagine the post-war future of their country? And to what extent is the ongoing war a direct challenge for Germany and Europe as a whole? 

Prof. Dr. Volodymyr Yermolenko is a Ukrainian philosopher, journalist and volunteer. He is an alumnus of CEU Budapest/Vienna and EHESS Paris, a lecturer at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, president of PEN Ukraine and editor of the book Ukraine in Histories and Stories: Essays by Ukrainian Intellectuals (among others). Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he has regularly travelled to the war zone on humanitarian and information missions. His podcast Explaining Ukraine and online platform UkraineWorld are an important source of information and analysis for the international community. 

Further information and registration is here.

We cordially invite you to our second cultural evening with Theaterlabor TOR6!

The question of what defines and connects us as people keeps coming up with great urgency. On this evening, artists from different countries will show their works that revolve around the themes of humanity and war.

The youth theater "Krapli", founded by Olga Samoilova in February 2023, presents the performance A Farewell to Arms.  From 2005 to 2022 Olga worked at the Mariupol Academic Drama Theater.

In the performative reading Three Women, Three Languages, One Feeling, the actresses Brit Dehler (Germany), Natalia Hovda (Ukraine) and Pauline Miller (the UK) explore how cultural identity gets visible through language in poems about war, motherhood and humanity.

The evening will be accompanied by virtuoso violinist Naira Arzumanian.

The event is supported by the Ministry for Children, Youth, Family, Equality, Refugees and Integration NRW. More details here.

Taras Tomenko's documentary House "Slovo" (2017) tells about one of the biggest crimes of the USSR, the destruction of a powerful artistic movement that arose in Kharkiv in the 1920s and 1930s. 

Many of the most important figures of Ukrainian culture - writers, poets, artists, theater directors - lived and worked in the 66 apartments of the house "Slovo", among them Mykola Khvylovy, Mike Johansen, Pavlo Tychyna, Valerian Pidmohylny, Anatol Petrytsky, Les Kurbas, Ostap Vyshnya, and many others. Over the next few years, most of the intellectuals, purposefully gathered in one place, were arrested and executed, a few turned into party propagandists. 

The documentary uses archival videos from that time, as well as materials from the KGB archives declassified in Ukraine after almost a century of oblivion. 

The film is publicly accessible here.

"Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true..."

An experimental fantasy performance with elements of comedy and absurd theater based on the play Station by Ukrainian playwright Oleksandr Viter. 

Cast: Olga Samoilova (Mariupol), Elzara Bekirova (Kyiv), Victoria Agafonova (Mariupol)
Director: Anton Telbizov (Mariupol)

The performance will take place in Ukrainian language, a short libretto in German will be available. 

The event is supported by the Cultural Office (Kulturamt) of the City of Bielefeld. 

Further information here.

It is truly remarkable how Ukrainian film artists continue to work and produce films of the highest quality despite the ongoing Russia's war against Ukraine.

The films to be shown in Bielefeld during Ukrainische Filmtage NRW 2024 reflect the cultural and historical diversity of Ukraine and offer a range of different topics, genres and perspectives. Documentaries and movies, dramas and comedies - all are very recent and just premiered at international film festivals or in Ukrainian cinemas, but have already won recognition and professional awards.

What is more, the screenings will be accompanied by film discussions with film directors, actors or producers, who will be LIVE in Bielefeld. Do not miss this unique opportunity of a personal exchange!

All films are shown in the original language with German or English subtitles. 

Free admission to the opening (May 30th) and closing (June 27th) film screenings!

Locations:
Bielefeld University, Building X (Universitätsstraße 24, 33615 Bielefeld), Room X-E0-001
Lichtwerkkino, Ravensberger Park 7, 33607 Bielefeld

Festival organizers: Consulate General of Ukraine in Düsseldorf, Blau-Gelbes Kreuz e.V.
Local organizers: UnderstandUkraine, Bielefeld University, Lichtwerkkino and German-Ukrainian Society in Bielefeld (DUGB). 

Zarema Yaliboylu is a Crimean Tatar photo artist who has been working as a photographer for newspapers, media agencies and various social projects. For the last ten years, Zarema‘s work has been displayed in various cities around the world, demonstrating how thanks to their faith, resilience and love for their homeland, Crimean Tatars survive as a people and are able to use their energy for creativity under extremely adverse conditions. 

