36_September 5, 1999 - The Ukrainian Weekly

by Roman WoronowyczKyiv Press Bureau

KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma’selection campaign gathered steam onAugust 31 when the NationalDemocratic Party organized an assemblyof 20 political parties that vowed to sup-port the incumbent in the presidentialelections.

Although most of the parties hadjumped aboard the bandwagon much ear-lier, the shindig thrown for the president,a drawn-out three-hour affair filled withspeeches and promises, was a solidexpression of the rising political tide inthe center-left and center-right of thepolitical spectrum for Mr. Kuchma. Theparties supporting the president comprisemore than a fourth of the 76 registered inUkraine.

With eight weeks left in the campaign,President Kuchma leads the candidatepack with popular support of about 20percent. The president’s campaign teamhas been searching to build a widelybased coalition for some time in order toachieve a quick victory for Mr. Kuchmain the first round of voting. They fearthat in a second round the presidentwould become susceptible to an organ-ized effort from the left, currently splin-tered among four candidates, whichcould lead to the president’s downfall.

Among the political organizations thatsigned on to the affair, called “OurChoice is Leonid Kuchma,” were politi-cal opposites such as the UkrainianNational Conservative Party and theRepublican Christian Party from theright and the Labor Party and the Partyfor the Regional Rebirth of Ukraine fromthe left.

Many of the organizations thatexpressed their support for the presidentby agreeing to be represented at theevent are smallish political organizations

by Andrij Kudla WynnyckyjToronto Press Bureau

TORONTO – At the last UkrainianIndependence Day celebrations of this mil-lennium, the speakers at the official cere-monies held at the St. Volodymyr CulturalCenter in Oakville, Ontario (about 30 mileswest of Toronto) on August 22 allowedthemselves – perhaps for the first time – tobe negative about the state established in1991.

Ukrainian World Congress Vice-President Maria Szkambara said, “We hadexpectations that Ukrainian consciousnesswould grow once independence wasachieved, that youth would embrace thenew state, but it appears it is not so.”

She urged the 1,400 people assembledunder the cloudless sun-filled sky to sup-port the UWC’s open letter to LeonidKuchma, in which the diaspora umbrellabody expressed grave concern about theUkrainian state’s commitment to its ownofficial language.

One could hardly fault a diplomat foraccenting the positive, and yet the progressUkraine’s Consul General in TorontoMykola Kyrychenko reported is mirroredby failure in reality. Mr. Kyrychenkoclaimed that the pace of reform in hiscountry has accelerated, that the drop in thecountry’s productivity has been arrested,and that respect for the legal foundations ofdemocracy in Ukraine has grown.

The day’s keynote speaker was

the region and improve the life of Kharkiv’sresidents, which until now had producedfew tangible results.

“This is the first real investment in termsof money,” said Olha Myrtsal, an informa-tion officer at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.Sponsored by the Department of State, thehumanitarian assistance program called“Project Hope” delivered 130 containerstotaling $8 million in medical equipmentand supplies, and two airlifts of some $8.5million in pharmaceuticals, medicines andmedical supplies. The materials include x-ray machines, operating room equipment,medical instruments and hospital beds, andconsumable items such as bandages, surgi-cal gloves, syringes and sutures.

The Counterpart Alliance Program, anon-governmental organization funded bythe U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment, will oversee the distributionof the equipment and supplies in the nexttwo months, assisted by the internationalprivate volunteer organizations MAPInternational, the International MedicalCorps and Heart to Heart.

Counterpart International DeputyGeneral Director Sergei Zhgirov said that


KYIV – The United States governmentcontinued to expand its involvement in theKharkiv region of Ukraine on August 25when it delivered $16.5 million in medicalequipment and medicines to the area’s hos-pitals and clinics.

The humanitarian assistance project, thefirst and largest U.S. government effort inone of Ukraine’s most heavily populatedregions, is part of the Kharkiv Initiative, aprogram to stimulate economic activity in

INSIDE:• Forced/slave labor compensation negotiations — page 2.• A look at student life in the capital of Ukraine — page 4.• Canada’s professionals/businesspersons convene — pages 10-13.

THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLYPublished by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association

$1.25/$2 in UkraineVol. LXVII No. 36 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1999

Bloc of 20 partiesendorses Kuchma


KYIV – Ukraine’s Prime MinisterValerii Pustovoitenko flew to Moscow onAugust 27 to meet with the latest Russianprime minister, Vladimir Putin, and todiscuss current relations and, morespecifically, how to liquidate Ukraine’sbillion dollar oil and gas debt to its north-ern neighbor.

After two days of talks the two sidesagreed only that more discussions areneeded. However, both prime ministersinferred that the next meeting, slated forlate September, may produce concreteresults. Mr. Pustovoitenko went so far asto assess that by the beginning of nextyear Ukraine’s largest gas debt will havebeen at least reduced.

“Ukraine will most likely begin theyear 2000 free of indebtedness toRussia’s Gazprom,” said Mr.Pustovoitenko after the two governmentleaders had concluded their talks.Gazprom is the second largest Russianoil and gas supplier and is 51 percentowned by the Russian government.

Kyiv and Moscow have been at log-gerheads for months over an ever-

increasing Ukrainian debt for Russian oiland gas. The disagreements have cen-tered on the method of payment and theamount.

Ukraine has stated that it owes $1 bil-lion, while Russia claims that the costsshould include money owed by privateUkrainian enterprises, which raises thefigure to $1.8 billion. The two sides alsohave had difficulties agreeing on amethod of payment. Although consensuswas reached during a visit to Kyiv in Julyby Sergei Stepashin, Mr. Putin’s prede-cessor, that Ukraine would pay in com-modities, the parties could not agree on apricing structure. After Mr. Stepashinwas ousted and yet another Russian gov-ernment installed, Kyiv was concernedthat the progress that had been madewould be halted or even reversed.

But Mr. Pustovoitenko said he hadfound common language with Mr. Putinand that more meetings between the twoare planned.

Russia has demanded that Ukrainecharge no more than the domestic priceof Russian commodities, which aremuch cheaper than on the world market

Pustovoitenko meets in Moscowwith Russia’s new prime minister

Mykhailo Horyn, Ukrainian WorldCoordinating Council executive memberand former Soviet political prisoner.

Mr. Horyn, who was on a visit toCanada from Ukraine, said his country’speople “are still learning how to be a peo-ple with a state.” The man who sufferedimprisonment in the Soviet gulag said thatsecuring statehood is difficult work. “Whoknew that it required sacrifice and dedica-tion?” he asked with heavy irony.

The former national deputy of theVerkhovna Rada said the task is “no easiernow that we’ve been asked to break withthe past, and many have found it difficult tounhitch themselves from the Muscovitewagon.”

He invoked the Biblical story of Moses,who wandered in the desert for 40 years torid his nation of those who could not let go

Horyn says Ukraine’s political maturity is being tested

(Continued on page 5)(Continued on page 4)

(Continued on page 6)

Mykhailo Horyn addresses crowd in Oakville, Ontario.

U.S. continues aid to Kharkiv regionwith $16.5 million medical shipment

(Continued on page 5)Andrij Kudla Wynnyckyj

THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 19992 No. 36

Patriotic forum calls for single candidate KYIV – A forum of “patriotic, anti-cor-

ruption, pro-independence and democraticforces” took place in Kyiv on August 22,Interfax and RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Servicereported. The forum was organized by theOpen Politics association and attended byfive presidential hopefuls: Yurii Kostenko,Yurii Karmazin, Volodymyr Oliinyk, VasylOnopenko and Oleksander Rzhavskyi.Candidates Hennadii Udovenko, YevhenMarchuk and Vitalii Kononov did notattend. Anatolii Matviienko, who heads theassociation and resigned the leadership ofthe National Democratic Party after itpledged support to Leonid Kuchma’s re-election bid, urged all presidential candi-dates to agree on a single candidate to rep-resent the right-wing in the elections.(RFE/RL Newsline) Kharkiv trade unions favor Moroz

KHARKIV – A poll among trade unionmembers in the Kharkiv Oblast showed thatpresidential candidate Oleksander Moroz,leader of the Socialist Party, has thestrongest support among these organiza-tions, polling 35 percent approval.Communist Party leader Petro Symonenkowas second with 19 percent, followed byNatalia Vitrenko with 16.9 percent.President Leonid Kuchma received only 12percent support. (Eastern Economist)Deputies prepare for hectic autumn

KYIV – Ukraine’s national deputiesplan to begin their work in parliamentarycommittees on September 1. The next ses-sion of the Parliament’s 14th convocationwill begin its work on September 7.According to Verkhovna Rada ChairmanOleksander Tkachenko, the session will bedifficult and intense. The first two weekswill involve half of the working day in ple-nary sessions and the rest in committees.Over 400 draft bills have been prepared.President Leonid Kuchma has submitted arange of economic draft laws in the form ofdecrees. Thus, the workload, especially incommittees for Budget Affairs, FinanceAffairs and Banking, and Social Policy andLabor will increase sharply. (RFE/RLNewsline) Communists may join Kaniv pact

KYIV – Verkhovna Rada ChairmanOleksander Tkachenko said he believes thatCommunist leader Petro Symonenko willjoin the so-called Kaniv agreement signedon August 24 by four presidential candi-dates on joint actions in election campaign-ing. Mr. Tkachenko also said the presiden-tial election should be held in one round

since the state lacks the funds to hold a sec-ond round. (RFE/RL Newsline) Incumbent starts re-election campaign

MYRHOROD – “I can say only todaythat I have started working for the futureelection,” President Leonid Kuchma toldjournalists on August 19, after visitingUkraine’s famous Sorochynskyi Fair inMyrhorod, Poltava Oblast. Mr. Kuchma,who was accompanied by Moldova’sPresident Petru Lucinschi, noted that thepresidential campaign is “becoming a nega-tive factor in Ukraine’s life,” primarilybecause of the “frenzied, dirty” criticism byother presidential candidates of the incum-bent. “They resort to methods originallyused by the KGB,” Mr. Kuchma comment-ed. (RFE/RL Newsline) Top court upholds death sentence

KYIV – The Supreme Court on August26 rejected the appeal to commute to lifeimprisonment the death sentence handeddown to serial killer Anatolii Onopriienko.Mr. Onopriienko was sentenced in Aprilafter being found guilty of 52 murders.However, he may avoid execution becausein 1997 Ukraine introduced a moratoriumon carrying out the capital punishment. TheCouncil of Europe is urging Ukraine toabolish the death sentence. There are morethan 410 persons currently on death row inUkraine, according to ITAR-TASS.(RFE/RL Newsline) Tyhypko urges zero deficit budget for 2000

KYIV – Vice Prime Minister SerhiiTyhypko said on August 26 that a “zerobudget deficit should be approved for nextyear’s budget.” Mr. Tyhypko argued that ifthe Parliament approves a large budgetdeficit, the government will have to take outforeign loans to cover it. (RFE/RLNewsline) Tyhypko comments on talks with IMF

KYIV – Vice Prime Minister SerhiiTyhypko said on August 19 that he “cannotregard the recent talks with the InternationalMonetary Fund a success.” Mr. Tyhypkoadded that Ukraine complied with all butone of the IMF requirements for obtainingthe next loan tranche of $180 million. Theexception is the increase in tariffs on publicutilities. According to Mr. Tyhypko, theIMF has approved the Ukrainian Cabinet’seffort to balance the budget, which was thekey issue in negotiations with the IMF mis-sion in Kyiv last month. During a subse-quent meeting in Washington, Ukrainianrepresentatives presented a program for


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The Ukrainian Weekly Archive: www.ukrweekly.comThe Ukrainian Weekly, September 5, 1999, No. 36, Vol. LXVII

Copyright © 1999 The Ukrainian Weekly

by Myroslaw SmorodskyThe fourth round of negotiations regard-

ing reparations to forced/slave laborers whowere unwillingly conscripted by NaziGermany to work in its industrial warmachine during World War II ended onAugust 26 in Bonn, Germany. Although thediscussions did not resolve the compensa-tion matter, the negotiating parties were ofthe opinion that progress has been made atthese talks and agreed to reconvene thenegotiations in early October inWashington.

The negotiations were initiated inFebruary by German industry as a result ofthe numerous class action lawsuits that arebeing filed in the United States seekingcompensation for forced/slave laborers.These suits named specific corporationssuch as Daimler-Chrysler, Bayer andBMW, among others, charging that thesecompanies conspired and willingly partici-pated with the Nazi regime to violate thelaws of nations by enslaving and forciblydeporting millions of persons from EasternEurope to work for the Third Reich and thatthese companies had profited from theircriminal actions.

The number of forced/slave laborersalive today is estimated to be between 1.5million to 2.3 million survivors worldwide,with 600,000 to 850,000 in Ukraine alone.

The German government was not namedas a party in the litigation since all govern-ments are immune from prosecution in thiscountry. Among the lawsuits that have beenfiled is a class action matter filed on behalfof Ukrainian forced/slave laborers by thelaw firms of Smorodsky & Stawnychy ofNew Jersey, Pyotr Rabinovich P.A. of NewYork and Ukriniurkoleguia of Kyiv. Thiswriter and Oleksandr Storozhuk ofUkriniurkolejguia participated in the Bonntalks on behalf of the Ukrainian claimants.

German companies have vigorouslydenied any legal responsibility for the waratrocities that occurred over 55 years ago.Among the numerous arguments made tosupport their claim of non-culpability, theGerman companies argue that Americancourts should not have jurisdiction overthese issues, since nearly all of theclaimants are located in Europe and theevents in question occurred on that conti-nent. The companies further argue that thewar crimes were committed by the Naziregime and not by the companies them-selves.

German industry further states that theGerman government has adequately com-pensated and made reparations in the past.(In 1993, billions of Deutsche marks werepaid by the German government to“Reconciliation Funds” in each of the EastEuropean countries for distribution toforced/slave laborers and other victims ofthe Holocaust. Ukraine received approxi-mately 400 million DM.)

On the other hand, the claimants arguethat U.S. courts are an appropriate forumsince the German companies or their sub-sidiaries have a presence here and foreigncitizens are permitted access to the courtsystem under U.S. law. (Class actions arenot permitted in any of the jurisdictions ofEurope, only individual lawsuits can befiled.)

The question of jurisdiction of the U.S.courts is presently under consideration intwo class actions. The determination of thisissue is anticipated in the very near futureand the decisions reached will have a majorimpact on the negotiations now pendingbetween the parties.

The claimants further argue that, eventhough more than 55 years have passed

since these events occurred, their claims arenot time-barred for various legal and histor-ical reasons, and because of the magnitudeof the atrocities.

According to the filed class action com-plaints, these corporations have grown tothe importance and economic stature thatthey have today in part because they bene-fited and profiteered from forced/slavelabor for which they, as individual businessentities, never compensated the victims.

They further argue that the funds paid bythe government of Germany in the pastwere not compensation but merely ahumanitarian gesture, which does notamount to the fair value of the services ren-dered by forced/slave laborers whileforcibly detained in Germany under inhu-mane circumstances.

Despite their legal position, the Germancorporations state that they recognize theirmoral obligations to compensate in part forthe wrongs committed by the Nazi regime.On February 16, German industryannounced it would undertake a voluntaryinitiative to settle all potential present andfuture claims that any party could haveagainst German industry as a result of anyalleged actions committed by the Germancompanies during World War II. In essence,German industry demands legal peace sothat no further legal actions would be insti-tuted in the future against it anywhere in theworld.

However, German industry clearly indi-cates that its moral obligations do notencompass the forced laborers who wereemployed by publicly owned entities, suchas the railroads, or who were forciblyemployed in the agricultural sector. In orderto obtain an all-inclusive resolution, theGerman industry initiative envisions theparticipation of the German government,which would create a special fund to com-pensate these non-industrial workers. Suchactions require German parliamentary fund-ing and approval.

As a result of this German IndustryInitiative, a progression of settlement con-ferences have occurred in Germany and inWashington since May of this year, with therecent Bonn conference being the fourth inthis series of meetings. All of these confer-ences were hosted and moderated by high-level representatives of the German andU.S. governments.

The German representative is Otto GrafLamsdorff; the U.S. representative duringall of the talks is Undersecretary StuartEizenstat.

Other participants in these conferencesare representatives of German industry, theattorneys for the claimants in the variousclass actions, representatives of Belarus, theCzech Republic, Israel, Poland, Russia,Ukraine and the Jewish Claims Conference.

The scope of the issues in these negotia-tions is extremely broad and complex. Theyrange from the legal question of how toobtain legal peace or “legal closure” forGerman industry to issues of determiningthe compensation amounts that would bewithin the economic capabilities of Germanindustry and within the borders of Germanpolitical will. The compensation levels,however, must be of sufficient magnitude tobe meaningful to the surviving victims ofGerman forced/slave labor.

Within this spectrum of issues are ques-tions relating to the definition and cate-gories of forced/slave labor, the determina-tion of the number of present-day sur-vivors, agreeing on the mechanisms fordistribution of the funds, etc. Since most ofthe victims of forced/slave labor are dead

Forced/slave labor compensationnegotiations to continue in October

NEWS ANALYSIS


sector are implemented, while the indus-trial manufacturing sector of the economyis given a new impetus. This all meansthat basic changes in agricultural policiesare required. These changes can beintensely and swiftly implemented onlyafter Ukraine’s agricultural goodsimprove their market positions within thecountry, in the East and, to an extent, inEurope.

In 1998, the International Centerfor Policy Studies in Kyiv reportedthat a bumper sunflower harvest wassold abroad at world prices.Meanwhile, domestic sunflower oilmanufacturers were underemployed,because they couldn’t compete withthose foreign manufacturers who wereable to pay the price for Ukrainiansunflowers. In the end, Ukrainiansended up purchasing the more expen-sive, imported sunflower oil that wasmade from Ukrainian sunflowerseeds. This is a classic colonialarrangement. Why can’t Ukraineexport its own sunflower oil instead?Who in Ukraine benefits from this“colonial” status?

After the period of artificially createdhyperinflation in the early 1990s, manyUkrainian farmers and agricultural enter-prises lost their basic operating capital.Moreover, a barter system of payments

THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1999 3No. 36

The interview below with OleksanderMoroz, leader of the Socialist Party and acandidate for president of Ukraine, wasconducted in Kyiv by Stefko Bandera, aKyiv-based writer who works for theCanadian political consulting firm Romyrand Associates.

When you were in the United Stateslast year, the media reported that youare categorically opposed to the privati-zation of land in Ukraine. In the West,this is perceived in a negative light.Ukraine’s greatest assets, perhaps, arethe land and its people. If you areagainst the privatization of land, howdo you propose Ukraine use thisresource and regain its status as bread-basket of Europe?

The fact is that when Ukraine was thebreadbasket of Europe, land was also notfor sale. The success of the agriculturalsector does not depend on who owns theland, but on organizing the way in whichthe land is used, by providing necessarysupport for farmers and allowing them toreap the benefits of their work. Laws forimproving this organization already exist,but there are at least three more funda-mental measures that can only be realizedwith the help of the state.

First of all, the entity that works theland, be it a collective or private farm,farmers or agricultural firms, needs tohave access to credits. These credits mustbe offered at reasonable rates that willallow repayment by reasonably profitableenterprises. If the credits are offered, asthey are today, at interest rates in excess of80 percent, then no one will take advan-tage of them. Let the farmer have the rightto sell his land 20 times over, and even useland as collateral, but he will never be ableto pay these credits back [at current rates].This is unacceptable. I don’t know of asingle country in the world that allows forthis type of arrangement. This is one ofthe first issues that need to be settled.

Secondly, the tax burden on the farmerneeds to be significantly alleviated.Working towards this, the parliamentarycommittee I head has developed a numberof legislative acts that will decrease thetax pressure on the farmer, and even createtax breaks for a few years, thus giving theagriculture sector an opportunity forrevival.

The third step the state needs to take isto establish minimum price levels forselected staple agricultural goods likeseeds, sugar, vegetable oil, meats andpoultry. This is not an unusual practice;similar policies are pursued in variousforms in the European Union and theUnited States through subsidies, fixedprices, etc.

If these three measures are implement-ed, then the issue of whether or not to sellthe land will lose the urgency certainWesterners place on the matter. In fact,current legislation allows for variousforms of ownership, including privateownership. In 1992, 25 percent ofUkraine’s agricultural lands were alreadyout of the state’s hands. However, at thistime of deepening crisis, when our curren-cy is being devalued, with the “dollariza-

tion” of our economy occurring even atthe basic, consumer level, allowing for thesale of land would be simply criminal.

There are a few examples when, indefiance of the Constitution, but based onpresidential decrees, several farmers tookthe risk of selling their land. They sold itfor $10 (U.S.) per hectare! You don’t haveto be a specialist to understand the absurd-ity of that price. I am categoricallyopposed to these type of scenarios. Thereare successful agricultural enterprises inUkraine that prove that the sale of land isnot necessarily the only answer, and showthat more emphasis should be placed oncreating economic conditions favorable tothe development of agricultural enterpris-es.