Inspired by her people‘s rich history Zarema exhibited portraits of the indigenous Crimean Tatars (qırımlılar), including her own family, who survived the deportation of 1944 and returned to their homeland. The exhibition is dedicated to her people, who for several centuries have resisted attempts to rewrite Crimean history, destroy historical sites and suppress the rich cultural heritage of the Crimean Tatars.

The exhibition will be available to public for 3 weeks starting from Monday, May 6th.
It is also accessible outside of the opening hours, so don't miss the chance to see it!
Location: Universitätsstraße 25, Uni Bibliothek, section U0 (entrance through U1)

A range of accompanying events dedicated to the Crimean Tatar culture will take place in May as well. 

For 15 years already, Karin Laube is leading monthly meetings of the reading circle (Lesekreis) of the German-Ukrainian Society in Bielefeld (DUGB). Here Ukrainian literature, classic and modern, is read and discussed in German language. 

Over 150 Ukrainian books have been read over this time (in German translation), which made the participants true experts on the topic. However, since the beginning of the large-scale Russia's invasion of Ukraine, new reflections are necessary - and the newest works of modern Ukrainian writers provide a new starting point for this and give unique insider perspectives.

One of such books is the Amadoka epic by Sofia Andrukhovych, the second part of which will be discussed on May 7th.  

A study group on Ukraine's history and present lead by Prof. Kornelia Kończal (Bielefeld University) continues in summer term 2024!

The meetings will be held mostly online and partly on site (Bielefeld) with two public excursions planned on the 27th and 28th of May.

In the meetings we will analyse and discuss historical sources as well as recent media publications on Ukraine's history and current events, paying a special attention to German-Ukrainian relations, mutual perceptions and the consequences of the Zeitenwende for both societies. 

Discussions take place on Mondays from 4pm to 5:30pm and are held in German language. 

Registration: kornelia.konczal@uni-bielefeld.de 

In the next meeting of our monthly Ukrainian Cinema Club we will get immersed in the authentic atmosphere of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa of the 1920s...

The film Man with a Movie Camera is the manifesto of the world film avant-garde.  It is also the first film in history to use a range of cinematic techniques that are nowadays known to everyone (fast/slow motion, freeze frames, split screen, stop-motion animations, and many, many others). 

It is the last common work of the brothers David (Dziga Vertov) and Mikhail Kaufman, whose artistic paths continued separately since then.

Come by and we will tell you much more! Be convinced that there is a reason why this film is rated in the TOP 10 Greatest Films of All Time  by the British Film Institute. 

Sergei Parajanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1965) is considered to be the most internationally heralded Ukrainian film in history.

It is based on the novel of the same name by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky and tells a "Romeo and Juliet tale" of young Ukrainian Hutsul lovers in a small village in the Carpathian mountains. The beautiful avant-garde movie with fantastic camera work is a classic of Ukrainian magic realism cinema.

The screening will be followed by a discussion about the artistic value and historical significance of the film in Ukraine and in the world. 

In original language with English subtitles. Free entry.

Which texts are indispensable for understanding modern Ukraine's history? Which are key events and processes in the history of German-Ukrainian relations in the 20th century? To what extent does the past play a role in current German debates about Russia's war in Ukraine?

Every Friday during Winter semester 2023/24 we meet online (in Zoom) to discuss scientific articles, historical sources and journalistic texts, and to look for answers to these questions. Discussions are moderated by Professor of Public History Kornelia Kończal. 

Preliminary syllabus is here.
Language of discussion: German.
Registration by email: understand.ukraine@gmail.com 

On the 12-13th of October Uni Bielefeld will host an important scientific and public event - Symposium "War and Peace in Ukraine: Reflecting, Studying and Engaging across Disciplines".

Renowned reseachers - historians, sociologists, political and cultural scientists - will get together to discuss the past, present and future of Ukraine in four expert panels:
  1.  Interdisciplinary encounters and entanglements:  Academic perspectives
  2. Rethinking Ukraine's past for a common European future
  3. Ukraine in German public debate from 2014 to the present
  4. Rebuilding Ukraine: Interdisciplinary perspectives on peacebuilding and reconstruction
The full programme of the symposium is here.