The value of the land should be includ-ed in the price of the final product, alongwith the cost of maintaining the land andoperation, i.e., the costs of fuel, energy,farm equipment, herbicides, other chemi-cals, etc., at current world prices. If theland’s value is not included in the price ofthe final product, this will result in theeconomic discrimination against farmingactivities and wages will remain very low.

This is also unacceptable. This is basi-cally my stand on the issue of privatiza-tion [of land]. To make land a commoditywill mean losing it. I do not want to seethat happen because I am a Ukrainianpatriot and would not want to see non-Ukrainians doing as they please with ourland. If investors are interested in workingwith us on our land, then we can exploredifferent options for privatizing individualland plots, subordinating them to priva-tized manufacturing and industrial enter-prises, for example.

After Ukraine has managed to bringits agricultural affairs in to order,which markets can the country expectto service? Can Ukraine ever regain itsstatus as “breadbasket of Europe”?

I don’t think Ukraine will ever becomethe “breadbasket of Europe” that it oncewas because Europe has managed todevelop its own agricultural sectors to thepoint that the European countries are ableto satisfy their own demands. CertainUkrainian goods can be sold in Europe,especially our vegetable oils, which can-not be surpassed in quality by any othercountry’s product, except perhaps by asmall part of Argentina. These oils canclaim their own niche on European mar-kets. Ukrainian apples, grapes and melonscan also be sold in most of Europe. Ourhard grains can claim yet another niche.Ukraine’s eastern regions have the rightclimatic conditions for growing hardwheat, and its successful sale alone willsignificantly strengthen our agriculturalsector.

Ukraine’s markets are to the East andMiddle East, but first and foremost weneed to focus on completely satisfying ourdomestic demand. So, you can see thatUkraine’s land does have a future.

First, however, we need to change theway crop rotation is practiced, increase thesowing of feed grains, grasses, etc. Thiswill be easier on the land and will alsoallow for our agricultural sector to devel-op animal husbandry, for example. This isespecially important for the country’ssouthern regions, including the north ofthe Crimean peninsula, because the sow-ing practices there over the past fewdecades have depleted the land of itsnutrients, and farming there means incur-ring significant maintenance costs. Inorder to keep costs down, we should limitthe use of farm equipment to ensure thatthe tractors, combines, etc., spend lesstime in the fields.

And this will happen only after signifi-cant structural changes in the agricultural

INTERVIEW: Oleksander Moroz, candidate for president of Ukraine

Moody’s says Ukraine may default on debt NEW YORK – The investment department of Moody’s rating agency announced on

August 26 that of all the countries with transitional economies, Ukraine, Ecuador andMoldova are closest to defaulting on their external debts. According to the agency, expertsbelieve that the default could be caused by internal domestic struggle, falling export rev-enues, limited access to international capital markets, the growing perception of debtrestructuring as a solution to economic problems and a Parliament that hinders the integra-tion of the country’s economy into the world system. According to Moody’s, at the end of1999 and beginning of 2000, Ukraine is due to repay $1.4 billion (U.S.) worth of externaldebt, and $2.3 billion in total for the year 2000, while Ukraine’s currency reserves total just$1.1 billion. Moody’s predicts that, as has previously happened, payment of Ukraine’sexternal debts will be postponed. Its experts share the belief that the best thing for Ukraineto do is to default, as “the internal benefits from such actions will override sanctions afterthe default.” (Eastern Economist) Report released on economic indicators

KYIV – Preliminary analysis shows that prices on the consumer market are under con-trol and this year’s inflation rate is 7.5 percent, down from the predicted figure of 9 percent,said First Vice Minister of the Economy Viktor Kalnyk. Prices for petroleum products havenot yet been determined, but they tend to decrease. Prices for fuels and lubricants have risenby 99.3 percent, impacting the entire pricing scheme. Food prices are expected to rise by 4-5 percent by year’s end. Consumer prices are going to be influenced by the hryvnia’s infla-tion rate. According to Mr. Kalnyk, if the hryvnia is kept within the specified currency lim-its during September and October, predicted inflation rates will be maintained. The inflationrate of utility prices is 3 percent, down from the predicted 9 percent. It can grow by another4 percent after the population in all regions begins to pay the entire cost of utility services.Wholesale prices in general have stabilized following last year’s crisis, while wholesaleprices in the energy sector, chemical and petroleum industries have dropped. The currentwholesale price index is 6.7 percent and it is expected to reach 16 percent by year’s end,down from 35.4 percent of the last year. (Eastern Economist) Kyiv shipyard unveils new cargo vessel

KYIV – The Kyiv-based Leninska Kuznia shipbuilding plant on August 26 released a110-meter-long cargo vessel, FEWI. The ship was ordered by Dutch Robo InternationalB.V. and is designed to carry a load of 1,617 tons. “This is the largest vessel that our planthas ever produced,” stated the plant’s president, Petro Poroshenko. The ship was sold for1.2 million marks. Only Ukrainian-made materials were used in construction, and the plantfinanced all works without state support. (Eastern Economist) Stakes in 16 firms on sale via exchange

KYIV – The State Property Fund has decided to sell stakes in 16 domestic companiesundergoing privatization. The most lucrative stocks include a 49.54 percent stake in theNadvirna woodworking plant, and a 6.84 percent stake in the Rodon JSC, both in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, and a 27.59 percent stake in the Zaporizhia-based Konstanta air compa-ny, a 0.13 percent stake in the Zdorovia pharmaceutical company and a 22 percent stake inthe Holosiyivskyi Hotel in Kyiv. All stakes are to be sold via the Ukrainian StockExchange. A 17.42 percent stake in the Kyiv Aviation Technology Research Institute is tobe offered via the Kyiv International Stock Exchange. (Eastern Economist) SPF to sell stake in Lysychansk plant

KYIV – The State Property Fund has decided to sell a 3.84 percent stake in theLysychansk-based technical rubber plant via the stock exchange by December 1. Another 3percent stake was to be sold for cash via certificate auctions centers by August 31. To date,

BUSINESS IN BRIEF


“A regime of ‘banditocracy’ hasbecome firmly established inUkraine.”

– Socialist Party leaderOleksander Moroz in his partynewspaper, Tovarysh, on June 17(as reported in RFE/RL Poland,Belarus and Ukraine Report).

Quotable notes


Oleksander Moroz


by Mariana Voronovich and Olena Fadeicheva

Special to The Ukrainian WeeklyKYIV – The life of students in Ukraine

does not seem to differ from that in otherparts of the world.

Student life does not consist solely ofred-letter days filled with fun and visits toconcerts, night clubs, pubs and cinemas, asthese activities cover no more than 25 per-cent to 30 percent of students’ time. Theother 70 to 75 percent of their time is spentstudying.

Ukrainian students study hard and runneck-and-neck with their peers from othercountries, even outrunning them in somecategories. Official figures show that 93percent of Ukrainian college sophomoresgo on to graduate, while in the UnitedStates that figure stands at around 53 per-cent.

There are two types of students whostudy in Kyiv: those who have grown upand live in the city, and those who come tostudy in the capital from other cities, townsand villages of Ukraine.

It is generally believed that students whoreside permanently in Kyiv have a moresecure and comfortable life. Non-residentslive in dormitory housing that is of poorquality and full of hazards. Two-thirds ofall Kyiv university students live in dormsthat do not meet satisfactory standards ofliving. Nonetheless, living independentlygives them more freedom and a chance toexperience life in different ways – or so wehave been told.

To find out for ourselves, we decided tovisit the main student housing district forKyiv university students, home of the non-resident students of Kyiv State University.The student housing complex is located onthe outskirts of the city, about an hour awayvia public transportation.

Arranging for basicsAt the housing campus we first encoun-

tered Oleksander, a third-year student. Weasked him if student housing is as bad aswe had heard. He replied: “You know whatthey say, ‘It is not the money, but theamount of it that matters.’ Our situation issimilar to that; our problem is not theaccommodation but its quality. But to tellyou frankly, I’m surprised that for themoney we pay we even have a place tolive, cook and relax.”

In the beginning. it is not easy to getused to such a way of life. It is the humorand inventiveness of the students that helpsthem get through it all.

For example, each floor of the dormitoryhas its own kitchen. But only one of thetwo gas stoves works, and that is far fromenough to satisfy the needs of 50-60 stu-dents who live on the floor. That is why,now and then, students play “kitchentricks” on each other. What this means isthat, if a student is cooking his meal, andhas to leave the kitchen for a moment, hemay return to find everything gone but thepan.

It’s okay when it is done in the properspirit, and then everyone can laugh togetherabout it. However, one should never forgetthat next time it could happen to him or her.

Another problem students have is ashortage of showers. This is a problem bet-ter explained by the girls, for whom this is“closer to the heart.”

Several girls whom we approached had

much to say, but only Oksana, who is afreshman, agreed to speak for the record.

“There are different types of dorms thatprovide various amenities, depending onthe monthly payment. It varies from 6 hrvto 10 hrv per month. Students pay 10 hrvfor a single shower/bath for two rooms,which is considered to be rather comfort-able. It is unfortunate that I decided not tolive there,” she said.

Oksana continued: “In my building theplanning is totally different; there is onlyone shower/bath for the whole dormitory.Even worse, it is situated in a dark base-ment with no locks, and there is not even aproper partition between the men’s andwomen’s facilities. “You can hardly imag-ine how I feel as I stand under the shower,knowing that behind the thin plywood par-tition some unknown boys are also taking ashower. Almost everybody is frightenedand nobody goes alone to shower. “So thatthere would not be any problems, we havearranged ‘bath days’ (separate days formales and females). This may seem exces-sively cautious, but that way we feel safer.”

Campus housing historyAs we talked, an older lady, who turned

out to be Maria Ivanivna, the eldest gov-erness of the campus, approached us. Firstshe asked us who we were and what wewanted. Afterward she imparted someinteresting information about the history ofthe campus.

Ms. Ivanivna explained that she hadtaken part in the planning of the complexand that the initial plan of the campus lay-out was superb because everything was tobe close by.

It was planned that the office of thedirector of studies and the military depart-ment were to be located a few steps fromthe apartments. The preventive medicineclinic and the swimming pool were to belocated nearby, and the polyclinic andkindergarten were to be at the heart of thecampus. In the end, only the kindergartenwas built, she noted.

The polyclinic was moved to anotherdistrict far from the campus, which hascaused major problems. Students have littlechance of obtaining urgent medical assis-tance.

The lack of medical care in the area hasbeen an issue that two other students,Halyna and Maria, spoke to us about.

“There is no first aid post on our cam-pus. Ambulances answer student callsreluctantly. Doctors seem to think that weare only looking for doctor’s certificates toexcuse our absences from classes. If a girlcalls for an ambulance, the on-duty doctor[who rides with the ambulance team]makes a standard diagnosis without a med-ical examination: ‘You are pregnant.’ Evenif she has other symptoms, they simplyreaffirm, ‘It is a pregnancy with complica-tion.’ ”

The two girls added, “The only alterna-tive for students who need medical atten-tion is a student hospital, but getting theretakes an hour. The question is whether thisis a realistic alternative when you are feel-ing terrible and have a high fever.”

Crime a threatHaving heard an awful lot of things (or

maybe a lot of awful things) about theproblems of robbery and thievery, we askedthe criminal statistics department of theKyiv militia to provide information oncrime. It turns out that the city district inwhich the student housing complex islocated is the worst crime district in Kyiv.

We asked the housing administrationwhether it had considered hiring securityguards who could be paid from the stu-dents’ monthly rent.

An administration representativeexplained: “There were even more pressing

problems four years ago. The most seriousof which was not robbery, but the sale ofdrugs. The thing that attracted the drug sup-pliers and users was not the students, butthe outsiders [who were living in thedorms]. Because of a lack of supervision,access to the territory was open. This guar-anteed a rather secure and profitable busi-ness for the newcomers.

“When the criminal situation in the dis-trict and around the dorm became critical,the university administration started to takean active role in resolving the problem. Wefound the financial resources for a profes-sional night guard for the campus territoryand the dormitories. A checkpoint and per-mit system for entering the dorms also wasestablished.

“We cannot yet say that the problem as awhole has been solved, but due to these andother measures, tensions were reducedabout a year and a half ago. As you maywell know, our inspections have becomemuch more strict. Dormitory students whoreturn home late without their identitycards are not allowed pass the checkpoints.Neither the student on duty [in the dormito-ry] nor friends can help. In fact, these con-trols brought safety.”

Models for the futureA few years ago the university built a

model dormitory building that upholdsstandards accepted in the West. This hotel-style dormitory differs appreciably from thepresent buildings. Its lodgings consist ofapartments with two or three rooms, with aseparate kitchen and other amenities. Whynot provide all the students with this typeof housing?

One answer, of course, is the cost to thestudents. The monthly payment for stu-dents here is 70-80 hrv (under $20), whichis still cheaper than renting a private apart-ment, even one far from downtown Kyiv,which can go for $80 to $100 per month.

We were curious about whether studentshad thought of moving out of their dormi-tories into more Western-style studenthousing or even into private apartments.

Many students’ answers were similar tothat given by a second-year student namedYurii: “Because I am not a Kyiv resident, Iam required to live in a dormitory, as aremany of my friends. I am sure that only asmall number of non-residents can afford torent an apartment for $100 a month. To behonest, I am not thrilled with the conditionsof life on campus, however, I can afford itgiven my financial resources. Besides Ihave friends here whom I do not want toleave. Living alone can be lonesome andboring; it is more difficult to find help, sup-port and even good times.

“But if the decrees that the Ukrainiangovernment handed down in November1998, concerning the social welfare of stu-dents had been implemented, my monthlystipend would not be 13 hrv to 16 hrv amonth, but 40 hrv to 50 hrv. Then, I wouldhave willingly moved to the new Western-style dorms, to a one-bedroom apartmentwith a separate bathroom and kitchen.”

* * *Thus, on the basis of our informal inter-

views, we concluded that student life herein Kyiv is a kaleidoscope of experiences,and challenges, all of which are part of theeducation process.

A look at student life in Ukraine: a kaleidoscope of experiences

and since their heirs are so numerous,meaningful compensation to each is notfeasible. The German Industry Initiativeincludes plans to develop a “Future Fund”that will give some meaningful assistanceto forced laborers’ heirs through variousprograms and also initiate permanentlyfunded programs that will have as theirgoal the prevention of a repetition of theatrocities of World War II.

The negotiations are further complicatedby the fact that these talks involve variousindustry and public-sector parties, govern-ment representatives and lawyers for thevarious claimant groups. This multi-partyaspect of the talks requires multi-faceteddiscussions and compromise. Although theBonn Conference did not resolve all of theproblems involved, substantial progress wasmade toward achieving a solution to manyof the complex issues and closing the gapon others.

The conference ended in an atmos-phere of confidence that the next roundof talks in Washington would achieve anamicable resolution of these difficultissues. As one delegate stated: “We aredoomed to succeed – history demandsthis of us.” In his closing remarks, theUkrainian delegate, Ihor Lushnikow,observed: “[but] success is built on mutu-al compromise by all.”

* * *Counsel for the Ukrainian Forced/Slave

Labor Claimants are: Pyotr S. Rabinovich,475 Fifth Ave., Suite 602, New York, NY10017, telephone, (212) 679-5880, fax,(212) 679-7958; Myroslaw Smorodsky,Smorodsky & Stawnychy, 75 Union Ave.,P.O. Box 1705, Rutherford, NJ 07070, tele-phone, (201) 939-1999, fax, (201) 507-3970; and Danylo Kourdelchouk andOleksandr Storozhuk, UkriniurkolleguiaUkrainian Bar Association for ForeignAffairs, 2-A Zoloti Vorota St., Kyiv, Ukraine,252034, telephone, 380-44-246-53-91, fax,380-41-229-85-22.

(Continued from page 2)Forced/slave labor...

Marianna Voronovich, 18, and OlenaFadeicheva, 20, are students at KyivState University. Miss Voronovich is asophomore studying mass communica-tions at the Institute of InternationalRelations, while Miss Fadeicheva is inher fourth year at the Institute ofJournalism. Both are Kyiv residents wholive with their parents.

Kharkiv hospitals need not worry aboutreceiving expired medicines or outdatedequipment. He explained that, in conjunc-tion with Kharkiv Oblast authorities, hisorganization accepted only medical supplieswith expiration dates well in the future.

“We noticed on some insulin packagesexpiration dates of October 1999, which wedeclined to accept, even though the insulinis especially needed here, as you well know,and would have been used up immediately,”said Mr. Zhgirov.

The pharmaceutical supplies and techni-cal equipment were donated by multipleU.S donors, said Ms. Myrtsal of the U.S.Embassy. She added that in the next twomonths another shipment of up to $2 mil-lion of additional consumable medical sup-plies is expected in Kharkiv.

The Kharkiv Initiative resulted from aU.S. decision to compensate the region forthe loss of money and jobs after Turboatom,one of Kharkiv’s largest manufacturers,agreed to stop the construction of turbinesfor a nuclear plant in Iran at Washington’sinsistence.

The U.S. Embassy has cooperated withthe region’s local governments and busi-nesses to stimulate U.S. commercial invest-ment in the region. It has organizedexchanges of Ukrainian and U.S. business-people and worked to make Kharkiv busi-nesses more investor-friendly. Ms. Myrtsalexplained that no contracts have yet beensigned with U.S. businesses.

Ambassador William Taylor, coordinatorof U.S. assistance to the New IndependentStates, and Chargé d’Affaires David Hessof the U.S. Embassy led a delegation ofofficials present for the delivery of the med-ical shipment.

(Continued from page 1)U.S. continues aid...


by Illya LabunkaKYIV – On the cramped, second floor of

a belltower, the Rev. Dr. Borys Gudziak cel-ebrated liturgy this past spring on the prem-ises of St. Mykola the BenevolentUkrainian Catholic parish in the Podilregion of Kyiv. This tiny space inside thebelltower is one of only two places in theentire capital city where UkrainianCatholics can gather to worship.

The Rev. Gudziak, who is vice-rector ofthe Lviv Theological Academy, visitedKyiv in order to familiarize himself with theneeds of the Ukrainian Catholic communityin Ukraine’s capital, home to thousands ofUkrainian Catholic faithful. Celebrating hisfirst liturgy in Kyiv since being ordained apriest in November 1998 in Lviv, the Rev.Gudziak stated in his sermon that, “On theeve of the third millennium when Ukraine isin transition, in political, cultural and eco-nomic crisis, there is a particularly urgentneed for clear signs of hope and new incar-nations of the Christian tradition that hasbeen the lifeline of Ukraine from the begin-ning of its history. The social ministry ofmercy and the arduous ‘podvyh’ (task) ofcreating new visions for the future is whatUkrainian society expects from theChurch.”

Reflecting on the spiritual and pastoralneeds of Ukrainian Christians throughoutUkraine, the Rev. Gudziak proclaimed that,“as a thousand years ago, the Church iscalled to spread the good news from thehills of Kyiv.”

Although work has been initiated tobuild a cathedral on Kyiv’s Left Bank andthe Basilian fathers are constructing achurch in the center of town, according tothe vicar-general, the Rev. LubomyrSanotsky, with whom the Rev. Gudziak metwith at the parish site following liturgy, “asof today the Ukrainian Catholics of Kyivstill do not have an appropriate house ofworship in which to practice their faith.”

Frequently, due to limited space, faithfulare compelled to stand and pray outdoors atone of two locations: the parish of St.Mykola the Benevolent in the belltower of adestroyed church and the parish of St.Mykola in the small rotunda at PrinceAskold’s Tomb. “Often, and particularlywhen the weather cooperates, we see

approximately 500-600 faithful here partici-pating in holy liturgy on Sunday,” added theRev. Sanotsky, with the result that mostpeople stand outside.

The Rev. Gudziak was born in Syracuse,N.Y., to Ukrainian emigré parents. In 1980he received a bachelor’s degree fromSyracuse University with a double major inphilosophy and biology. He then enrolled inthe College of St. Sophia of the UkrainianCatholic University in Rome, under thetutelage of Cardinal Josyf Slipyj. As a stu-dent of eastern theological studies, the Rev.Gudziak became inspired by PatriarchJosyf’s vision and dream to one day estab-lish a Catholic university in Ukraine. Thefoundations of this dream were laid in 1994with the revival of the Lviv TheologicalAcademy, which had been founded origi-nally by Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky.

After receiving a licentiate in theology in1983, Mr. Gudziak entered HarvardUniversity from which he received a doc-torate in Slavic and Byzantine Church histo-ry in 1992. In autumn of that year, the Rev.Gudziak established permanent residency inLviv and planted the first seeds of the now-revived Lviv Theological Academy by cre-ating the Institute of Church History. In1995 Mr. Gudziak became vice-rector ofthe Lviv Theological Academy.

“I had been preparing myself for thepriesthood for 20 years,” said the Rev.Gudziak. “I never doubted that the day ofmy ordination would arrive, however, Ialways struggled with the question forwhom, and who is calling me to this conse-cration. My association with the studentsand faculty of the Lviv TheologicalAcademy, our camaraderie and my famil-iarity with their spiritual needs became theimpetus and guiding light that led metowards the decisive moment.”

The following day, the Rev. Gudziak par-ticipated in a liturgy of Christian burial forhuman rights activist Vyacheslav Chornovil,member of Parliament and leader of Rukh.

For more information or to make a dona-tion on behalf of the Lviv TheologicalAcademy, contact: The Ukrainian CatholicEducation Foundation, 2247 West ChicagoAve., Chicago, IL 60622; telephone (773)235-8462; fax, (773) 235-8464; e-mail,[email protected].

Lviv Theological Academy’s vice-rectorvisits Kyiv to study needs of Catholic faithful


TORONTO – The Ukrainian WorldCongress on August 1 issued a terse pressrelease, signed “UWC Presidium,” inform-ing the community that its headquarters hadmoved downtown, to the Ukrainian CreditUnion building near the intersection ofCollege Street and Spadina Avenue, from itslong-standing seat in the area known asToronto’s Bloor West Village.

The move also ends a long-standingassociation with the Ukrainian Canadian ArtFoundation (UCAF). In 1975 Mykhailo andYaroslava Szafraniuk, both art collectorsand real estate developers, co-founded theUCAF and decided to donate premises toboth a UCAF gallery and to the diasporaumbrella body, then known as the WorldCongress of Free Ukrainians, on BloorStreet West near Jane Street.

In 1978 came a shift to larger facilities at2118A Bloor St. W., a white-brick edificebuilt on the slope of Bloor Street, risingwestward away from High Park; both insti-tutions made the move.

Subsequently, they were joined by,among others, the Toronto branch and theOntario Provincial Council of the UkrainianCanadian Congress, and the Shevchenko

Scientific Society of Canada. More recentarrivals included the Consulate General ofUkraine and Kontakt-TV.

Mr. Szafraniuk died in November 1991and Mrs. Szafraniuk in August 1996, and inrecent years the terms granted to Ukrainianorganizations came under increasing scruti-ny by their inheritors.

Ruslana Wrzesniewska, a veteran com-munity activist (project coordinator of theHelp Us Help the Children charitable foun-dation) and a real estate broker, hasassumed a majority share in the buildingand in the past year had signalled that, forvarious economic reasons, the almostruinously generous terms of previous leasescould not be continued.

As recently as the UWC’s Presidiummeetings in May, UWC President AskoldLozynskyj had been optimistic aboutextending arrangements favorable to theUWC, but according to UWC GeneralSecretary Victor Pedenko, in the president’sabsence from Toronto, differences betweenlessor and leasee proved insuperable. UWCChief Financial Officer William Sametzwas urged to redouble his efforts in findingalternate accommodations.

Mr. Pedenko said that at a closed meet-

Ukrainian World Congress moves headquarters


with little popular support, such as theParty for a Beautiful Ukraine, which asfar as most political analysts can surmisehas an organization but no real member-ship list.

There are others, however, that carrymuch political influence and financialresources. Among them is the NationalDemocratic Party led by Prime MinisterValerii Pustovoitenko and the SocialDemocratic Party (United) headed bySecond Vice-Chairman of the VerkhovnaRada Viktor Medvedchuk, whose mem-bership includes former President LeonidKravchuk and powerful businessmanHryhorii Surkis.

The gathering, held at theInternational Cultural and Arts Center,better known as the October Palace,resembled a convention, sans the bal-loons and much of the hoopla.

No united platform was offered, butseveral resolutions were passed, allunanimously. One called on the need to“ensure the predominance in society ofthe champions of reform over those whodream of an administrative commandeconomy” – an obvious reference to theCommunist Party.

The assembly agreed that its maingoal, one expressed by their candidate,should be to lay the groundwork forUkraine’s vigorous advancement towardfree market reforms and further democ-ratization of the state, and to exclude anypossibility for Ukraine to move back toits Communist past.

After Prime Minister Pustovoitenkokicked off the event, many of the partyleaders took to the rostrum to offerwords of encouragement, including Mr.Medvedchuk of the Social DemocraticParty (United), Liberal Party leaderVolodymyr Scherban and DemocraticParty leader Hanna Antonieva.

Ms. Antonieva’s party had thrown itssupport to Mr. Kuchma only days priorto the assembly, a move that was madeafter its first presidential choice, YevhenMarchuk, joined three candidates fromthe left – Oleksander Tkachenko of thePeasants Party, Oleksander Moroz of theSocialist Party and independentVolodymyr Oliinyk – in a loose coali-tion.

The unexpected announcement of the

new coalition, made on IndependenceDay from Tarasova Hora in Kaniv, haschanged the political make-up in thepresidential horse race inasmuch as the“Kaniv Four,” as some in the press arecalling them, may just have the strengthto offer President Kuchma a serious chal-lenge.

The Kuchma organization is using theDemocratic Party’s defection to its ranksas evidence that the coalition is fragileand will collapse.

President Kuchma, the center of allthe fuss and the attention at theInternational Cultural and Arts Center,said he was humbled by such an expres-sion of support and that the show ofunity would help to raise cooperationamong political parties to a higher level.He called the centrist political unity thatthe event symbolizes decisive forUkraine.

“The assertion of political centrismand the formation of the middle classwill be decisive in our breakthrough to abetter life and ending the crisis inUkraine,” President Kuchma told theaudience during a lengthy discourse onhis plans and goals for the next fouryears.

Mr. Kuchma explained that he hopedthe unity among the parties showntoward his candidacy would carry onafter the October 31 elections and lead tothe formalization of a political coalitionand a parliamentary majority in theVerkhovna Rada.

(Continued from page 1)Bloc of 20 parties...

since the drastic depreciation of theruble. Ukraine has objected, especiallysince Russia has charged Ukraine worldprices and better for its oil and gas in thepast.

The two prime ministers now appar-ently have turned to military goods as aform of payment. There has been conjec-ture that Moscow and Kyiv have foundcommon language in the sale of severalUkrainian strategic bombers as compen-sation.

In fact, Ukraine’s recently appointedfirst vice prime minister, Anatoli iKinakh, alluded to reporters inLuhansk, after his return from Moscowon August 28, that an agreement hadbeen reached on the sale of the militaryaircraft.

He said that by September 20 the twosides will have worked out “the mecha-nism for the formation of prices of thegoods to be supplied by Ukrainian manu-facturers in repayment of the debts” andsaid that it would include the supply ofspecial technologies, including strategicbombers and auxiliary equipment,according to Interfax-Ukraine.

However, as Mr. Kinakh admitted,first the Ukrainian side must determine

how the sale would affect the disarma-ment agreements Ukraine has signedwith the West, and particularly theUnited States.

Russian Prime Minister Putin cloudedthe issue further when he refused to con-firm at a press gathering in Moscowwhether an agreement had been reached.“Russia has not received the bombers,and we are not yet quite sure whether weneed them or not,” explained Mr. Putin,according to Interfax-Ukraine.

The Russian prime minister admittedthat Russia had disregarded debts byRussian manufacturers to Ukrainiansuppliers, especially in the military-industrial sector, a problem that hadbeen remedied during the Moscow talks,he said.

The two prime ministers also dis-cussed continuing import barriers onUkrainian sugar and alcohol products,the ongoing border demarcation negotia-tions and the Black Sea Fleet, as well asMr. Pustovoitenko’s pet project, thedevelopment of a free trade zone acrossthe entire region of the Commonwealthof the Independent States.

In Kyiv, Mr. Pustovoitenko said that itis becoming increasingly doubtful that allthe CIS countries will agree to a freetrade zone, but that Ukraine should,nonetheless, move toward such a policy.

(Continued from page 1)Pustovoitenko meets...

Leonid KuchmaMilton Grant


Zenon Tarnavsky was one of the leading lights of 1930sUkrainian Galicia’s “Bohema,” a group of witty literateurs andartists, many of whom carried on their careers in the displacedpersons camps in Germany and in the post-war diaspora.

Born on September 9, 1912, in Sambir, an ancient town located about 40 miles southeastof Lviv, he began his studies in law at Lviv University, then switched to art history atWarsaw University, but graduated from the Warsaw School of Journalism.

Tarnavsky greeted the decade of the 1930s by publishing his first short story in the jour-nal Novyi Chas and by joining a group of café-going artistes dubbed by Edward Kozak as“Dvanaitsadka” (The Twelve). He took a stab at acting (appearing in Petro Soroka’s pro-duction of “Akordy” by Hryhoriy Luzhnytsky); translated 19th century French comedies,such as Eugène Labiche’s “Tu Seras Mienne” into Ukrainian; and wrote stage adaptationsof novels such as Alexandre Duval’s “Stéphane” for Volodymyr Blavatsky of the Zahravatheater, and Ulas Samchuk’s “Hory Hovoriat” (The Mountains Speak) for Mykola Bentsalat the Tobilevych Theater.

Commissioned to adapt the Austrian writer Jozef Polaczek’s “Dr. Berghof” by the CityTheater of Lodz, he remained briefly in the Polish city to study directing under LeopoldKielanowski. In 1938 he wrote his own play, “Taras Shevchenko,” which Blavatsky pre-miered that year at the Zahrava Theater.

Inspired by a desire to create “an urban theater close to Lviv’s city folk and its streets,”he founded and acted as the artistic director of the influential Veselyi Lviv theater in 1942.For two years it drew on the talents of such luminaries as Blavatsky, the Berezil veteranactors/directors Yosyp Hirniak and Olimpia Dobrovolska, the composer/conductor MykolaKolessa, the painter Myron Levytsky and fellow writer Bohdan Nyzhankivsky (who latermade a name for himself as the wise-cracking versifier “Babai” in Kozak’s satirical illus-trated monthly “Lys Mykyta”).

Unfortunately, because of Tarnavsky’s conviction that “drama belongs to life in the the-ater, as a basis for theatrical spectacle, not as reading material in leisure time,” few if any ofthe scripts survived. But, as he noted himself in a letter to a friend, “many of the songs andskits created for ‘Veselyi Lviv’ are sung and recounted today, as they were by the fighters ofthe [Galicia] Division and the UPA [Ukrainian Insurgent Army].”

As his collegiate path suggests, Tarnavsky’s parallel profession and passion was journal-ism. In the 1930s, he worked for the Lviv-based daily Ukrainski Visty and the weeklyBatkivschyna, and contributed to countless others under various pseudonyms.

In September 1939, as the tanks of the Soviet occupation of Galicia rolled into Lviv,Tarnavsky was moved by an ambition to become the first Ukrainian radio reporter in theregion, and joined the Ukrainian Radio Committee. Two years later, from the station’sheadquarters on Bathory Street, he read out Yaroslav Stetsko’s ill-fated proclamation of

Sept.

91912

Turning the pages back...

The debate in Canada over a museum of the Holocaust now seems to have beentransformed into a dispute over parallel versus combined efforts to set up an institutionthat commemorates victims and draws lessons from the past to give instruction to thepresent and future.

Some quarters, including the B’nai Brith, insist on a “dedicated” Holocaust project,noting that such a facility “could provide an environment for learning about the manyacts of racism and atrocity around the world ... which have their parallels in the vari-ous stages of the Holocaust.” Thus, the argument goes, it would be “inclusive of theexperiences of many ethnic groups.” Others have suggested two separate museums:one dealing solely with the Holocaust; the other a “generic” genocide museum.

We strongly resist both the comparative genocides approach, whereby one geno-cide is elevated above others, and the idea of two separate museums, which to ussmacks of segregation and discrimination. Why should there even be a conflict overan all-inclusive museum dedicated to recognizing the victims of genocides?

Member of Parliament Sarkis Assadourian, who earlier this year introduced a bill tomandate the commemoration of the 20th century’s crimes against humanity via anexhibit at Canada’s Museum of Civilization, is now urging that Canadian citizens andother concerned individuals write to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to support the cre-ation of a Canadian Museum of Reconciliation. Such a museum, Mr. Assadourianbelieves, would give due recognition to all victims of genocide and crimes againsthumanity in the 20th century.

Mr. Assadourian’s office suggests the following arguments: Canadians from manydiverse backgrounds have been affected by crimes against humanity that have takenplace throughout the 20th century. As we approach the new millennium, the creationof the Canadian Museum of Reconciliation will assure equality and justice to all vic-tims without classification or prioritization. An all-inclusive museum reflectingCanada’s multicultural make-up and serving to build unity among all communities inCanada will also illustrate the importance of peacekeeping to Canada’s foreign policyas it continues to oppose crimes against humanity.

Furthermore, the MP suggests that Mr. Chrétien be urged to make the CanadianMuseum of Reconciliation a reality at the beginning of the 21st century by announc-ing its creation in the upcoming Throne Speech (which outlines the government’splans), a move that would make this issue a matter of consideration for the Cabinet.(The PM’s mailing address is: The Right Honorable Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister ofCanada, Langevin Block, 80 Wellington St., Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6.)

The Ukrainian Weekly joins with such Ukrainian organizations as the UkrainianCanadian Civil Liberties Association and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, as well asother ethno-cultural groups, to voice its strong support for Mr. Assadourian’s efforts.At the same time, we call on Canadian Jewish organizations to support this initiative.

Canada has the opportunity to be an innovator and leader on this issue. Its multicul-tural society deserves no less than an all-inclusive Museum of Reconciliation.

Multiculturalism and inclusivenessTHE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY NOTEWORTHY UKRAINIANS

by Danylo KulyniakVasyl Yaroshenko’s life was one of

rigorous self-sacrifice and dedication to hisideals.

In the foreword to one of VasylYaroshenko’s works, Lu Hsun, a Chinesescholar, wrote about the blind writer fromUkraine: “His naive beauty and the realityof his dream became clear to me. Perhapsthis dream was a veil that covered thetragedy of an artist? I also was a dreamer, Icalled upon the author not to part with hisbeautiful childish dream. I called upon thereaders to enter this dream, to see a genuinerainbow and understand that we were notsleep-walkers.”

What exactly was the dream thatinspired “Iosianke,” as the Chinese calledMr. Yaroshenko?

Forced by his blindness to look insidehimself, Mr. Yaroshenko envisaged a realmof universal concord and fraternity, a realmwhere neither language, disease nor wantwould divide people. When his conceptwas complete, he moved towards makinghis vision a reality. He traveled to Britain,where he became one of the Esperantists (agroup that included Anna Sharapova, a sis-ter of Leo Tolstoy.) The philosophy of a“universal language,” Esperanto, becamean ideal for Mr. Yaroshenko, offering as itdid an entry to the world scientific commu-nity, encouraging him to seek universal val-ues and truths, to synthesize the cultures ofWest and East.

At the same time, the blind youthbecame interested in Buddhism. While inJapan, Mr. Yaroshenko attended a series oflectures by a leading intellectual,Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore, lecturing atTokyo University, defined European cultureas material and Eastern as spiritual;Christianity, maintained Tagore, was prag-matic, while Buddhism strove to elevatehuman consciousness. Mr. Yaroshenko dis-agreed, stating that although the cultureshad little in common, they could not beopposed to one another. He felt that oneshould look for factors that unify peopleand help them understand one another in allareas of life. The poet was to dedicate hislife to this principle.

“Living is the main art for me, life itselfis a drama, and every man performs his roleon this great state,” Mr. Yaroshenko wrote.He saw his own role as being a guide forthe people who found themselves in spiritu-al darkness. The inner dictates of this rolecompelled Yero-san, as the Japanese calledMr. Yaroshenko, to leave Japan, where hehad spent seven years and found great con-tentment. “There is too little land and toomuch happiness here,” said Mr. Yaroshenkoabout Japan, the country where he fell inlove for the first time, where he began writ-ing in the language of his mistress, wherehis works were first published and where hewas recognized as a writer.

Mr. Yaroshenko’s travels led him tonortheastern Asia, where he established aschool for blind children in the city ofMoulmein. He taught the children how toread and write in Braille and wrote storiesfor them using this system. Later, on arriv-ing in Russia, Mr. Yaroshenko organized asimilar school in the extreme north inChukotka.

The way of life that Mr. Yaroshenko

adopted for himself at the time was notwithout its dangers. He insisted on travelingindependently (unheard of for a blind per-son at the time) and for this purpose learnedto ride a dog sled, but on one occasion fellfrom the sled while crossing the tundra andalmost froze to death.

However, his restless spirit always over-came such obstacles and even enabled himto deal with the arbitrariness of the machi-nations of government. He was expelledfrom India (then a part of the BritishEmpire) because of his sympathy with theanti-colonial movement, he was imprisonedin Japan for the participation in the work ofthe Second Congress of the SocialistLeague, and only the intervention of therespected writer Lu Hsun saved Mr.Yaroshenko from arrest by the Chineseauthorities.

But Mr. Yaroshenko had no real interestin politics for its own sake. His participa-tion in political movements was a result ofhis actively “pervading” the soul and cus-toms of the people among whom he lived atvarious stages of his adventurous life.Acquaintance with a new culture resulted inmastery of new languages, in ethnographicexpeditions, in literary works. The Chinesepoet Hu Yuo-Ji acknowledged that nobodyhad so deeply penetrated the problems andmisfortunes of the Chinese as Ilosianke inhis “Moan of a Solitary Soul” and “TheTale of a Solitary Tree.”

Mr. Yaroshenko constantly carried outscientific and research work; in 1923 hewas awarded a prize at the InternationalCongress of Esperantists of Nuremberg andnext year delivered a speech at theInternational Congress of Blind People inVienna. In his later years Mr. Yaroshenkotaught, translated from Eastern languagesand took part in international events.

He lived modestly, almost in poverty,sending his generous fees for translationwork to a fund for blind people.

Mr. Yaroshenko died in 1952 inObukhivtsi (now the Kursk region inRussia).

Vasyl Yaroshenko: writer,restless traveler, humanitarian

THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLYVisit our archive on the Internet at:

http://www.ukrweekly.com/

of the past, and asserted that many of hisfellow citizens lack the self-respect neces-sary to embrace a Ukrainian identity.

Mr. Horyn also quoted the 19th centuryleader Antonio Garibaldi, who said, “Wehave built Italy, now we must buildItalians.”

He said Ukraine is being tested for polit-ical maturity. The party structure and thepolitical spectrum must re-evaluate itscommitment to the state within which itoperates. “Today, not every party func-tionary works for the state and the coun-try,” Mr. Horyn said, “most are concernedonly with themselves.”

However, Mr. Horyn ended on a hopefulnote, with a captivating image. He likenedUkraine to a lady who has yet to join adance, unsure of herself. He said that in the21st century his country could yet emergeon the European ballroom floor as a modelof democracy, social justice and ethnic har-mony.

“Only for this kind of Ukraine is itworth living,” the former dissident said.

(Continued from page 1)Horyn says...



Once again Ukrainian Canadian leadersare engaged in an acrimonious debate withJewish Canadian leaders over historicaltruth. Jewish leaders are promoting anexclusively Jewish Holocaust museum,similar to the one in Washington, to be builtin Ottawa at taxpayer expense. Ukrainianleaders support a more universal genocidemuseum that would include the Holocaustas well as the Great Famine and othercrimes against humanity.

As accusations and counter-accusationsare published in the Canadian press, com-promise between the two groups appearsunlikely. Why? Much of the reason can befound in a new book by a University ofChicago professor, Peter Novick, titled“The Holocaust in American Life.”

Like the Jews, Ukrainians have sufferedthe horrors of regimes whose bestial sav-agery threatened their very existence as apeople. And, like the Jews, Ukrainians wanttheir suffering to be recognized and neverforgotten. There is a difference in approachto past horrors by the two groups, however.Writes Prof. Novick: “In Jewish discourseon the Holocaust we have not just a compe-tition for recognition ... but a competitionfor primacy.” Jews have succeeded in mak-ing their tragedy the benchmark againstwhich all other atrocities are to be judged.In American usage, a Holocaust survivor isalways a Jew. When Ukrainians and Polesvoice their resentment, Jews such as SolLittman of the Simon Weisenthal Centeraccuse them of “Holocaust envy.” And it’snot just the Holocaust. It’s also genocide, aterm that some Jews now claim can applyonly to them.

It wasn’t always that way. “After the warbegan, and after the main outlines of theHolocaust had become known,” writes Dr.Novick, “it was common for Jewish writersto interpret Nazi atrocities in a universalistfashion – stressing that Jews were far fromthe only victims.” A 1944 American JewishCommittee staff memorandum urgedemphasis on “the new spirit of Polandunder the heel of the Nazis, the new spirit ofkinship and camaraderie among all sectionsof the Polish population – Catholics,Protestants, Jews.”

These sentiments were essentially apolitical ploy. Anti-Semitism was relativelyprevalent in America during the war; someAmericans believed that President FranklinD. Roosevelt was a closet Jew and that thiswas the main reason he concentrated ourmilitary might not on Japan, which hadattacked America, but on Germany, whichhadn’t. Jewish leaders feared that emphasiz-ing Jewish suffering would lend credence tothis canard. Defeating Hitler took prece-dence over Jewish rescue.