Within the symposium, on October 12th, 18:15 - 19:00, there will be a Q&A session with Oleksandra Matviichuk, the Founder of the Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine), the Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2022. You have a chance to ask your question to her via this form.

The event is organized by Uni Bielefeld in cooperation with the German-Ukrainian Historical Commission and the German association for East European Studies, with support of UnderstandUkraine.

For participation (on site or online) please register before October 10th:
war-and-peace@uni-bielefeld.de 

The 24th of August is the Independence Day of Ukraine. 

We appeal to everyone who values democratic freedoms and human rights and aspires to a free and united world, to join Ukrainians on this day. Their tenacity in defending these values wins admiration and respect, and their bravery inspires people all around the world. 

Stand with Ukraine for a free, democratic world!

Consider this number: 51 000 000 000 euros.
This is the cost of damage to environment from the last 500 days of Russia's war in Ukraine. And this is still without the price of the eco-terrorism related to the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.

The third meeting of our discussion club is dedicated to ecology, and in particular, to the impact on ecology of prolonged military actions. Dr. Nadiya Romanova, biologist and postdoctoral researcher at the medical faculty of Uni Bielefeld, will shed light on the often overlooked ecological consequences of armed conflicts and will motivate the urgent need for attention and action in addressing these issues.

The lecture will be followed by a discussion.

Some suggested readings (reports) can be found here.

UPDATE: If you missed the lecture, feel free to have a look at the slides.

Students from Zaporizhzhia National University, which since 2023 is an official partner inversity of Uni Bielefeld, are currently visiting Bielefeld for this year's Summer School in History.

They look forward to meeting you at the Ukrainian evening they are organizing on campus! Come around to get to know them and to get to know Ukraine a bit closer! 

Traditional cuisine, authentic crafts, Ukrainian music, and many personal stories from young people of Zaporizhzhia, once the historical heart of Ukraine, and nowadays - a city some 40km away from the frontline.

The German-Ukrainian Society in Bielefeld together with Volkshochschule Bielefeld are inviting you for a meeting with Leonid Bobrytskyi, a PhD in Law, lecturer and assistant to the People's Deputy of Ukraine. 

The discussion will concern today's situation in Ukraine and will be held in Ukrainian and German.

Vanue: Murnau Saal, Volkshochschule (VHS), Ravensberger Park 1, 33607 Bielefeld

We are happy to announce our long-awaited cooking courses! 

Borscht, varenyky, golubtsi, syrnyky, and much more — discover Ukrainian cuisine and learn to prepare new original dishes with an experienced cook.
We promise you a lot of fun in the process and a delicious self-made dinner together ;)   

At our first meeting we will cook Ukrainian borscht. Prior registration is necessary, please fill in the form.

The courses are generously supported by Stiftskirche Schildesche.

We invite you to join us for the Bielefeld première of Mavka - The Forest Song (in German: Mavka - Hüterin des Waldes) — a Ukrainian film that has already become a sensational  success worldwide!

The film is based on The Forest Song drama by Lesya Ukrainka, one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, as well as on the images of Slavic mythology. Mavka — a Soul of the Forest and its Warden — faces an impossible choice between love and her duty as guardian, when she falls in love with a human. The plot will catch the attention of both adults and children, either with its spirit and originality, or with humor and adventures.  

Two missions of the film project are: 

• alerting to environmental issues, and

• promoting Ukrainian culture and authenticity.

As nature's well-being plays a significant role in the story, Mavka’s Forest is inhabited by endangered species of animals and plants to raise awareness about the extinction problem and the loss of natural habitats. Together with WWF Ukraine, the film project initiated the long-term charitable compaign 'Let's save the lynx!', aimed to help this animal survive in Ukrainian forests. 

The unique Ukrainian charm is expressed through depicting folk traditions, rituals, music, national ornaments and costumes, as well as real Ukrainian locations. 

The German audience has a unique opportunity to watch the film in original language (with German subtitles) and to appreciate authentic Ukrainian songs and voicing.

Music of Bach, Mozart, Bartók and Skoryk performed by Naira Arzumanyan (violin) and Claudia Kohl (piano).