Today, of course, the situation is quitedifferent, especially at the HolocaustMuseum in Washington where it is claimedthat Jewish leaders petitioned the wardepartment to bomb Auschwitz. Not so,argues Prof. Novick.

When the war ended, Jewish survivorswere held in contempt by Jews in Israel andAmerica because they didn’t resist Hitler’smurder machine. A top leader of the AJC,for example, wrote to a colleague in 1946:“Those who have survived are the not thefittest ... but are largely the lowest Jewishelements, who by cunning and animalinstincts have been able to escape the terri-ble fate of the more refined and better ele-ments who succumbed.”

Between the end of the war and the1960s, the Holocaust was rarely discussedamong Jews. In his 1957 scholarly survey

of Jews in the 1950s, Prof. Nathan Glazernoted that the Holocaust “had remarkablyslight effects on the inner life of AmericanJewry.” The Holocaust was not even men-tioned in a similar survey by NormanPodhoretz that same year. The Cold Warnotion that criticism of Germany playedinto the Communists’ hands also con-tributed to making the Holocaust yester-day’s news for American and Jews alike.The inclusionary perception remained,however. Even Simon Wiesenthal spoke ofthe 11 million victims of Nazism.

The Eichmann trial changed all that, bothin Israel and the United States. Attempts bythe Anti-Defamation League and the AJC topresent the trial in a universalist fashionsoon dissipated as the prosecution placedEichmann “in a genealogy that extendedfrom Pharaoh through Haman, Chmielnicki[Khmelnytsky] and Petlura [Petliura].”Survivors such as Elie Wiesel (“all ofUkraine is Babi Yar,” he once wrote) weresuddenly sanctified. For Mr. Wiesel, theHolocaust became “equal to the revelationat Sinai” in its religious significance, a sym-bol of eternal Jewish vulnerability.

Beginning in the late 1960s and especial-ly in the 1970s, Jewish leaders promotedthe idea that a new anti-Semitism had arisenand that Jews, as perpetual victims, werealways at risk. Heightened Holocaustawareness one rabbi argued, would prepareAmerican Jews for the day when theymight have to flee the U.S. Ironically, Prof.Novick writes, “anti-Semitism in the UnitedStates was, by every measure, continuing itslong-term decline, diminishing to the pointthat it presented no significant barriers ordisadvantages to American Jews.”

Why the disparity between reality andreaction? According to Dr. Novick, a signif-icant reason is assimilation, the “vanishingJews” phenomenon. At a time when neitherreligious beliefs nor cultural traits unitemost Jews, and as Israel is no longer per-ceived as pristine, the Holocaust hasbecome ‘the defining Jewish experience,’he writes. “Insofar as it attained mythic sta-tus, expressing truths about an ensuringJewish condition, all were united in anessential victim identity.”

I can appreciate Jewish concerns withassimilation. Ukrainians have similar wor-ries about their future in North America.What I resent, however, is the way Jewishleaders have manipulated public discourseon the Holocaust to the point that any dis-cussion that is not in lock-step with theirposition can be interpreted either as “anti-Semitic” or “bordering on anti-Semitism” –accusations for which there is no defense.

Yes, the Jewish Shoah is unique. “But tosingle out these aspects of the Holocaustthat were distinctive (there certainly weresuch),” writes Prof. Novick, “and to ignorethose aspects that it shares with other atroci-ties, and on the basis of this gerrymanderingto declare the Holocaust unique, is intellec-tual slight of hand. The assertion that theHolocaust is unique – like the claim that itis singularly incomprehensible or unrepre-sentable – is in practice deeply offensive.What else can all this possibly mean exceptyour catastrophe, unlike ours, is ordinary;unlike ours, is comprehensible; unlike ours,is presentable.”

Few nations suffered more anguish andmisery in this century than Ukraine. Nogroup has the right to pervert this historicalfact for its own convenience.

FFaacceess aanndd PPllaacceessby Myron B. Kuropas

Myron Kuropas’ e-mail address is:[email protected]

Manipulating the Holocaustby Andriy SemotiukOf all the programs the Canadian gov-

ernment has to offer immigrants, the besthas to be the care-giver program underwhich an individual who is prepared to lookafter children, or the elderly, can come toCanada and eventually qualify to stay per-manently. The beauty of the program restsin the fact that, unlike the others that requirewealth, unique skills or family connections,this program helps ordinary people immi-grate to Canada.

For as long as I can remember, the pro-gram has been the bane of the existence ofthe Immigration Department yet, thankfully,its supporters in Canada have had thestrength to keep it alive. The requirementsof the program are quite straightforward,and the process under which the applicantshave been allowed into Canada is interest-ing. The program is of particular impor-tance to Ukrainian Canadians, since it offersa way for them to find Ukrainian care-givers for their children and the elderly,sometimes even involving relatives fromUkraine. The United States has a similarprogram, but it falls short of the mark whencompared to the Canadian one.

To qualify under the program the would-be care-giver must meet four requirements.

• First, the care-giver must have complet-ed high school. The program requires theequivalent of Canadian high school com-pletion.

• Second, the applicant must be willingto live in the home of the sponsoring family.This implies that the house has suitableaccommodation for the arriving person.

• Third, the immigrant must have eithersix months of full-time training or one yearof experience in paid employment in a fieldrelated to care-giving. Thus, for example, ateacher would qualify for a nanny positionwith a Canadian family.

• Finally, the care-giver must be able tospeak, write and understand either Englishor French.

In some ways these are onerous require-ments. For example, a nanny who is goingto care for the children of somebody whospeaks German in the home will not qualifyif her English is not good, even though shemay speak perfect German, and eventhough she may have a Ph.D. in educationand meet all the other qualifications.Similarly, does somebody who may notintend to settle in Canada permanently real-ly need to have a high school education tolook after the elderly? Some changes to theprogram would make it even better, butthere can be no denying the fact that theprogram, even as it is, helps a great manypeople who are in need in Canada.

One of the main reasons for the pro-gram’s survival has been the fact that mostCanadian care-givers are not prepared tomove in with the family of the individualswho need care. While there may be unem-ployed nurses and other medical personnellooking for work in Canada who, in theory,could fill these needs, the fact of the matteris that such unemployed individuals do notlike the concept of being available at oddhours of the day and night by living in therelevant home. And this is just what is need-

ed to keep the door open to the foreign care-givers.

Sometimes these foreign care-givers arefamily members who are welcomed into thenew home with glee, since this not onlyhelps the Canadian family, but also makes itpossible for these families to help their kinmove here. This, of course, raises eyebrowsand elicits snarls from Canadian visa offi-cers who see it as an attempt to circumventnormal immigration procedures. But it istolerated.

The process for sponsorship of a foreigncare-giver begins within Canada when therelevant family applies to HumanResources Canada. They are given a book-let that explains the program and invited toenter into a written contract with the immi-grant in which the duties, money and livingarrangements are spelled out. Basically, theforeigner is paid about $1,200 per monthfrom the host family and can be required topay about $300 per month for room andboard. Working conditions must satisfylocal labor laws. The signed contract and anapplication are submitted to HumanResources Canada, which usually takesabout three weeks to approve the matter.

When the application is submitted, thepeople at Human Resources must be toldwhere to send the approval letter.Sometimes the applicant for the job is visit-ing Canada when the application is filed. Inthis case Canadian immigration lawrequires the applicant to leave the countryand apply from a foreign Canadian con-sulate. For example, the Los AngelesConsulate can be designated as theConsulate where the applicant wants to beinterviewed to obtain his/her visa. HumanResources Canada will then send itsapproval letter to that consulate and that iswhere the applicant must travel to take thenext step.

If the applicant is within Canada whenthe initial steps are taken, the applicant mustcontact a U.S. Consulate in Canada to get avisa to travel to the United States for theinterview at the Canadian Consulate. Just tobe clear here, we are now talking about twodifferent visas and two different Consulates:the Canadian visitor’s visa and theAmerican visitor’s visa.

The Canadian visa is what the applicantgot when he or she first entered Canada; theAmerican visa is what the applicant nowwants from the American Consulate inCanada in order to attend the interviewscheduled at the Canadian Consulate in theUnited States.

Thus, for example, in Alberta, the appli-cant who has been approved by HumanResources Canada and been notified theapproval letter has been sent to theCanadian Consulate in Los Angeles, willthen turn to the U.S. Consulate in Calgaryto get a visa to travel to the United States.Assuming that the applicant has renewedhis or her visitor’s visa in Canada after asix-month stay, and has therefore beenrequired to pass a medical exam, the appli-cant can apply from the United States to beapproved for care-giver status in Canada.Passing a medical exam is one of the pre-requisites.

Since applications for care-givers oftenarise when a visitor to Canada is asked by aCanadian family to become a care-giverhere, it is worth taking a moment to discusswhat that proposed care-giver will need toobtain an American visa to travel there foran interview at a Canadian Consulate in theUnited States. To arrange an American visa,the applicant should come to the U.S.

Canadian care-giver programamong the best for immigrants

NEWS AND VIEWS


Andriy Semotiuk is a practicing attorneywith the law firm of Manning, Marder andWolfe in Los Angeles. He has practiced lawfor over 20 years and is a member of theCalifornia, New York, Ontario, Alberta andBritish Columbia bars. He specializes inimmigration law, and in active inUkrainian affairs. He may be reached viae-mail: [email protected].


Manhattan’s East Village teems year-round withartists, craftspeople, sidewalk vendors, New YorkUniversity students and tourists. In the fall, winterand spring it also comes alive with intense Ukrainianactivity that generally goes into hiatus during thewarm-weather months. This summer, however, wasdifferent.

The area that harbors the largest concentration ofUkrainians in New York City has been surprisinglyactive in recent months: concerts by two touring ensem-bles from Ukraine (one of these, Dity Ditiam, orChildren for Children, was movingly reviewed byBohdanna Wolanska in the August 15 issue of TheWeekly); a series of unique programs centering aroundoff-beat poetry, music and folk rituals; participation bythe Cheres folk ensemble in the annual summer concertseries in Abe Lebewohl Park; an appearance by theGogol Bordello ensemble at the popular Joe’s Pub; anda turn at experimental theater by actress TannisKowalchuk at La MaMa Theater.

Abetting the performing arts, The Ukrainian Museumoffered a summer exhibition of works from its fine artscollection. The Ukrainian Congress Committee ofAmerica hopped aboard the summer bandwagon, too,inviting the public to attend brown-bag lunches andhear speakers from Ukraine and the United States dis-course on political topics.

Pikardiiska TertsiiaBearing the intriguing name of Pikardiiska Tertsiia, a

six-man vocal troupe from Lviv held a full house spell-bound at the Ukrainian National Home in June, sansmicrophones, musical instruments or printed programs.

In a non-stop 90-minute program, they beguiled theaudience with harmonies that ranged from a heavenlysounding chorus of angels “Sad Anhelskykh Pisen”(Garden of Angels’ Songs), folk songs like the yearning“Tuman Yarom” (Mist-Shrounded Hillsides) to heartycountry-western and electrifying rock ’n roll music.

Along the way, the singers imitated the sound of gui-tar strings and mouth organs and the twang of the small,metal “drymba” (mouth-harp), and accompanied them-selves with rhythmic clapping, foot-stomping, wordlesscrooning, humming and whistling.

Tenor Volodymyr Yakymets, the ensemble’s director,explained the absence of amplifying equipment. “Wewant to bring our songs to you raw and fresh – withoutany apparatus.”

Tertsiia’s vocal formation also included tenors AndriiKapral and Yaroslav Nudyk, baritone Roman Turianyn

DATELINE NEW YORK: Village life, complete with rituals by Helen Smindak

and basses Andrii Shavala and Bohdan Bohach. All aregraduates of the Lysenko Music Institute in Lviv.

The blending of voices was smooth and melodious,the style unique. The sextet sang in Ukrainian, althoughEnglish took over in two rock ’n roll pieces.

Among the liveliest selections were a Ukrainian folksong “Tam za Lisom, za Luhom” (Beyond the Forest,Beyond the Plain), jazzed up by variations of tempo andbeat, and a rock ’n roll number that ended with a long,drawn-out “Oh, yeah.” In the number “Tanok” (Dance),a piece written by Yevhen Stankovych as an exercise forhis music students, the ensemble went to town with anentire gamut of sounds, as well as combinations ofsounds and tempos.

Caught up in Tertsiia’s fervor, the audience clappedalong with the singers and shouted “sche, sche” (more,more) at the end of the show, and got more – a livelyrock ’n roll number reminiscent of joyous Afro-American gospel singing.

Beginning its tour in Washington during the JointConferences of Ukrainian American Organizations, theensemble swung through several Northeast states, mak-ing New York its final stop. Word of the group’s out-standing presentation had preceded it to New York,attracting music lovers of all ages.

Tertsiia’s manager, Roman Klymovsky, said thegroup is heading to appearances in Warsaw and Kyiv,and Peter Rybchuk, editor of Zakordonna Hazeta, whichco-sponsored the tour with Air Ukraine/UzbekistanAirways, added that the ensemble will be back in theU.S. during the Christmas season.

The name Pikardiiska Tertsiia? It’s a musical term –picardy third that comes from the French “tiercePicardie.” According to the Harvard Dictionary ofMusic, it was popular from 1500 to 1750 and denotes“the major third used for the final chord of a composi-tion in a minor key.”

Kupalo ritualsPre-Christian Ukrainians celebrated the end of the

summer solstice and the beginning of harvest time byhonoring Kupalo, the god of love and the harvest, andthe personification of the earth’s fertility. Though thispagan festival has been supplanted on the Christiancalendar by the feast day of the Nativity of St. Johnthe Baptist, it has remained part of Ukrainian folk ritu-al as the festival of Ivan Kupalo. Nikolai Gogol(Mykola Hohol) drew world attention to the rituals inhis short story “Nich pid Ivana Kupala” (The Eve ofIvan Kupalo).

On a warm summer evening in July, Virlana Tkacz,members of the Yara Arts Group, bandurist JulianKytasty and others re-enacted Kupalo rituals for amulti-ethnic throng amid the lush plantings and rusticgrapevine trellises of the Community Garden at the cor-ner of Sixth Street and Avenue B.

Flickering candlelight led participants from one gar-den spot to another. Katie Takahashi recited waterincantations and told fortunes beside a rock formation

to the accompaniment of ancient Kupalo songs com-piled by Ms. Tkacz and electronically processed byAlex Kytasty. At the gazebo in the garden’s center, Irinaand Genya from Kyiv assisted everyone in makingwreaths of freshly picked wildflowers. Elsewhere,Mykhailo Andrec strummed his bandura, providingbackground music for simultaneous English andUkrainian readings of Gogol’s Kupalo story by TomLee and Taras Los.

Eugene Hutz, standing in front of a video projectionof Vadym and Yuriy Illienko’s 1967 film “The Eve ofIvan Kupalo” read original stories from his Ukrainian-language collection “New York Fables” to banduraaccompaniment. Listeners showered him with bucketsof water, Kupalo-style, at the end of each story.

In another corner, choreographer Dyane Harvey ledparticipants in a candle dance to Meredith Wright’s fas-cinating improvisations on the traditional folk song“Hold a Candle.” Tristra Newyear, Eleanor Lipat andJulian Kytasty sang Kupalo songs in the traditional folkstyle known as “bilyi holos” (white voice), addinganother entrancing facet to the evening.

Fortunes written by each participant and hung on the“hiltse” (branch) at the start of the evening were nowplucked at random from this tree of fortune and eagerlyscanned by the light of candles floating on water.

These Kupalo festivities formed a Julian-calendarfollow-up to a Kupalo evening held in June at theUkrainian Sports Club. That event featured a talk byfilmmaker Andrea Odezynska and the screening of heraward-winning film “Dora Is Dysfunctional,” anuproarious look at the diaspora’s attempts to preserveold country rituals in the United States. There were alsoexcerpts of Kupalo scenes from such famous films as“Andrei Rublev,” “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors”and “Time of the Gypsies,” improvisations on a Kupalosong by soprano Natalia Honcharenko and readings ofwater incantations by Ms. Tkacz.

The initial event of Yara’s Nova Nomada series washeld at the Big Bar on East Sixth Street, combining anethno-electronic piece, “Bicycling in Transylvania” bythe Staroviry trio (Mr. Hutz and the Kytasty brothers), ahilarious storytelling performance by Mr. Hutz and“Ukrainian-American” poetry by Ms. Tkacz.

At another event, New York author and Svitovyd edi-tor Maria Rewakowicz piqued the interest of an audi-ence at the Sports Club as she read selections from herbooks of haunting love poems, some in Ukrainian, oth-ers in English translation. Julian Kytasty offered fluteand bandura improvisations, and Mr. Andrec performedthe “Mosaic” bandura piece he composed with comput-er assistance. Yuriy Fedynsky of Raleigh, N.C., backfrom bandura studies in Lviv and Kyiv, simulated thesounds of a cascading waterfall in his “Bandura PieceNo. 1.” Mr. Hutz rounded out the program by acting asDJ for his special blend of electro-music.

Now that the momentum has begun, Ms. Tkacz saysthe Nova Nomada gathering will continue every two

Yara’s Eleanor Lipat, Katie Takahashi and Tom Lee celebrate the feast of Ivan Kupalo.

Tannis Kowalchuk (foreground) with Allison Waters. (Continued on page 9)

by Oksana ZakydalskyTORONTO – A recent visit to the studio of artist

Sophia Lada was an almost spiritual experience. Alongone wall of the studio hang panels of a 6-by-11-foot trip-tych, the central part a life-size rendering of the Orantawith arms uplifted – Mary the Protectress of All. To herright, three saints: the Venerable Mary of Egypt, St.Helene (mother of Emperor Constantine) and St. MaryMagdalen. To the left of the Oranta: the martyr St.Barbara, St. Olha the Great, princess of Kyiv, and St.Catherine of Alexandria. The triptych is destined for thechapel of the Mother House of the Sisters of St. Basilthe Great in Rome.

Several years ago, the Sisters of St. Basil the Greatapproached Lada [who prefers to be called Lada – noMs.] with a proposal to paint the walls of theirchapel, which is located in an older building, a formervilla adapted for the order’s use, in the Avantino dis-trict of Rome. The Basilian Sisters were familiar withLada’s work as she had been artist-in-residence atManor College in Philadelphia, which is run by theorder.

The initial stage of the project involved a trip toRome where Lada discussed with Mother Dia Stasiukand the Basilian Sisters the selection of saints to bepainted and made a plan of how to divide the walls ofthe chapel. Although the chapel is not large – 15 by 45feet – it has a very high ceiling that gave the artist lotsof space in which to work.

The Basilian Sisters wanted the iconography of thechapel to observe the canons of Byzantine ecclesiasticalart; they helped choose the specific icons to be featured.The choice of colors was governed both by the fact thatcertain colors are attached to different saints and thatcolors have symbolic meanings of their own. Colorswere chosen to evoke a spiritual response and to achievea harmonious whole.

Where had Lada learned iconography? “Theacclaimed iconographer Sviatoslav Hordynsky intro-duced me to the history of iconography. During the1970s I assisted him in the execution of several churchprojects (for Munich and western Canada) in his styleand technique. I learned a lot from him. It is unavoid-able that, at the present time, his influence is visible inmy work,” Lada said.

Since the paintings were to be done in Toronto andhad to be rolled up and transported to Rome, Lada choseto do them on canvas in acrylic paints. Traditional

iconography is done in egg tempera for which a rigidsurface is required. Canvas was also chosen becauseAventino, where the chapel is located, is sometimes sub-ject to earth tremors that can crack walls. Canvas ismore flexible.

Part of the icons of the project have already beeninstalled. They included the composition on the wallbehind the altar with the Pantokrator (Enthroned Christ)surrounded by the Seraphim and symbols of the FourEvangelists. To his right is the Blessed Mother andArchangel Michael; to the left – St. John the Baptist andArchangel Gabriel. On the side walls are St. Macrina,the patron saint of the Basilian Sisters, and St. JohnChrysostom and St. Basil the Great, fathers of theChurch.

Lada went to Rome in the spring of 1998 to do theinstallation. The canvas was applied to the wall by alocal craftsman; Lada painted the ornamentation andapplied the goldleaf. She was assisted by Sister Selinaalso an iconographer.

The second phase is to be completed this October,with Lada again going to Rome to oversee the installa-tion. In addition to the triptych, which will be put on onewall of the central part of the chapel, icon paintings ofSt. Nicholas the Great, Ss. Cyril and Methodius and theGrand Prince of Kyiv, St. Vladimir, will be installed.The back wall of the chapel, which includes the exit,will feature the Guardian Angels of Day and Night,whose depiction was inspired by the collection of dailyprayers “Prayers for a Planetary Journey.”

To make sure that the second phase of the iconsmatched the first, Lada said, “I made color samplesfrom the icons already in Rome and matched them up.The second part of the project was easier to do than thefirst. At first, it was hard to envision the icons in theirplace. After the first installation, I knew what the colorswould look like. That was the most challenging part ofthe project – not doing the work there, on site, and notbeing able to see the work as it progressed within theenvironment it was to go into.”

With this years-long project nearing completion, Ladasaid, “This has been the biggest project that I haveworked on independently. I am looking forward to doingmy own work and preparing an exhibit, but it takes timeto adjust. Doing iconography takes a specific frame ofmind. It is altogether a different spiritual journey,because, as an artist, my work is mostly inspired by theculture of pre-Christian Ukraine. But I do apply certainprinciples of Byzantine art in composition and in the

philosophy of inner light. This project has been a veryrewarding experience because it has given me an oppor-tunity to execute work which is a part of my heritageand personally to see the treasures of Rome and the sur-rounding cities of Italy.”


Sophia Lada in Rome putting finishing touches on the icon “Christ Enthroned.”

weeks, “tying together rock ’n roll, theater, poetry andtraditional music in an untraditional manner.”

Exploring new territoryTannis Kowalchuk is drawn to projects that present a

foray into new territory, so she enjoys working in a cre-ative style that blends physical theater, song, stilt-walk-ing, music and original text into a multi-layered experi-ence that has been likened to “Beckett on stilts.”

A core member and collaborator with Primus Theater,a prominent Canadian experimental theater troupe, theWinnipeg-born actress has been active in New Yorksince 1997 as a co-founder and member of the NorthAmerican Cultural Laboratory (NaCl).

She has created and performed roles with NaCl in“The Secret Storey” and “A Canon for the Blue Moon.”Last year, premiering in Cleveland and New York in theone-woman avant-garde production “The PassionAccording to G.H.,” she dramatized a life-changingencounter with a huge cockroach simply using her body,voice and costume.

Ms. Kowalchuk returned to the New York stage a fewmonths ago in another original, highly unusual piece,“Asphyxia and Other Promises,” a modern absurdist talebased on an Italian fairytale. Written by poet/playwrightHenry Israeli, “Asphyxia” tells the story of a womanwho is tricked into giving up her unborn child to theOrder of Disorder, and the child is raised in a magicalcloister by a giant, insect-like stilt figure, ministered toby mischievous spirits and tutored by a mad and rebel-lious “Sister.”

During its three-week run at La MaMa, the experimen-tal theater company on East Fourth Street, “Asphyxia”stirred patrons with its dramatic imagery and revolution-ary sounds. Ms. Kowalchuk, playing the roles ofAsphyxia and Sister, and Allison Waters, as Beatrix, thechild, turned in dynamic, finelycrafted performances.

Ms. Kowalchuk has performed in Canada, Italy,France and Denmark, taught a unique approach to phys-ical and vocal training in universities and schools inNorth America and Europe, and created a children’s per-formance, “Journey of the Dragon Boy,” which was pro-duced in Canadian regional theaters.

The actress and her husband, Brad Krumholz, whodirected “Asphyxia,” founded North American CulturalLaboratory in order “to create situations for communica-tion and human interaction between fellow theaterartists and spectators from all walks of life.” Togetherwith Ms. Waters, they practice daily actor-training ses-sions and spend four months to a year on each projectcreated by NaCl, a resident company of La MaMa.

Cheers for CheresThis past July, the Ukrainian folk ensemble Cheres

assembled in Abe Lebewohl Park in front of historic St.Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery to give a noontime con-cert of Carpathian music. Attired in traditional Hutsulgarb, the group of musicians led by director AndriyMilavsky performed on native woodwind and stringinstruments.

It was the group’s second appearance in three years inthe series of summer musical programs started by localinstitutions to encourage neighborhood residents andvisitors to use the park. Originally named St. Mark’sPark, it was renamed Abe Lebewohl Park to honor thememory of the philanthropic owner of the SecondAvenue Deli who was murdered in 1996.

The series is sponsored by the Third Street MusicSchool Settlement and the 10th and Stuyvesant StreetsBlock Association in cooperation with St. Mark’sChurch, and receive funding from several local institu-tions.

Last season, Cheres enjoyed successful runs atKarpo’s Restaurant on Blecker Street, as well as whatthe troupe described as “really wild” weekend gigs atBrewsky’s Tavern on East Seventh Street. The ensem-ble appeared at Harvard University this summer in con-

junction with Mr. Milavsky’s lecture on Hutsul musicfor students of Harvard’s Ukrainian studies summerschool.

Mr. Milavsky, who began his career at the exclusiveKyiv School of the Arts as a teacher of woodwindinstruments in both classical and folk genres, recentlyformed a classical woodwind quintet in New York. Healso teaches jazz, plays in the Amato Opera orchestraand serves as choir director at All Saints UkrainianOrthodox Church. He and his wife, Lila Dlaboha, a pro-fessional editor who handles perscussion instruments inthe Cheres ensemble, are working on a Cheres videothat they expect will match the popularity of the CheresCD “From the Mountains to the Steppes” released in1998.

Gogol Bordello“If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere,”

goes the popular Frank Sinatra song “New York, NewYork.” Those words could be the theme for theUkrainian surrealistic punk cabaret band GogolBordello. The four-man group, fronted by singer/song-writer Eugene Hutz, has appeared in almost every NewYork club that presents punk cabaret music. Now GogolBordello has added a hip new club – Joe’s Pub – to itslist of “been there, done that.”

Open seven nights a week, Joe’s Pub is the JosephPapp Public Theater’s new nightclub on LafayetteStreet, offering a changing roster from ethnic musicensembles and spoken-word artists to promising youngmusical-theater composers and performers. Celebritieslike Georgio Armani, Donald Trump and composer-songwriters Adolph Green and Betty Comden ornamentthe place.

Says Mr. Hutz, “Gogol Bordello puts the accent ontheatrics and storytelling, and is heavily influenced byUkrainian, Romanian and Gypsy folk music. We’re avery live act; we don’t stand around.” He expects hisgroup will be invited to Joe’s Pub for a return engage-ment.

(Continued from page 8)Village life...

Toronto artist creates icons for Basilian Sisters’ chapel in Rome



TORONTO – Delegates of the UkrainianCanadian Professional and BusinessFederation’s biennial convention, held inCanada’s largest city on July 1-4 under theslogan “Catch the Global Spirit,” votedOksana Bashuk Hepburn of Ottawa as theirpresident – the third woman in successionto hold the post.

At the UCPBF’s Nation-Building AwardsBanquet at the Holiday Inn on King Street,the convention venue, Ms. Bashuk Hepburnannounced that Canada’s former GovernorGeneral Ramon Hnatyshyn had agreed toserve as the organization’s patron, and thatentrepreneur William Teron, chairman of ahighly successful development firm, hadbeen designated honorary president.

At the initiative of Toronto-based lawyerEugene Zalucky (UCPBF president, 1991-1993), it was decided that a Past Presidents’Club would be formed as an executive advi-sory body. Raya Shadursky of Toronto(1995-1997) and Oshawa’s Peter Zakarow(1987-1989) agreed to play an active role.

Assuming office unopposed was a slatethat included Executive Vice-PresidentPeter Sorokan and Secretary MarilynDolenko (both also from Ottawa); TreasurerMike Stebila of Windsor, Ontario; sevenregional vice-presidents, two communica-tions directors and five ex-officio represen-tatives from affiliated organizations.

The composition of the core executivebody suggests a shift eastward after a trou-bled two-year term that saw DonnaKorchinski of Calgary, Alberta, resign aspresident mid-term, and other officers alsofinding it difficult to serve out their commit-ments. Doris Watson of Calgary, who tookover as acting president when Ms.Korchinski stepped down, will stay on aspast president.

The directorship of Internet communica-

tions moved westward from Ottawa (MichaelKostiuk, who held the post since its inceptionin 1995) to Calgary (Roman Zakaluzny).

The convention adopted no formal reso-lutions, but Ms. Bashuk Hepburn is nostranger to taking initiative. Judging fromher acceptance speech following her accla-mation, her address at the banquet later thatevening, and her comments during the newexecutive’s first meeting on July 4, theUCPBF’s agenda is likely to be full.

The president’s many ideasAt the awards banquet the president

announced that the UCPBF, the umbrellagroup for organizations of professionals andbusinesspeople (popularly referred to as Psand Bs) will undertake a “MillenniumProject” focusing on the contributions ofUkrainians in Canada, which will include apublication to be issued in cooperation withthe Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studiesand a mentoring program betweenCanadian and Ukrainian counterparts.

Ms. Bashuk Hepburn, who is alsoUkrainian Canadian Congress (UCC)Ottawa Branch president (since June 1998),noted that “As a major constituent memberof the UCC, we [the UCPBF] support theUCC as the leading voice representing ourcommunity, since the UCC is very strong inthis area [Ottawa], as demonstrated by itsinitiatives concerning denaturalization anddeportation, the internment of UkrainianCanadians in 1914-1920, the Museum ofGenocide/Reconciliation and immigrationpolicy.” She added, “However, perhaps thefederation can undertake some initiatives ofits own.”

The new president expressed hope thatlife would be breathed into a Friends ofUkraine Parliamentary Committee at the fed-eral legislature, and suggested the UCPBFcould play a role in evaluating the CanadianInternational Development Agency’s pro-grams for Ukraine. She raised the possibility

that the federation could sponsor or conducta survey concerning the often-decried braindrain of Canadians to the United States inorder to determine what effect this has hadon the Ukrainian community.

“We should explore the possibility ofasking the federal government, which isabout to embark on a $170 million study ofthe reasons for the waning of French cul-ture in western Canada, to afford Ukrainianculture, also part of the Canadian multicul-tural mosaic, similar attention,” Ms. BashukHepburn said.

As a measure of balance for the often crit-ical stance taken by the community towardsthe government, the Ottawa-based activistsuggested that the federation could initiate a“Thank You Canada” program to “celebratethe various advantages that our communityhas been afforded in this country.”

“We should also focus on the variousvacancies in our country’s institutions andnominate individuals for positions such asgovernor general, director of the NationalArts Center, Supreme Court justice, FederalCourt justice,” she said, adding, “We shouldreacquire the mindset that is directed at thevery top spots in the country and help oneanother in striving for them.”

As another “Millennium Project,” Ms.Bashuk Hepburn said the UCPBF couldestablish a special scholarship. “Our fore-bears’ focus on education in the 1930s wasso strong that it produced a wave of strongleaders and professionals.

“We want our children to be the bestqualified, so that we and they can capitalizeon what this country and the world at largehave to offer.”

Optimistic openingThe optimistic tone of the convention

was set by its opening act: a “Canada DayGourmet Boat Cruise” on Lake Ontarioaboard the Jubilee Queen Showboat on theevening of July 1. Also notable was thatamong the 200 attending, there was a sig-nificant number of new immigrant profes-sionals and businesspeople seekinginvolvement in the established community.

About 60 people attended the formalopening of the convention on the morningof July 2. A former UCPBF president andconvention organizer Raya Shadurskybegan the proceedings with a speech notingthat the organization effected a group ofCanadian nation-builders, who contributedto the authoring of Section 26 of Canada’sConstitution, which describes the countryas multicultural.

She commended past members fortheir instrumental roles in creating theCanadian Foundation for UkrainianStudies, the Canadian Institute ofUkrainian Studies (its founding director,Prof. Manoly Lupul, was UCPBF presi-dent in 1973-1975) and the UkrainianResource and Development Center atEdmonton’s Grant MacEwan College;for supporting the publication of theEncyclopedia of Ukraine; for traveling toUkraine in 1989 on a fact-finding mis-sion and establishing the first businesscouncil formed with a country of the for-mer Warsaw Pact.

Biennial meetingThe UCPBF’s biennial meeting, held

July 3, began with outgoing Treasurer RonMaleshewski’s report which indicated thatwhile many of the local associations arebehind in the payment of dues, the overallfinancial health of the organization issound, showing a small surplus of $4,270.

Acting President Doris Watson presenteda sketch of the past two turbulent years, con-centrating on positives such as the UCPBF’sassistance to Natalia Polataiko in her effortsto compile an updated directory ofUkrainians in North America and humani-tarian aid work in the form of assistance inorganizing soup kitchens in Ukraine.

In her first official act as UCPBFPresident, Ms. Bashuk Hepburn asked theassembly to stand for a moment of silence“in memory of one of us,” Prof. DanyloHusar Struk, who died in Munich,Germany, on June 19.

Asked to comment on the low number ofregistrants, as compared to the 900 attractedto the Joint Conferences of UkrainianAmerican Organizations, Ms. Shadurskysaid: “I see our convention as successful.We may not have a multitude assemblinghere, but we do have representation fromacross the country of the leaders of the localassociations. Those are the people whowant to meet, those are the people who willgo back to their associations, who are goingto make plans and provide leadership forthe community.”

“I think we have to get away from thethinking that demands that you need to fill aroom to be successful. What you need isgood people who will make good sugges-tions, take action and provide leadership.”

The former federation president added:“We’ve had discussions about this and havedecided that instead of spending 80 percentof our time chasing after membership num-bers, we’ll start concentrating on issues thatare more important. If anything, this alsoallows for a more realistic separation of thesocial aspect of belonging to an organiza-tion of professionals and businesspeoplefrom the actual work that has to be done.”

President-elect Oksana Bashuk Hepburn to steer Canadian Ps and Bs from nation’s capital

Ukrainian Canadian Professional andBusiness Federation

National Executive for 1999 - 2001Patron: Ramon Hnatyshyn, former governor general of CanadaHonorary President: William Teron, Chairman, Teron International President: Oksana Bashuk Hepburn (Ottawa)Executive Vice-President: Peter Sorokan (Ottawa)Secretary: Marilyn Dolenko (Hamilton, Ontario)Treasurer: Mike Stebila (Windsor, Ontario)Interim Past President: Doris Watson (Calgary)Directors:

Communications: John Chilibeck (St. John, New Brunswick)Internet: Roman Zakaluzny (Calgary)

Regional Vice-Presidents:British Columbia: vacantAlberta: Steven Jakymiw (Edmonton)Saskatchewan: Zenia Stechishin (Saskatoon)Manitoba: Nadia Maksimiw (Winnipeg)Ontario: Marika Lawrentiw (Toronto)Quebec: Olya Kowal (Montreal)Maritimes: Olya Williams (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Representatives:Ukrainian Canadian Congress: Adrian Boyko (Saskatoon), Nestor Budyk (Winnipeg)

Ukrainian Canadian Students’ Union (SUSK):Michael Ilnycky (Calgary)

Taras Shevchenko Foundation: Andrew Hladyshewsky (Edmonton)

Canadian Foundation for Ukrainian Studies:Olya Kuplowska (Toronto)

Past Presidents’ Club:Raya Shadursky (Toronto)

Oksana Bashuk Hepburn delivers heracceptance speech.

The Weekly’s collection of materials about theFamine

The Ukrainian Weekly’s official website contains the largest collection of materialson the Internet dedicated to the Great Famine of 1932-1933 in Ukraine.

Located at www.ukrweekly.com, the special section includes a chronology of theFamine years, eyewitness accounts, editorials, media reports, stories about observanc-es of the Famine’s 50th anniversary in 1983, scholarly articles, interviews with jour-nalists who reported on the Famine, transcripts of testimony on the Famine commis-sion bill ultimately passed by the U.S. Congress, texts of statements before the U.S.Commis-sion on the Ukraine Famine, references and other documentation, as well asthe full text of The Ukrainian Weekly’s special issue on the Great Famine publishedon March 20, 1983. The section is completely searchable.

Andrij Kudla Wynnyckyj


recognition. Mr. Kroitor recalled hischildhood filled with Ukrainian song anddance and plays put on by his mother, ateacher in rural Saskatchewan schools,that filled his life with inspiration

Lubko Belej: Youth Achievement

The Guelph, Ontario-born immediatepast president of the Ukrainian CanadianStudents’ Union (SUSK), was a memberfirst of the SUM Ukrainian YouthAssociation and is currently an activemember of Plast’s “Vovkulaky”(Werewolves) fraternity. Attending BrockUniversity in 1995-1999, he revived theUkrainian Students’ Club there, has beeninstrumental in bringing a renewed vigorto the activities of SUSK, and participat-ed as a panelist at the Youth Conferenceat the recent Ukrainian World Congressin Toronto in December 1998.

Mr. Belej told the banquet attendeeshe would “continue to encourage young

Ukrainians to involve themselves in com-munity organizations” and expressedgratitude for having been “plugged intothe Ukrainian professional and businessnetwork.”

Yorkton UCPBA: Humanitarian Award

The UCPBA branch of Yorkton,Saskatchewan, was honored with the spe-cial Humanitarian Award for the branch’sselfless support of two families who hadimmigrated to the area from Ukraine, aswell as support for other individuals fromUkraine, for two years.

Ms. Wanio, a member of the UCPBFjury, stated that the jury decided toreward a gesture that was symbolic of thesacrifices made by Ukrainian Canadiansfor their families from their homeland.

Harry Krumyk, president of theYorkton branch, accepted the award onbehalf of the organization, commenting


TORONTO – The Ukrainian commu-nity too rarely reaches out to recognizethose who have left their mark on thewider world.

However, two years ago, the UkrainianCanadian Professional and BusinessFederation decided to establish a programof awards “to recognize UkrainianCanadians who helped build Canadathrough local, national and internationalendeavors,” noted Olya Kuplowska, pastpresident of the Toronto UkrainianProfessional and Business Associationand master of ceremonies, as well as chairof the awards jury of the UCPBF’s awardsbanquet held here July 3.

“More specifically, they were set up torecognize exemplary individuals whothrough their vision, creativity and perse-verance have achieved personal, profes-sional and business successes, and in sodoing promoted the stature of Canada,the profile of Ukrainians in Canada, andwho have contributed to Ukraine’sgrowth and development,” the banquetmaster of ceremonies added.

The awards were first presented at theUCPBF convention in Calgary in 1997.The four categories and respective awardrecipients were: Friend of Ukraine, pre-sented to Canada’s Minister of ForeignAffairs Lloyd Axworthy; PersonalAchievement presented to SaskatchewanProvincial Premier Roy Romanow;Business Achievement presented toBaton Broadcasting President IvanFecan; and Youth Achievement presentedto former president Jon Thomas of theUkrainian Canadian Students’Association.

The award itself was designed andproduced by Chris Kowalsky of ChrisCeramics. In the shape of a pyramid, theaward symbolizes movement into a newmillennium under the leadership of thehonoree and, as a mountain peak, theheights scaled by the individual beinghonored.

Ms. Kuplowska announced that thisyear a special jury category was createdto recognize Ukrainian philanthropy viaa Humanitarian Award.

Bohdan Lahanky: Friend of Ukraine

New Brunswick-based entrepreneurBohdan Lahanky was recipient theFriend of Ukraine award.

Mr. Lahanky is a major supporter of theChildren of Chornobyl Canadian Fund, andthe Ukrainian Catholic Church in Ukraine.Thanks to his contributions, the church inhis native village of Zubiv in Halychyna,destroyed by the Soviet regime, was rebuiltand reopened in 1997. He operates a joint

venture project in Ukraine.In Canada Mr. Lahanky sponsored

dance and choir performances, donatedbooks on Ukrainian topics to universityand municipal libraries, and supported awide range of charitable and communityprojects and activities

Donna Lahanky accepted the awardon her father’s behalf, and read a state-ment in which he thanked his family,Bishop Isidore Borecky of the TorontoEparchy of the Ukrainian CatholicChurch and Gloria Drayson of theMoncton, New Brunswick, UCPBA forproviding direction to his philanthropy.He also entreated the UkrainianCanadian community to “open yourhearts and help your brothers and sistersin a poor, but free and democratic coun-try of Ukraine ... and [do not] forget theland of your ancestors.”

Terry Evanshen: Personal Achievement

Montreal-born Terry Evanshen, whoreceived the award for personal achive-ment had a 14-year career as a pass receiv-er in the Canadian Football League, play-ing for the Montreal Alouettes, CalgaryStampeders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats andToronto Argonauts, setting records in vari-ous categories and winning the SchenleyAward as the league’s Most OutstandingCanadian twice (1967, 1971). He wasinducted into the CFL’s Hall of Fame in1984.

In July 4, 1988, he suffered a near-fatal car accident as a result of which,along with severe physical injuries, hismemory was absolutely wiped out. Basicmotor skills, emotions had to be rebuiltfrom scratch. His success in doing soprompted Mr. Evanshen to establish amotivational program called “Seize EachDay.” In 1994 the CFL Hall of Famehonored him with a special Courage toCome Back Award.

Mr. Evanshen thanked the “wonderfulteam of doctors and nurses who put meback together again”; fellow players who“would tell me stories about myself ... soeventually I became an actor interpretingmy first life, so I could retell the storyalthough I can’t add many of the detailsto it”; and his wife and three daughterswho “made me realize, day after day,that it’s just too easy to quit.”

He thanked those assembled for theaward and for Walter Maceluch of theToronto UCPBA for drawing him back tothe Ukrainian community.

Roman Kroitor: Business Achievement

Saskatchewan native Roman Kroitor,recipient of the Business AchievementAward, began his career as a film-makerfor the Canada’s National Film Board,and one of his early efforts, “PaulTomkowicz” (1954) about a UkrainianCanadian railway worker, was recog-nized as a milestone in documentarymaking. In 1960 he co-produced a pio-neer film on space exploration,“Universe,” which was used by NASA inpilot training and which strongly influ-enced the late director Stanley Kubrickin making his film “2001: A SpaceOdyssey.”