Contemporary Ukrainian poetry (Halyna Kruk, Oksana Stomina, Serhij Zhadan and other authors) read by Olga Samoylova and Thomas Wolf.

Free entry. Generous donations are appreciated.


With the help of Ukrainian volunteers and the German-Ukrainian Society in Bielefeld, your donations will be forwarded to orphaned and temporarily displaced children in Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and other communities in the frontline region. 
 
The event is organized by the German-Ukrainian Society in Bielefeld and Kammermusik Haus Wellensiek.

The second meeting of our discussion club is dedicated to Crimean Tatars, and in particular to the sad anniversary of their deportation from Crimea by the Soviet authorities in 1944.

This act of ethnic cleansing had clear signs of genocide. During just three days, the whole indigenous people of Crimea was forcefully deported to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Russia. Almost half of them died during the travel or shortly after, and the rest were allowed to return to their native Crimea only in 1989, towards the collapse of the USSR.

We will be screening a film about these historical events (with English subtitles), and then you will have an opportunity to talk to the witnesses, Crimean Tatars themselves.

The event is co-organized with the German-Ukrainian Society in Bielefeld.

Further suggested materials about past and present of Crimean Tatars can be found here.

The idea of our monthly UnderstandUkraine  Discussion Club is to create an open, inclusive and safe space for public discussion and exchange of perspectives on Ukraine-related and intercultural topics.

The club meets every last Friday of the month. During lecture periods discussions are held in English, and during semester breaks in Ukrainian. 

Topics are chosen by the club members, but everyone's suggestions are very welcome! You can express them here. 

Our first discussion is dedicated to contemplating different hypothetical scenarios of the ending of the Russo-Ukrainian war and their specific consequences for Germany. Everyone is welcome to join the discussion! 

Some suggested readings to get acquainted with the topic can be found here.

Based on true events, a breathtaking story of a Welsh journalist Gareth Jones, the first and only journalist who reported on the devastating man-made famine in the Soviet Ukraine in 1932-1933 and became a target of the Kremlin.

Under the impression of Mr. Jones' publications, George Orwell wrote his Animal farm. However, Orwell's foreword, associating the novel with Stalin's politics in Ukraine, was only published in the Ukrainian translation (Munich, 1947). The events were forgotten and never mentioned in Ukraine and the world until the collapse of the USSR.

In 2008 several documentaries were shot in Ukraine, in which the last then-living survivors of the Holodomor shared their memories of that time.

Gareth Jones was kidnapped and killed in 1935. Once an influencial analyst, who dined with presidents and prime-ministers, the best expert of the raising USSR, his name was consigned to oblivion.

For those who want to learn more, visit Gareth Jones commemorative website. We also highly recommend his recent biography by Mirosław Wlekły.

Free entry (thanks to generous support of AStA Uni Bielefeld). 

A follow-up discussion for everyone who is interested. 

The placard can be downloaded here.

Anna Sonyk is a professional musician and a winner of multiple music competitions in Ukraine. She plays the bandura (a traditional Ukrainian musical instrument), and together with her mother Svitlana will sing Ukrainian folk songs as well as ones of modern Ukrainian composers.

The event is organized by the Historical Museum in Bielefeld, the German-Ukrainian Society Bielefeld and Integrationsrat. More information here.

The idea of UnderstandUkraine  was born at the end of 2022. It started (as it often happens) with one, then two, then three people — and soon won our hearts and minds completely. It was, of course, a response to both the increased public interest and the (suddenly apparent) lack of knowledge and understanding of Ukraine and Ukrainians in the world. We did not want 'the Ukrainian miracle'. We wanted to turn it into understanding of Ukraine. And we thought we could contribute.

Now we are ready (and very happy) to present to you our projects and ideas! And to invite you to learn together about Ukraine. In depth and breadth. From first-hand experience and interactions with Ukrainians. From open public discussions, moderated by experts. From reading the news in local Ukrainian media (there are many independent media writing in English!). From watching movies, reading books, visiting exhibitions and attending public lectures, listening to songs or just chatting with Ukrainian students - whatever you would like to try.

If you'd like to join our community, just fill in this form. Not sure yet? Just come around to any of our events.

UPD: In case you were not able to attend our presentation and participate in the quiz, we uploaded it here. (Don't scroll too fast, as the answers are also there.)