The huge success of his multi-imagefilm “Labyrinth,” shown in several pavil-ions at Expo ’67 in Montreal, led to theformation of the IMAX Systems Corp.,of which he is vice-president and direc-tor, and whose revolutionary IMAXgiant-screens he helped design, launch-ing a worldwide industry. Continuing toinnovate, he produced and directed thefirst OMNIMAX 3-D movie, “We AreBorn of Stars,” for Expo ’85.

While thanking the UCPBF for the

Professionals and businesspeople recognize exemplary achievements with special awards

UCPBF President Oksana Bashuk Hepburn with Terry Evanshen, recipient of the Personal Achievement Award.


TORONTO – Upon announcing thenew slate of the Ukrainian CanadianProfessional and Business Federation’sexecutive for the 1999-2000 term atthe body’s biennial convention on July3, event organizer Raya Shadurskaprovided a biographical sketch of theincoming president, Oksana BashukHepburn.

Born in Ukraine, Oksana Bashuk-Hepburn immigrated to Canada withher parents after the war and settled inWinnipeg. She graduated with a B.A.in political science from the Universityof Manitoba in 1963 and joined thefederal public service that year, mov-ing to Ottawa in 1965.

In 1970 she traveled to Australia tobe with her first husband (the lateLubomyr Zyla) during his three-yeardiplomatic posting in Sydney, and setup a management consulting businesswhile there. Returning to Ottawa, sheran her consulting firm until sherejoined the public service at the exec-utive level in 1980, working as a“troubleshooter” at the FederalTreasury Board.

Over the course of the next 13years, Ms. Bashuk Hepburn handled a

number of top-level bureaucratic tasks.She served as director of the CanadianHuman Rights Commission and ofHealth and Welfare Canada.

In her capacity as senior executiveadvisor to a number of ministries, shewas instrumental in the formation oftripartite community-government-industry consultation boards at theministries of Labor and theEnvironment; was part of a team thatreorganized the Canada TransportInvestigation Board, which deals withmarine, rail and air traffic accidents;and oversaw executive personnel pro-grams at the Public ServiceCommission and the Treasury Board.

In 1991 she left the public service tofound Ukraine-Canada Relations Inc.(UCAN), a consulting firm that over-sees governmental exchange programsbetween the two countries. Two ofUkraine’s prime ministers – PavloLazarenko and Valerii Pustovoitenko –have been high-profile participants.

Also in 1991 she remarried. She andher husband, Ken Hepburn, runBashuk Hepburn Associates, a consult-ing firm handling non-Ukrainian con-tracts.

In 1998 Ms. Bashuk Hepburn waselected president of the Ottawa branchof the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.Roman Kroitor, recipient of the Business

Achievement Award.


Oksana Bashuk Hepburn: UCPBF president for 1999-2000

Andrew Gregorovich



TORONTO – Throughout the UkrainianCanadian Professional and BusinessFederation’s biennial convention delegateswere drawn into intense discussions ofissues that face them and their communityat the turn of the century.

On July 2, following the keynote addressby former astronaut Roberta Bondar (seeseparate report on page 13), delegatesattended the first plenary session, whichaddressed the questions: “Who are we?Where are we? What does the future hold?”

Panelists included: Michael Kostiuk, ageographer-cartographer of Ukrainian-Irishbackground, who served as the UCPBF’svice-president of Internet communicationsfrom 1995, maintaining the organization’swebsite and in the winter of 1995, who alsoworked on a project to connect seven healthorganizations in Ukraine to the Internet; andPaul Grod, chairman and founder of theCanada Ukraine Internship Program(CUIP), a former president of the UkrainianCanadian Students’ Union (SUSK) and anexecutive member of the Conference ofUkrainian Youth Organizations (CUYO),currently pursuing a career in law and busi-ness at the Canadian Imperial Bank ofCommerce.

The statistics of identityMr. Kostiuk presented data gathered

from Statistics Canada to present a pictureof Ukrainian Canadian demographics basedon the 1996 Census.

The report, accessible ath t t p : / / f o x . n s t n . c a / ~ m k o s t i u k /ukcandem.html, presents a the dramaticdecline of position of Ukrainians amongCanada’s leading ethnic groups.

In 1971 Ukrainian was third, behindGerman and Italian, as a mother tongue fora language other than English or French – areported 309,890 speakers; it slipped tofifth, behind Portuguese and marginallyahead of Polish (with Chinese rising to sec-ond place) by 1991 (down to 201,320speakers); by 1996 Ukrainian dropped toninth on the languages list (174,830 speak-ers), falling well behind Polish and Punjabiand just ahead of Arabic. Of those listingUkrainian as their mother tongue, 47 per-cent were age 65 or older.

As to Ukrainian in the home, the lan-guage has not registered a position in thetop 10 since it disappeared from the top-15list prior to the 1991 census.

The most dramatic statistic dealt withlanguage shift between 1971 and 1996,indicating the use of Ukrainian in Canadianhomes declined by 76.5 percent (onlyGerman, at 71.2 percent, showed a compa-rable shift, and only Dutch fared worse, at87.2 percent).

Mr. Kostiuk also presented informationindicating the distribution of those profess-

ing knowledge of Ukrainian and actual useof the language across the country. Torontoled the country with 35,220 claimingknowledge of Ukrainian and 11,580 pro-fessing to use it at home; in Edmonton,26,430 reported knowledge of the language,but only 2,320 use it at home; and inWinnipeg there were 2,550 home usersamong the 24,530 who reported knowingUkrainian.

Identity maintained, but mixedFor Mr. Kostiuk, these grim statistics

were not portents of doom, but markers of areality that Ukrainian organizations inCanada needed to face. He derived comfortfrom the apparent fact that people continueto identify themselves as Ukrainians,despite their gradual mixing with other her-itages.

He emphasized that in the 1996 census,1,026,475 individuals reported a Ukrainianbackground, with those of mixed heritageoutnumbering the “single response”Ukrainians 694,790 to 331,680.

Mr. Kostiuk’s survey also gave figuresfor the number of individuals who reportedthat they had recently immigrated fromUkraine. Toronto was the leader, this timeby a disproportionate margin with 4,030;Montreal at 785; Vancouver at 635;Edmonton, 515; Ottawa-Hull, 250;Winnipeg, a surprisingly scant (given theprovince’s special immigration programs)235; while 145 settled in Calgary; 120 inOshawa, Ontario; and 100 in Hamilton,Ontario.

Give youth a “fix” of belongingMr. Grod began his presentation with the

truism “the future equals youth,” then out-lined some of the challenges that UkrainianCanadian organizations face.

The former SUSK leader and currentSUM activist pointed out that most youth“don’t tend to belong to a particular organi-zation, and keep mostly to themselves, butshow a need for an occasional fix of altru-ism and a sense of belonging – they willshow up if made aware of specific projectsand drives.”

Mr. Grod said it is paramount for organi-zations to become more professional,engage in more strategic planning and relyon entirely different strategies than appealsto guilt or responsibility to the community.

The CIUP chair said his program is partof a movement that needs to be expanded –one that capitalizes on the emergence of anindependent Ukraine by creating opportuni-ties for individuals to express their altruism.Mr. Grod praised the Help Us Help theChildren initiatives in support of orphans inUkraine, and suggested that kibbutz-typeefforts could be initiated in the eight-year-old country.

Mr. Grod said organizations had to begin“thinking outside the box” of their traditionsand current practices, and address contro-versial questions. The questions the youngbanker-lawyer posed were provocative,including: Should all youth organizations beamalgamated into one? Should all unsuc-cessful organizations be disbanded? Shouldpeople agree to a minimum of two or threepeople on all executives?

Mr. Grod saw a further challenge in theapparent reversal in social mood away fromthe “ethnic chic” that prevailed in the 1970sand 1980s, to a darkening mood againstthem. He said Ukrainians have to be vigi-lant against the vilification of Ukrainiansand the tainting of their history.

Tainted perceptionsAt a workshop after the panel, the theme

“Global Impressions: Perception versusReality” addressed Mr. Grod’s point aboutthe vilification of Ukrainians.

Andrew Gregorovich of the Toronto-based Ukrainian Research andDocumentation Center denounced as “his-torically myopic” the recent decision by theLiquor Control Board of Ontario to bow toa complaint by a Toronto resident offendedby the fact that a line of the Ukrainian-made“Hetman” vodka carried the likeness of17th century Kozak leader BohdanKhmelnytsky.

Mr. Gregorovich also presented a read-ing list of materials to be used to blunt argu-ments presenting Ukrainians as anti-Semitic.

Lesia Jones of Media Watch Ukrainerecapitulated the history of the deportation,trial in Israel and subsequent continuingefforts to prosecute retired Cleveland autoworker John Demjanjuk.

Olya Odynsky Grod focused on thestrongly negative impact that the CanadianJustice Department’s program of denatural-ization and deportation has had on theimage of Ukrainian Canadians and on herown family (her father is the object of pro-ceedings).

Volodymyr Halchuk, the newly electedpresident of the Ukrainian CanadianCongress (UCC) Ontario ProvincialCouncil, galvanized the audience with hisoutrage at the defacing of the UkrainianCultural Center on Toronto’s Christie Streeton June 20.

UCC Toronto Branch President MariaSzkambara decried the lack of fortitudeshown by lawyers of Ukrainian backgroundin not standing up in defense of the commu-nity’s good name.

A convention guest from the UnitedStates, Bohdan Vitvitsky, president of theUkrainian American Professionals andBusinesspersons of New York and NewJersey, rose to commend the panelists andparticipants for their fervor and convictions,but urged them not to allow “short-term dis-cussions to turn into dilettantism” andcalled on the Ukrainian Canadian commu-nity to “call a conference and decidewhether an appropriate amount of resourceswould be allocated to influence the media,government and the society at large in aproper direction.”

Building an Internet communityThe next plenary session was titled

“The New Millennium: ModernTelecommunications” and chaired by theOntario Advocates’ Society ExecutiveDirector Alexandra Chychij. Ms. Chychijpointed out that one of the factors thataccelerated the fall of the Soviet Union,particularly in the immediate aftermath of

Convention presentations and panels cover issues facing Ukrainian Canadian community

“The International Marketplace” panel: at the podium, Zenon Kulchisky, partner in Trident Video, speaks about doing busi-ness in Ukraine; seated (from left) are Stephan Bihun, communications and marketing consultant;Eugene Luczkiw, founding

director of the Institute for Enterprise Education; and session moderator Zenon Holadyk.

UCPBF Convention Organizer and Past President Raya Shadursky introduces panelists for plenary discussion of Ukrainian demo-graphics, youth and future community directions: geographer-demographer Michael Kostiuk (left) and Pavlo Grod (center),

founding chairman of the Canada-Ukraine Internship Program.




No. 2, we don’t drink Tang.” Returning to the serious tenor of her

talk, Dr. Bondar explained that the 55experiments she conducted, based onresearch carried on by 13 countries, con-cerned human adaptation to space condi-tions and the methods by which inverte-brates, such as insects, and vertebrates,such as humans, function in gravity.

The astronaut commended organizersfor having given Roman Kroitor, one ofthe creators of IMAX systems, an award,since it very closely matches the size andclarity of the film used in both the U.S.and Soviet/Russian space programs.

Dr. Bondar began her slide show witha photo, taken from the Russian MIRStation, of the shuttle Discovery with itsbay doors ajar, which to her represents“the opening up of a person’s mind.”

The astronaut-activist said she hastaken leave from her academic duties toembark on a cross-Canada campaigncalled “Passionate Vision: A PhotoJourney,” to show people from sea to seathe beauty of their country through pho-tographs she herself has taken.

She was harshly critical of the indus-trial policies that have left entire rangesdenuded of trees, degrading the soil.“There are three things we need: cleanwater, clean air, and trees and plant life,”Dr. Bondar said. “We cannot eat soil,[trees] can. We need them to keep thecycle of nutrients going, otherwise wewill starve as a species.”

“We’ve developed technologies to getus into space, and this enables us to viewthings from a wiser perspective, and yetwe’ve developed technologies that cando us in,” the activist said.

“One thing you feel very starkly whenyou’re in space is that the Earth is all wehave – there are just billions of stars, andnothing else,” she added.

Dr. Bondar showed examples of herstunning images of rugged mountains,lush temperate rainforests, resplendentfall colors, and close-ups of fauna, suchas porcupines, and flora, such as cariboumosses and ferns.

Dr. Bondar then turned to shuttle-eye-view shots, contrasting the look of pro-tected wildernesses such as the PacificRim National Park, the Banff, Yoho andJasper national parks, the wilderness

around Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay andthe St. Lawrence Islands Provincial Parkwith the stark white patches of loggedterrain, as well as the relatively denudedurban environs of Vancouver, Edmonton,Toronto, Montreal and her native city.

The astronaut said, “in the shuttle’sphotographs, places taken up by citiesand suburbs look like someone has takena razor to velvet and shorn away all thepile.”

Dr. Bondar said she is driven by asense of responsibility that falls to her asan explorer to convey the issues facinghumans as inhabitants of the planet. Shealso said she feels duty-bound to peoplein Canada who don’t get a chance to seefirst-hand both the richness of its naturalinheritance and what is being done to it.

As someone who immersed herself inscience, she said it was time for her toassist in prompting “society [to] ride apendulum swing away from the cultureof technology in order to attain some bal-ance.”

She said that taking her message tocorporations has been very important.“They’ve been treating me with a lot ofrespect, for a hippie,” she quipped. “Forme, education is the thing. Children arevery important, but education shouldn’tstop with childhood,” Dr. Bondar added.

During the question and answer ses-sion, she conceded she hadn’t beenaware that she was the secondUkrainian woman in space, after theSoviet cosmonaut ValentynaTereshkova, and said she still looks for-ward to visiting Ukraine.

Prompted by the editor of Forum mag-azine, Andrew Gregorovich, the astro-naut said she would make a point of try-ing to meet the Moscow-based Ukrainianformer cosmonaut Pavlo Popovych atone of the annual meetings of theInternational Association of SpaceExplorers, which brings together the eliteclub of space flight veterans.

Dr. Bondar pointed out with deter-mined humor that, while there are vastdifferences in technological levelbetween the U.S. and Russian space pro-grams, “there are still many Russian cos-monauts and American astronauts whodon’t take women as seriously as theyshould.”

by Andrij Kudla Wynnyckyj Toronto Press Bureau

TORONTO – The organizers of theUkrainian Canadian Professional andBusiness Federation’s convention mademany inspired choices in gathering its listof panelists and participants.

However, before they asked Dr.Roberta Lynn Bondar, the first Canadianwoman in space, to be their keynotespeaker – a perfect selection for a gather-ing whose slogan was “Catch the GlobalSpirit” – they must have wonderedwhether they should also automaticallypresent her with an award for personalachievement. Her curriculum vitae ishumbling, if not mind-numbing.

Dr. Bondar was born December 4,1945, in Sault-Ste.-Marie, Ontario.According to the Great CanadianScientists website, while still a child shedreamed of becoming Flash Gordon anddoing battle with Ming the Merciless.She got her private pilot’s license whilestill in high school.

Dr. Bondar earned a doctorate in neu-robiology from the University of Torontoin 1974, an M.D. from McMasterUniversity in 1977 and, after a stint at theneuro-ophthalmology unit of the Tuft’sNew England Medical Center in Bostonand the Playfair Neuroscience Unit ofToronto Western Hospital, as well as hav-ing completed post-graduate medicaltraining in neurology at the University ofWestern Ontario in London, she wasadmitted in 1981 as a fellow of the RoyalCollege of Physicians and Surgeons ofCanada as a specialist in neurology.

Dr. Bondar was one of the six originalCanadian astronauts selected inDecember 1983, while working as anassistant professor of neurology atMcMaster University in Hamilton,Ontario (1982-1984).

Although she began astronaut trainingin February 1984, a long waiting periodon the ground was standard. Dr. Bondardid not spend the time idly. She conduct-ed research at the Pacific VascularInstitute in Seattle and at Toronto’sSunnybrook Medical Center, among oth-ers.

It was not until early 1990 that shewas designated for a mission – the firstinvolving the International MicrogravityLaboratory. Dr. Bondar flew on the spaceshuttle Discovery during Mission STS-42on January 22-30, 1992, and she per-formed life science and material scienceexperiments in the Spacelab and on theshuttle’s middeck.

Since that flight, her efforts exploded.She taught and conducted research as anadjunct professor at the University ofNew Mexico’s departments of neurologyand biology (1992-1994), was acceptedinto the faculty of the Center forAdvanced Technology Education at theRyerson Polytechnical Institute (1992),and served as visiting distinguished fel-low, department of medicine, Faculty ofHealth Sciences, McMaster University(1993-1994); and as a visiting distin-guished professor of kinesiology at theUniversity of Western Ontario (1994-1998).

Dr. Bondar conducted research in theU.S. at Boston’s Deaconess Hospital, theJohnson Space Center in Houston,Edwards Air Force Base in Texas, andthe Kennedy Space Center in CapeCanaveral, Fla.

She even excels at hobbies, (she wasan honors student in professional naturephotography at the Brooks Institute ofPhotography, Santa Barbara, Calif.). In1995 her book “To Touch the Earth,”graced with NASA’s and her own pho-tography and with a text inspired by herspace journey, was published by the

Toronto-based Key Porter Books.In 1997 she was appointed to a special

advisory panel by Canada’s Minister ofHealth Allan Rock.

On June 24 Dr. Bondar was acceptedas a specially elected fellow into theRoyal Society of Canada. According toher citation, as a member of theUniversity of Western Ontario Faculty ofHealth Sciences, Dr. Bondar conductedpioneering neurological research, for her“unique ability to capture the minds andimaginations of people of all ages,” forher tireless promotion of the appreciationof sciences and encouragement of learn-ing and research at all levels, “forexpanding opportunities for Canadianscientists to participate in research inspace, and for developing internationalcollaboration in life sciences forCanada.”

Sault-Ste.-Marie has gone Bondar-happy, renaming a plaza, several schools,resource centers, libraries, scholarshipsand athletic awards after the astronaut.Towns across the country have followedsuit. The province of Ontario renamed itsScience and Technology Awards in herhonor and the Royal College ofPhysicians and Surgeons of Canadaestablished a fellowship in her name.

The website of the Roberta BondarEarth and Space Center Planetariumat Toronto’s Seneca Col lege ,ht tp: / /www.senecac.on.ca/bondar/astronauts.html, provides a comprehen-sive list of her achievements.

Cosmic keynote addressFor a woman of learning, Dr. Bondar

phrases her credos in disarming fashion.“I think it’s very important that when wedo stuff,” she said, “we don’t assumethat’s the only accomplishment we’llattain in life – there’s always somethingbeyond that we can work toward.”

The astronaut said the space programis unique in that “there are only about500 people out of a global population of5 to 6 billion that have experienced spaceflight, and yet these individuals were notselected because of their wisdom or theirpotential to bring back fresh ideas toEarth.”

“You’re probably aware,” the scientistadded, “that there has been no great poet-ry that has come from space flight, or anytruly good books – although I did attemptto write one –” written by any of the pro-gram’s participants.

“Sometimes pure science does notbring that experience back, nor changeour lives and our attitudes as perhaps itshould,” she noted.

Because of the technical experiencenecessary and the emphasis of the pre-flight training, Dr. Bondar said that, byand large, “people who go up lack thekind of mind that might embark on a pathof deeper understanding.”

To compound this problem, the shuttlescientist said: “Everything flashes byvery quickly, 90 minutes around theEarth means 9 kilometers per second,few colors are visible, and it is very diffi-cult to recognize specific features on theground.”

Dr. Bondar said the primary thing shegained was a certainty that the environ-ment is non-negotiable. Her focus on thefragility and uniqueness of Earth’s beautyamidst the vastness of space is commonamong former astronauts. However, theSault-Ste.-Marie native suggested that,for the most part, astronauts have comedown the same as they went up – perhapswith convictions more stronglyentrenched.

Jokingly, the astronaut said there aretwo myths about the space program shewanted to dispel: “No. 1, you can’t seethe Great Wall of China from up there;

Canada’s first woman astronaut, a Ukrainian, gives environmental focus to “Global Spirit”

Ukrainian Canadian Shuttle Astronaut Roberta Bondar poses next to the “Ukrainian Achievements in Space” Exhibit at the UCPBF Convention.


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Consulate with his or her passport,Canadian visitor’s visa, a letter from thesponsoring family evidencing financial sup-port for the trip to the U.S., a return air tick-et and a copy of the letter from HumanResources Canada indicating the matter hasbeen transferred to the Canadian Consulatefor an interview in the United States.

The U.S. Consulate wants reassurancethat if the care-giver is allowed to travel intothe U.S. he or she will leave the U.S. afterthe interview. For visitors to Canada whohave a current unexpired Canadian visitor’svisa, a trip to the United States is possibleeven though the Canadian visa does notallow for multiple entries. So long as theCanadian visa is current when the applicantreturns to Canada, Canadian border officialswill allow the applicant to re-enter Canada –but only once. This is important to appli-cants who may be denied care-giver’s statussince they can still return to Canada despite

the refusal. Once the immigrant hasobtained the visitor’s visa from theAmerican Consulate, he or she is ready totravel for the interview at the relevantCanadian Consulate in the United States.

Having a visa to enter the United Statesas a visitor in order to attend an interview ata Canadian Consulate is not a guarantee ofentry into the United States. When flying tothe United States care-givers are often re-examined by U.S. immigration officials onthe reasons for their trip and the documentsthey produce. These officials have the finalsay and, believe it or not, can refuse entryeven to someone with a visa from the U.S.Consulate. Therefore, it is helpful for familymembers to remain at airport gates untilthey can be certain the care-giver has passedthrough U.S. immigration and to help outwith respect to translations or arguments onwhy the person should be let through ifproblems do arise. The occasional bordercrisis can be averted through a timely inter-vention with U.S. Immigration at aCanadian airport by helpful family mem-

(Continued from page 7)Canadian care-giver...

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bers at the scene who argue the merits andpurpose of the proposed U.S. visit.

Once the care-giver arrives in the UnitedStates he or she can proceed directly to therelevant Canadian Consulate. My experi-ence has been it is best to show up early andto expect to be there all day. The care-givershould produce a copy of the HumanResources Canada letter, a passport and $50(Canadian) processing fee. He or she willalso need to produce original and Englishtranslations of all diplomas and other perti-nent documents, which should include let-ters from the home country attesting to theapplicant’s experience or training and goodmoral character. These documents will berequired during the interview itself. Thesame goes for interviews in the applicant’shome country where the application is madefrom overseas.

The applicant’s papers are collected bythe receptionist, and the applicant is told tosit and wait for the interview. Usually, aboutan hour or so later, the applicant is givenanother form to fill out at the Consulate.This form inquires into the applicant’s workand educational history. Care should betaken in completing this application since itmust correspond to the assertions beingmade about previous relevant education orwork experience related to care-giving. Inparticular, dates should correspond to thedates that are on diplomas or other docu-ments submitted to prove the applicant fitsthe required criteria. Conflicts between thisform and other documents related to educa-tion or work experience feed the suspicionsof visa officers who are looking for reasonsto deny applications.

The interview is usually next and is usu-ally conducted in the absence of counsel.Applicants outside Canada do not have theright to have their lawyer present. The ques-tions asked usually start off with the who,what, where, why and how of the situationand cover the four grounds for legal admis-sion to Canada. Invariably I have found thatthe visa officers cannot locate the medicalclearance that was obtained by the applicantwhen they renewed their visitor’s visa aftersix months in Canada, although in everycase eventually it is found it. Because thiscan cause a delay, it is helpful to bring a

copy of the medical report from the doctorwho performed the exam to prove the med-ical exam was completed.

Assuming all goes well, it is possible toget approval from a Canadian Consulate inthe United States for the care-giver in oneday. As for applications overseas, the med-icals usually hold things up since they takesome time to be approved and are not some-thing already completed before the inter-view, as they are in the U.S. case.

Assuming all goes well, the applicant isgiven a letter of approval which he or shepresents to the Canadian immigration offi-cial on returning to Canada. The letter basi-cally states that the applicant has beenapproved as a care-giver and requests theborder official to issue the person a workauthorization and visa. The visa is issued forone year and assuming the care-giverencounters no troubles, is renewed for thesecond year almost automatically.

At the end of the second year the care-giver can then apply for permanent resi-dence in Canada which usually takes aboutthree months. If Canada Immigration hassome suspicions about the care-giver’s lifein Canada and his or her compliance withthe rules, the applicant may be invited in foran interview. Such an interview is designedto inquire into whether the applicant has setdown roots in the community. Evidence ofinvolvement in community affairs, takingEnglish or other evening course, savingsand friendships will help the applicant inthis back-end review before permanent resi-dence is granted.

The beauty of this program lies in thefact that those individuals who are success-ful in their applications can improve theirlives, and the lives of their descendants,forever. Through this program they canchange their destinies, and the destinies ofthose who follow them. Few opportunitieslike this exist in the world for ordinarypeople, and for that reason, Canada shouldbe very proud of this aspect of its immigra-tion policy.

As for the Ukrainian community, itshould try to make as much use of this pro-gram as possible, since it offers a way wecan help Ukrainians from Ukraine whilehelping ourselves at the same time.

raising budget revenues and cutting expen-ditures, and proposed their own solution tonon-payment for utilities services A three-year $2.205 billion (U.S.) EFF program forUkraine was approved in September 1998.(RFE/RL Newsline, Eastern Economist) Finance Ministry to shape tax policy

KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma hassigned a decree putting the FinanceMinistry in charge of taxation policies, akey requirement for the InternationalMonetary Fund to resume its $2.6 billionaid program to Ukraine, the AssociatedPress reported on August 27. The decreedeprives the State Tax Administration ofpolicy-making duties and orders the FinanceMinistry to set tax collection targets andpropose new taxes. The State TaxAdministration retains the right to monitortax collection. (RFE/RL Newsline) World Bank may provide $100 M loan

KYIV – The World Bank has tentativelyagreed to provide Ukraine with a $100 mil-lion (U.S.) loan by September 7 to pay offback wages, pensions and other social pro-grams, Vice Prime Minister Serhii Tyhypkosaid. He stressed that the final decisiondepends on “the positive development ofUkraine-IMF relations.” Finance MinisterIhor Mitiukov pointed out that if the fundsare granted, the situation among the recipi-ents of social payments will improve signif-icantly. Mr. Tyhypko stressed that when thefunds are received they will be disbursed

proportionally in order not to destabilize thehryvnia. (Eastern Economist)New USAID director for Kyiv sworn in

KYIV – Christopher Crowley was swornin on August 26 in Washington as the newmission director to USAID Kyiv, coveringUkraine, Moldova and Belarus. He is due toarrive in Kyiv on August 29 and willreplace Gregory Huger, who served in theKyiv post since 1995. Mr. Crowley willoversee the USAID’s third-largest program,which manages approximately $270 millionin annual assistance. Since 1992 the USAIDhas provided over $1.4 billion in technicaland humanitarian aid in support ofUkraine’s democratic, economic and socialtransition. (Eastern Economist)Tkachenko calls for Cabinet’s resignation

KYIV – Verkhovna Rada ChairmanOleksander Tkachenko said on August 25that the legislature should reconsider theissue of the Cabinet’s resignation, UNIANreported. Mr. Tkachenko added that in Julyhe voted against dismissing the governmentbecause he did not want “to upset the bal-ance between Ukraine’s branches of powerat harvest time.” Now, however, Mr.Tkachenko said he believes the Cabinet ofMinisters “pays absolutely no attention tonational economic issues but is whollyengaged in the president’s election cam-paign.” Mr. Tkachenko criticized PrimeMinister Valerii Pustovoitenko for hisinvolvement in the campaign.“Pustovoitenko was appointed prime minis-ter to head the government ... and not the[pro-presidential] Zlahoda association,” thechairman said. (RFE/RL Newsline)

Tkachenko again urges Slavic union KYIV – “Ukraine urgently needs to set

up economic and defense unions withRussia and Belarus,” said Verkhovna RadaChairman Oleksander Tkachenko. Mr.Tkachenko, who is the Peasants Party’s can-didate for president, also advocates thatUkraine join the CIS customs union.(Eastern Economist)Symonenko would eliminate presidency

KYIV – Petro Symonenko, presidentialcandidate and leader of Communist Party,once again pointed out that if he becamepresident he would eliminate the presiden-tial post in Ukraine. Mr. Symonenko alsoboasted that he will resolve the main eco-nomic issues in Ukraine during the first fiveyears of his term. (Eastern Economist)Ukraine sends rescuers to Turkey

KYIV – An aircraft with 37 rescuers onboard has been sent to Turkey by theUkrainian Emergencies Ministry. UNIANlearned that the rescue group, which includ-ed six dog handlers and dogs, were flown toIstanbul on August 18. The group then trav-eled to Sakarya, near Izmit, the epicenter ofthe devastation, where it immediately begansearch and rescue operations. All expensesconnected with the work of the Ukrainianrescue group, as well as its flight to Istanbulairport, were covered by Ukraine. It is likelythat a second aircraft will be sent with ajoint unit on board. (Eastern Economist)Ukraine, Greece sign cooperation treaty

KYIV – Greek Defense Minister AkisTsokhadzopulos arrived in Kyiv on

August 30 on a two-day official visit.According to the Ukrainian DefenseMinistry’s press service, he met withDefense Minister Oleksander Kuzmuk andPrime Minister Valerii Pustovoitenko todiscuss the deepening of bilateral military,military-political and military-technicalcooperation, and to coordinate the viewsof the two states on the issue of Europeanand regional security. The two sides alsodiscussed the possibility of Greece buyingUkrainian military equipment, like theAN-32P firefighter aircraft and the T-84tank. An agreement on military and tech-nical cooperation between Ukraine andGreece was signed August 30 byIndustrial Policy Minister Vasyl Hureievand Greek Defense Minister AkisTsokhadzopulos. (Eastern Economist) Independent TV channel may face closure

KYIV – Tax authorities in Kyiv onAugust 26 ordered that the bank account ofthe private STB television station be closedbecause of the station’s failure to submit taxdocuments for examination, the AssociatedPress reported. STB President DmytroPrykordonnyi told journalists that his stationcannot submit the required documentsbecause they are being held by eight otherstate bodies. “I haven’t dealt with televisionproper for the past two months. Instead, I’vebeen working with the nine controllingagencies,” Mr. Prykordonnyi commented.He added that the channel will have to closein September unless it is granted access toits money. STB has vowed to give equal airtime to each of the leading candidates in theupcoming presidential ballot. (RFE/RLNewsline)

(Continued from page 2)Newsbriefs

by W. Bruce PotterGLEN SPEY, N.Y. – What a delight it

is to spend a leisurely summer afternoonup in the mountains of New York state,enjoying the sunshine, warm breezes andbugs, mosquitoes and spiders.

No, I’m not kidding. On Saturday, August 7, the ensemble

presentation of “Mukha – The Fly” pre-miered here at the Verkhovyna Resort,under the inspired artistic direction ofRoma Pryma Bohachevsky.

Once again, Ms. Bohachevsky tooktraditional Ukrainian folklore themes andmolded them into an exhilarating balletthat allowed young Ukrainian dancers todemonstrate their practiced technique,while showcasing the exquisite classicskill of the principal dancers.

Coming from New York, New Jersey,Wisconsin, Texas, Connecticut, Ohio andas far away as California, the young par-ticipants of this year’s Ukrainian DanceCamp prepared themselves for longhours at the ballet bar and in practicingintricate footwork and hand movements.Two weeks of hard work culminated inthe performance that family and friendshad traveled far to see. What resultedwas a joy to experience.

The first act was a wonderful pastichewith a magical midsummer night’s glowthat told of a world of insects, all cele-brating the name’s day of Mukha who,along with her friends, the ladybugs,caterpillars, beetles, ants, moths, cock-roaches, butterflies; experienced anadventure of romance and spiderymalevolence that could only beexpressed through the storytelling of bal-let. Special recognition goes to BorisBohachevsky, who wrote the story andselected the music.

Using an ensemble of over 70 youngdancers, various bugs revealed the storyof the young heroine’s attraction to theevil spider and his web, her hypnoticcapture via beautiful silks and the even-tual heroic battle to release her. A plotworthy of Shakespeare with a Ukrainianflavor, the story was a perfect plot toenable the various ballet skill levels ofthe students to express their accomplish-ments in dance.

The four principal dancers – Mr.Bohachevsky as the beetle that tangos;Andrij Cybyk as the heroic Komar, thegreen-eyed mosquito; Adrienne Gawron asMukha; and Orlando Pagan, the evil blackspider – brought great professional style totheir roles. Through their dance “lan-guage” they conveyed a fully developedunderstanding of what their characters rep-resented in the play. By including tradi-tional Ukrainian dance steps, their per-formances set the tone for a Carpathianfolktale.

Messrs. Bohachevsky, Cybyk andPagan, Ms. Gawron and Christina Izakwere the camp’s instructors.

While all were magnificent in theirperformances, several highlights arememorable. Particularly moving was thenervous, though courageous re-enact-ment of the capture of Mukha for thebrave Komar by the fluttering moth. Mr.Pagan’s spider was wonderful. His por-trayal of an evil force in the bug king-dom put many in the audience in awe ofhis controlled malevolence, even cheer-ing for him during the final battle. Thenarcotic mood of the silks bringing inMukha was captivating.

A special note also must be made ofthe costumes and music. Dancers werefestooned with magnificent outfits andthe colors of the various insects they rep-resented. The flowing wings of the but-terflies, the multi-colored silk banners ofthe worms, the mushroom-capped youngdancers and cute ladybugs all created the


Ukrainian Dance Camp participants display talents at Verkhovyna resort

by Christine Kozak-ProciukGLEN SPEY, N.Y. – The

Chornomorska Sitch Sports School com-pleted its 30th anniversary season at theUkrainian Fraternal Association’sVerkhovyna resot with more than 80campers from various regions of theUnited States and Ukraine participatingin the four weekly sessions beginningJuly 25 and ending August 21.

Soccer instruction was conducted byAndrew Panas and Roman Holowinskyfor the first two weeks, and by IhorCzeszko and Greg Serheev for the secondtwo weeks. Messrs. Panas, Holowinskyand Serheev all are former sports schoolparticipants. Various drills and exerciseswere conducted, and techniques and“moves” were taught, augmented viaaudio/visual training. The campers partic-ipated in extensive competitions for bestdribbler, best juggler, most penalty shots,etc.

Swimming instruction was given byMary Kate Farrell and Orest Hawryluk.Swimmers learned proper stroke and div-ing techniques, and each swimmer wasgive specialized instruction for his/herability. Weekly swim races were enjoyedby all as swimmers exhibited their newlylearned swimming skills and competedfor medals. Some of the campers werealso training for the swim meet to be con-ducted by the Ukrainian SportsFederation of the U.S.A. and Canada at

Soyuzivka during Labor Day weekend.Tennis was instructed by Yuri

Saldana, Mr. Hawryluk, Jane Brynzakand Dan Lewycky. Players were taughtterminology in both Ukrainian andEnglish; drills, exercises and stroke clin-ics were held throughout the four weeks.Tennis players were grouped accordingto ability and competed in tennis tourna-ments – even the youngest of players, 8-year-olds, participated.

Volleyball instruction was conductedby Adrianna Hordynsky and Mr.Hawryluk. Players underwent numerouseye-hand-ball coordination, technique,running and strategy drills, and learnedscoring techniques. Volleyball playerscompeted against each other using theirnew skills in setting, digging, bumping,spiking and serving. Volleyball tourna-ments were held biweekly.

Other activities featured during sportsschool were: talent/variety shows,singing, dances and the trademark obsta-cle course “Journey through Ukraine,”which features obstacles named afterUkrainian cities in geographical order.(Due to drought conditions, the tradition-al weekly bonfires were not held.)

Nightly league games were the high-lights of each sports-filled day for thecampers. Using Ukrainian cities andteam names, the campers competedagainst one another. Sports videos, edu-cational and recreational movies, the

singing of the Ukrainian nationalanthem, the lowering and folding of theAmerican and Ukrainian flags andevening prayers, ended the campers’fun-filled days under the starry skies ofVerkhovyna.

Counselors play an important partintegrating youths into camp life. Theyear’s especially selected counselorswere Ms. Farrell and Ms. Hordynsky,girls’ counselors; Alexander Napora,younger boys’ counselor; and WalterWasylak, older boys’ counselor.Counselors supervised the campers asthey made their beds, and cleaned, sweptand mopped their barracks daily forinspection. Many a parent commented onthe improvement of their children’s abili-ties. Counselors provided supervision inboth the Ukrainian and English lan-guages.

Camp administrators were: MyronStebelsky, director for first two weeks,Omelan Twardowsky, director for secondtwo weeks, Mary Bokalo, secretary andfederal food program administrator, andChristine Kozak-Prociuk, medical direc-tor.

At the camp closing on August 2 thecamp directors thanked the campers, par-ents and guests, and urged all campersand their parents to compete in sportsthrought the year, honorably representingtheir Ukrainian heritage.

Chornomorska Sitch conducts 30th anniversary Sports School

The finale of the dance campers’ performance.fantasy images for the performance.Again, Mr. Bohachevsky scored thedance with music that fit the plot. FromBeethoven to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber,the instrumental music chosen for each ofthe scenes, though eclectic, tended toblend, rather than distract from the story.

After a brief intermission, the ensem-ble re-convened to demonstrate its skillsin traditional Ukrainian folk dance. Fiveseparate pieces were presented, eachusing traditional music and themes, somewith interesting interpretation throughchoreographic innovation.

In the first one, “Hutsulka,” two coun-try bumpkins try to capture beautiful fish,only to be outsmarted. In “Volynianka,”

“By the River” and “Flirtation Dancefrom the Lemko Region,” the performerstook traditional dance themes from vari-ous regions of Ukraine and used them tohighlight the skills learned during manyhours of camp training. The “Hopak”finale allowed all the participants todemonstrate their athletic precision andartistic discipline.

Behind the scenes, but working just asdiligently were Ada Helbig as the prac-tice accompanist and MarusiaDarmohraj-Mulyk, the camp director.

* * *Finally the hours of sweat were over,

the performance was complete. The camp

slowly began to wind down, as youngpeople gave one last hug to their friendsand one last thank-you to their coun-selors. Automobiles trunks were packedwith sheets and towels; one last run downthe hill to the lake to catch a frog wassqueezed in.

As parents drove tired young peoplefrom that mountain resort in New York, itseems sad that so much effort wasexpended for only one performance. Yetmaybe it was the discipline, the culturalexperience, the participation in what itmeans to be a Ukrainian that made thesetwo weeks important. Thank you, Ms.Bohachevsky, for keeping this traditionalive and well.


was introduced that led to the violation ofprice parity and lowering of agriculturalproduct prices. Basically, energy and fuelwere purchased by farmers at worldprices, but they paid in goods, not cash.The middleman in the barter system sim-ply dictated the value of the farmers’goods to the farmers. For Westerners thistype of arrangement may be difficult tounderstand, because it is basically a left-over from the Stone Age. The farmer wastold, and accepted the fact that his produc-tion must be sold at a significant discount,because the costs of manufacturing andthe middleman’s services will be includedin the final product’s consumer price.

So, when it came down to determiningthe comparative price for the sunflowerseeds, or any other agricultural product forthat matter, in relation to the price of fueland energy, the volume of produce requiredto “pay” world prices was artificially high.The produce, consequently, fell in value.This created conditions that were extremelyunfavorable for the farmer.

All of these barter arrangements (insome regions 70-80 percent of all transac-tions were conducted on this basis) madethe agricultural producer completelydependent on the middleman. At the endof the day, the farmer already “owed” hisproduction even before he had sown hisfields. The tragedy of all of this lay in thatthe producer essentially gave away thefruits of his labor at a price far lower thantheir actual market value. He was forcedinto this arrangement because otherwisehe wouldn’t have any produce, be able tosow his fields and operate his farm.

I believe that we currently have anopportunity to change this “system” inUkraine, and we are preparing to take thenecessary steps via legislation and state reg-ulation of these processes. There are facto-ries like the Lenin Factory inDnipropetrovsk that produce very highquality sunflower oil. This factory is evenready to pre-pay farmers for their sunflowerproduction. Farmers, however, already owetheir produce to someone else, and cannottake advantage of the offer. The factory isready to pay the equivalent of $211 per tonof sunflower seed, but the farmers cannotsell it to them because his harvest is alreadycommitted as payment for the costs ofmaintaining the farm. This calls for stateintervention into the matter, even more sobecause the value added to sunflower seedsafter they are processed into oil is approxi-mately six times the price of the harvestedseed. For the good of Ukraine’s economyand the state budget, it makes sense for thatvalue to be added within the country. Noone can disagree that the full employmentof our processing facilities with our ownraw materials is a desirable goal. If it is upto me, this will be done.

What role should Western investorsplay in Ukraine? Are they welcomehere, does Ukraine need foreign invest-ments? Or can the country make it onits own?

In the last few years, Ukraine has takena 40- to 50-year step backwards in termsof economic development. At the time ofindependence, our investment funds werealready relatively old, because the USSRfocused its capital investments primarilyin the eastern and northern regions of theunion where new territories were beingdeveloped.

Ukraine simply cannot manage withoutforeign investments. The fact that we needthem is undeniable. The operating condi-tions offered in return for investment aredesigned to be attractive. The current law“On Foreign Investment” has been ana-lyzed by both foreign and Ukrainian spe-cialists and economists, who have com-mented that investor interests are very

favorably treated in the law. There is still another objective reason

the West should invest in Ukraine. It liesin the fact that one of the biggest problemsin Europe today is that of unemployment.At the European Socialist Congress earlierthis year, this topic was a subject of heateddiscussion, and the congress passed a res-olution on combating unemployment inEurope. This is characteristic of currentpriorities for Europe. Combating unem-ployment has never had such widespread,concerted support in Europe as it doestoday. This also reinforces the powerfulidea of the complete socialization ofEuropean society.

At the same time, and in the context ofEuropean progress, there exists an attitudethat Ukraine is not exactly developingalong the same lines. Ukraine needs to bereoriented on a path of development thatwill correspond to Europe’s. Europe willnot be able conquer the unemploymentproblem on its own, even if combatingunemployment become top priorities inUkraine and Russia. The common unem-ployment concern can be tackled in twoways. One, Europe produces goods formass consumption and sells those goods,for example, in Ukraine, thus creating aconsumer market here for European pro-ducers. Or Europe can research and devel-op new means of production and then, bycreating technology sector jobs and otherforms of capital, invest in our economy.This will create jobs in Ukraine to produceproducts that will satisfy the domestic mar-ket and be exported. I am for the latterapproach. My discussions with leadingWestern corporations have shown that they,too, are interested in this type of coopera-tion. I believe that our future lies therein.

What is your view on concessions asa means of attracting foreign invest-ment?

I consider concession agreements to beacceptable. Each project that involvesconcessions, however, needs to be lookedat closely in terms of its economic sense,because there are both current and long-term benefits to be reaped. We need toobserve and analyze the worldwide mar-ket in terms of dynamics, trends anddevelopments. Then the process of imple-menting concessions must be plannedbeforehand. I do not have any specificreservations because concessions are anormal practice used around the world,and we, too, can benefit from sucharrangements.

Analysts have suggested that theincumbent president’s campaign man-agers’ greatest fear is a Kuchma-Morozshowdown in the second round of elec-tions. Why do they fear you so?

This is the ideological situation at hand:they want to maintain their status. Andthere is no other candidate that is an ade-quate substitute for the incumbent, fromtheir point of view. Their campaign isbased on certain stereotypes, and theirunderlying message is that a candidatecannot be allowed to lead the country.This is specifically intended for the Westin order to secure support for the incum-bent and the existing regime. Thisexplains our position, and indicates that ifwe come to power, we will replace theexisting regime. I do not want to lose theopportunity to do so.

In your opinion, what is the greatestthreat to Ukraine’s national securitytoday?

The economic threat.By this you mean “dollarization,”

colonization?Yes, all of these are components, but the

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most significant threat to our nationalsecurity lies in the fact that unemploymentand the current social malaise can lead tothe type of cataclysms that will leave anindelible mark on Ukrainian statehood.Everything must be done to create employ-ment for the people and pay their wages.

About Ukraine’s entry into the CISInter-Parliamentary Assembly. As apolitician, do you think that this bringabout real change? Will Ukraine be bet-ter off, or will the country simply beforced to contribute financially to thisinstitution?

Ukraine can’t be a mere observer whendiscussions concerning legislative modelsfor CIS IPA member-countries are under-way. I think this is yet another vehicle forrepresenting Ukraine’s interests. Ukraine’ssovereignty and independence cannot beguaranteed by simply being or not beingmembers of various international organi-zations. Pursuing smart politics in thesetypes of institutions, however, will serveas guarantees. The task at hand is to repre-sent Ukraine’s interests in all availablemanners, to take advantage of all possibil-ities and options.

That is why I think that membership inthe IPA will not present even an elemen-tary threat to Ukraine’s sovereignty. Theobjections to IPA membership are notgrounded in genuine concern aboutUkraine’s interests, but are more ideologi-cal in nature, basing themselves on slo-gans such as “Away from Moscow!” Inmy view, this is an unwise slogan, andwill be quickly forgotten once the benefitsof IPA involvement are seen through thepreparation of various legislative acts thatwill guarantee effective economic cooper-ation among the member countries. Therest, in my view, cannot be taken serious-ly. No one considers Ukraine’s member-ship in the Parliamentary Assembly of theCouncil of Europe to be a threat to oursovereignty.

This year, 1999, marks the 65thanniversary of the Great Famine inUkraine. This anniversary appears tohave been largely ignored on the officiallevel. At the same time, we see demon-strations, left-wing rallies, with peoplecarrying images of Stalin. Ukrainiansvote for the Communist Party, theparty that created the Great Famine. Inthe West, this appears to be very con-tradictory, and even serves to lower theopinion held about Ukrainians becausesome Ukrainians talk about a GreatFamine while others vote theCommunists into Parliament wherethey command the largest faction. Is itpossible that the Great Famine neverhappened?

This is not an altogether accurateassessment. Christians, for example, haveno problems calling themselves Christiansdespite some controversial periods in thehistory of Christianity. It is a system ofbeliefs and ideas, and even though theChurch has made mistakes in the past,Christianity as an idea has not been dis-credited.

In the same way, I would not associatethe Great Famine exclusively with theCommunist Party, although I understandthat the Western reader does have precon-ceived notions on the subject. I was amember of the Communist Party for 18years and can say honestly that I servedthe people of Ukraine honestly and con-scientiously, and defended our nationaland social interests.

The Great Famine was very brutal inthe village where my family comes from,and I heard about it first-hand from mygrandfather and parents. Interestingly, I

remember that when my grandfatherspoke about the Great Famine, even dur-ing the 1960s (a period of relative liberal-ization), he never attributed the GreatFamine to the activities of the CommunistParty. He simply spoke about it as histori-cal fact. He spoke about why it happened,and the reasons he cited were not unlikethe rationale offered by the (post-Stalin)Communists who spoke about the “objec-tive” reasons.

When I analyze those years, I think thatwe, today’s politicians, cannot forgetabout those terrible times, but moreimportantly we must make sure that theywill never be repeated. That would be per-haps the best way to show what we thinkabout those times. Everyone should knowthe truth about those events, know aboutthe criminal actions of Stalin and hisregime and call things by their real names.But, I repeat, attention should be placedon the current state of affairs and notallow them to get any worse than theyalready are. I think that is possible.

Regarding those people who show upat parades and sometimes carry relicsfrom the past. They believe in them. Thisis not something welcomed by myself orour party. Moreover, Stalinism and thedictatorial regime were condemned andthat is clearly stated in our party’s pro-gram. But, if a person walks around with asign, then it reflects the type of person.Did you know that placards with Stalin’spicture were not carried between the1960s and 1990s? Where these peoplekept them, I do not know.

Imagine people in Berlin today walk-ing around with pictures of Hitler inpublic.

Why imagine? There are people that doit in Berlin. It’s all a matter of time. It willpass, and too much attention shouldn’t bepaid. No one, for example, condemnsAustrian social democrats who demon-strate in the center of Vienna on May Daywith red flags. The Austrian chancellorsometimes even addresses these gather-ings.

When did you realize that the SovietUnion would be no more? Did it comeas a surprise to you?

It was 1990, and I remember speakingabout it with my colleagues-parliamentari-ans. When Gorbachev began talking abouta new union agreement, which basicallyinitiated the demise of the old union, Iremember saying that we should welcomea new union not as a weight around ourneck, but as a form of independence. Weshould have sat down, enlisted the servic-es of a specialist who could have deter-mined what belongs to us and what doesnot in terms of the energy sector, defense,debts, responsibility for Chornobyl, mat-ters concerning the fleet, etc.

This wasn’t done because matters weresettled in a manner not uncommon for usand first we broke “the clay pot” intothousands of pieces and then took thosepieces and tried to figure out where theybelong. Had we taken a calmer approach,and itemized all of our concerns and inter-ests, then Ukraine would be a very differ-ent place today. Today, nobody inMoscow knows where all of the gold,financial assets, etc. disappeared. InUkraine, those who once cried out “Awayfrom Moscow!” are now talking aboutmutual forgiveness, audits and the like.Who is going to take up the matter today?

Which political leaders or style ofleadership appeal to you?

I admire Roosevelt of the 1930s. I haveread quite a bit about him, and there are alot of interesting lessons to be learned.Recently, while in Bonn, I visited theirhistorical post-war museum and alsofound it very interesting. It’s a testament

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(Continued from page 16)Oleksander Moroz... to the transition of a society from totalitar-

ianism to democracy. It is very convincingand should be utilized in education aboutthe importance of living in accordancewith the rule of law. As it turns out, this isthe most important cause.

A question on geopolitics. Ukraineseems to be in a position where it isbeing pulled in two different directionsat once by the Russians on the onehand, and the Americans on the other.Is Ukraine nothing more than the sub-ject of deals struck between these twopowers? Does Ukraine have any inde-pendent influence in international poli-tics?

Perhaps (Ukrainian poet) VasylSymonenko’s words are appropriate todaywhen he wrote about Ukraine:

Pearls for the soul I sow for you,And create and ponder for you,Be away America and RussiaWhile I am conversing with you.People are constantly asking: “Where is

Ukraine headed – East or West?” Ukrainehas nowhere to go right now but up andout of the hole it finds itself in. In thissense, the roads of progress will lead togreater economic integration with bothRussia and the West. But Ukraine shouldremain an independent and influentialplayer on the international scene. In myview, not only Russia, because that isn’tthe full picture, but also America, should-n’t use other states for political barter. Andif certain people consider nations to begeopolitical “goods,” then that is truly asad state of affairs, even for those statesthat engage in it.


the attempted coup of August 1991, wasthe plethora of fax machines that had beensmuggled into the moribund empire fromthe West.

Ms. Chychij said that computer technol-ogy has further democratized access toinformation and called on the Ukrainiandiaspora’s organizations to use this technol-ogy to expand on the traditional linksamong its members and accelerate the deci-sion-making process that has made themslow-footed in the past.

Panelist William Roberts, current secre-tary general of the North AmericanBroadcasters’ Association, former seniorvice-president for television at the CanadianAssociation of Broadcasters and formersenior policy analyst at the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications

Commission (roughly the equivalent of theU.S. Federal CommunicationsCommission, provided an excellentoverview of the changes in telecommunica-tions.

Mr. Roberts said massive changes areongoing in the telecommunications indus-try, with the big companies that have domi-nated telephone, television, cable andInternet access services scrambling to assertcontrol over the emergent “Wild West” intelecommunications.

The media analyst said the democratiz-ing trend mentioned by Ms. Chychij offersopportunities for small players, such assmall organized communities (ranging froma group such as the Ukrainian communityin Canada, to farm cooperatives, to a neigh-borhood association active within six cityblocks) to bypass the networks set up by thelarger companies or ride piggy-back onthem.

Mr. Roberts pointed out that setting up

(Continued from page 12)Convention presentations... websites is relatively inexpensive, and

through them everything from researchinformation to radio and television broad-casts can be carried. However, he cautionedthat the marketing of such sites so that asufficient number of people are aware of theservice being provided can be very capital-intensive.

“The future leans to the nimble,” themedia expert said, “and the nimble are oftenthe smaller.”

The other panelist in that afternoon’s ses-sion, Donald Guy, is vice-president of theToronto-based firm POLLARA, which con-ducts public opinion surveys, convenesfocus groups for various clients and con-ducts executive interviews. His prior experi-ence includes service as an advisor to anOntario Provincial Cabinet minister, as acorporate government relations officer anda research analyst for the federal Ministry ofTransportation.

Mr. Guy cited statistics suggesting thattwo-thirds of Canada’s population had usedthe Internet in the past year; with 76 percentsending electronic mail, 74 percent conduct-ing research (mostly consumer-oriented),and 62 percent buying goods or services.

He pointed out that privacy concerns areparamount. Anonymity is often preferred,and as such is an impediment to “relation-ship marketing” and the forming of strongercommunity ties.

The amount of time people devote to thecomputer screen has to come from some-where, the analyst said, and he suggestedthat computer users often “cannibalize” thetime previously devoted to communityinvolvement.

And yet, Mr. Guy averred that sinceUkrainians have a “brand identity” – theirethnicity – the Internet can serve as a neu-tral “guilt-free” medium that can attractthose who have been at the community’sfringes or not participating at all. This isparticularly true of youth, the analystaverred, who can be drawn to the tasks ofoperating and troubleshooting for commu-nications systems.

The double-edged sword, noted Mr. Guy,is that people can communicate with oneanother almost instantaneously via e-mailacross vast distances, or download materialfrom publications or data bases operatingafar, yet they become less involved withtheir own local community.

Veteran UCPBF activist and panelistOlya Kuplowska, senior producer at thepublicly funded television station TVO,suggested that Ukrainians have alreadymade a good start in staking a presence onthe Internet, but have to expand in a morecoordinated and concerted fashion andnoted that Ukrainian studies could be easilyexpanded because the Internet makes it eas-ier to share material and to focus intereststrategically.

Ukrainian entrepreneurial buzzParticipating in the plenary session “The

International Marketplace,” on July 3, wasEugene Luczkiw, an internationally recog-nized expert in the field of entrepreneurialdevelopment and enterprise education,founding director of the Institute forEnterprise Education (website athttp://iee.vaxxine.com/iee/ented.html), anon-profit facility affiliated with BrockUniversity in St. Catharines, Ontario, andan adjunct member of the faculty of busi-ness.

His noted success was in turning a com-pany in Ontario’s wine industry (formerly alaughingstock) into a presence in the worldmarket. He has been a consultant to theWorld Bank, the Royal Bank of Canada andthe Canadian Broadcasting Corp., amongothers, and accompanied an EnterpriseCanada delegation to Ukraine in 1995.

Mr. Luczkiw’s talk was peppered withthe buzz that seeks to “change the world bychanging attitudes,” boldly strike out intonew conceptual territory with assertionssuch as “every citizen, every worker shouldthink like an entrepreneur” and “attitude is

more important than knowledge and skill.”Stephan Bihun, another panelist, joined

Bell Canada as a repairman in the 1960s,rose through various management positions,exhibiting talent in marketing, and took onnumerous overseas assignments on behalfof Bell Canada International until his retire-ment in 1994. Drawing on this experience,as well as a two-year period in which hehelped break up British Telecom’s monop-oly in the United Kingdom, Mr. Bihun thenventured into business opportunities intelecommunications in the U.K., Thailand,Australia, France, the Netherlands andUkraine.

Ukraine’s business climate evaluatedThe Bell veteran concentrated on dispel-

ing any illusions businesspeople might haveabout opportunities in Ukraine, and of rely-ing on the Canadian government’s agenciesto smooth the way.

“CIDA [the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency] is hopeless. Theirbusiness planning stuff is doing more harmthan good,” Mr. Bihun opined. “It has beenproven to fail in North America and now it’sbeing inflicted on Ukraine.”

Mr. Bihun said the only hope is to sellUkraine’s politicians and leaders of vestedinterests on the benefits to their constituen-cies and their own pockets if they adoptproper business practices.

Mr. Bihun took up on the idea voicedearlier by Mr. Luczkiw, suggesting thatwhat is required in Ukraine is a businessconcept that prompts workers in the coun-try’s industries, highly trained but inappro-priately employed in labor-intensive proj-ects, to embark on grass-roots entrepreneur-ship.

It was Mr. Luczkiw’s turn to be grimlyrealistic, pointing out that most in Ukraineare forced by their circumstances into a dif-ferent mentality. “People are in survivalmode in Ukraine, and it is difficult, giventhe current situation, to switch over to self-actualization, the driving force in the West.”

Mr. Luczkiw mentioned an interestingpossibility that might allow Ukraine to capi-talize on growing opposition to lumber-based paper production around the world,suggesting that if the country’s traditionalhemp (konopli) industry were to be revived,it would be very well positioned in terms ofthe world market in the coming decades.

The two-brother team of Andrij andZenon Kulchisky also offered their insightsduring a session titled “Learning the Ropesin Ukraine.” Investing the money theymade in a successful video rental businessin Hamilton, Trident Video, they establishedMarcan International, a joint venture pro-ducing bathroom products in Ukraine.Initiated in 1993, the company was eventu-ally run into dormancy and has now beentaken over by the Ukraine-based partner.

Zenon Kulchisky, a former lecturer inpolitical science at York, McGill and St.Mary’s universities, related that the mostdemanding task faced by a foreign entrepre-neur is keeping track of the changing laws.“If you invest there, stay there with yourmoney, read every issue of HalytskiKontrakty and Dilo [two business-orientednewspapers], and whenever you’re con-fronted by an official demanding a payoff,pull out your clippings,” he said,” otherwiseyou’ll be stiffed.”

Mr. Kulchisky said there was no gettingaround the Soviet legacy in Ukraine. “Youhave to be able to deal with the burden ofhistory,” the businessman-scholar averred,“If the arrival of prosperity in Ukrainedepends on the reduction of state power, aswe believe in the West, the process will beexcruciatingly slow.”

In a nutshell, his advice to prospectiveinvestors: “Don’t put all your eggs in theUkrainian basket, but if you are Ukrainianyourself and are willing to stay in for thelong haul, you can watch the gradualprocess and feel the rewards of havinghelped the economy in the land of yourforebears.”

Ukrainian statehood over the airwaves.Fleeing westward in 1944, Tarnavsky settled in Munich, where was the first editor of the

Munich-based newspaper Ukrainska Trybuna (among the most widely read in the DPcamps). He co-founded and served as managing editor of the cosmopolitan literary and artsjournal Arka.

Tarnavsky emigrated to the United States in 1949 and settled in Detroit, working as anindustrial graphic designer, but also resumed his efforts as a literary translator. He stagedand directed his own rendering of the Medieval English morality play “Everyman” anddirected its premiere in his adopted city in 1961.

He translated Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” wrote Ukrainian adaptations of the worksof Aristophanes and Sophocles, and penned countless radio plays for children.

Reunited in artistic collaboration with Nyzhankivsky, Tarnavsky co-wrote several playsthat have been staged but have remained unpublished, including the satirical comedy “Chaiu Pana Premiera” (Tea at the Premier’s), the historical drama “Attila in Rome,” a Ukrainianadaptation of Sophocles’s “Antigone.” They also began work on a stage adaptation of themedieval “Chronicle of Bygone Years.”

Zenon Tarnavsky died in Detroit on August 8, 1962.A year after his death, his translations of T.S. Eliot’s “Murder in the Cathedral” and

Georges Bernanos “Dialogues des Carmelites” was published by the prestigious Na Horiseries, while a posthumous edition of his selected prose, memoirs, essays and journalisticwritings appeared in 1964, titled “Doroha na Vysokyi Zamok” (The Road to the HighCastle).

Sources: “Tarnavsky, Zenon,” Encyclopedia of Ukraine (Toronto: University of Toronto Press,1993); Zenon Tarnavsky, “Doroha na Vysokyi Zamok” (Detroit: Institute of Ukrainian Culture inAmerica, 1964); Terem, No. 8 (1982).

(Continued from page 6)Turning the pages...


by Michael Sawkiw Jr.Ukrainian National Information ServiceWASHINGTON – The Capitol Hill

commemoration of UkrainianIndependence Day is becoming an impor-tant tradition here and on this eighthanniversary of Ukraine’s August 24 decla-ration of independence, the CongressionalUkrainian Caucus (CUC), the UkrainianCongress Committee of America (UCCA)and the Ukrainian American CoordinatingCouncil (UACC) are coordinating thiscommemoration to provide a forum formembers of Congress to express their soli-darity with the Ukrainian people and theUkrainian American community.

In observance of the anniversary, a spe-cial congressional reception will be heldon Capitol Hill on Wednesday, September22, at 6-8 p.m. in the Rayburn HouseOffice Building, Room B369, SouthCapitol and Independence streets, SW.More than 30 senators and representativeshave endorsed the congressional receptionby serving as sponsors and supportingmembers of the event.

Beginning at 6 p.m., the congressionalevent will feature a buffet reception andremarks from members of Congress andthe Ukrainian government. Hierarchs ofthe Ukrainian Churches (Catholic,Orthodox and Baptist-Evangelical) havebeen invited to participate, along withleaders of Ukrainian American organiza-tions. The Ukrainian American communi-ty is invited to participate in order to con-vey the community’s appreciation to themembers of Congress who will join in thecelebration of Ukraine’s eighth anniver-sary of independence.

The cost of the congressional receptionis $30. RSVP requested by Friday,September 17. Checks should be madepayable to the UCCA and sent to the fol-lowing address: Ukrainian NationalInformation Service (UNIS), 311Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, DC20002. For further information, contactMichael Sawkiw Jr., UNIS director, at(202) 547-0018, or Ihor Gawdiak, presi-dent of the UACC, at (301) 680-0415.

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that the collective memory of the diffi-culties endured by the first wave ofimmigrants to a strange land promptedthe community to lend a helping hand.

George Luckyj honored by CFUSThe Canadian Foundation of Ukrainian

Studies is an institution closely affiliatedwith the UCPBF. As part of the banquetprogram, CFUS President ChristinaStodilka presented the CFUS Award forContributions to Ukrainian Studies toGeorge S.N. Luckyj, professor emeritusof the University of Toronto’s departmentof Slavic languages and literatures; anendowment in support of scholarly workin his name will be established.

The distinguished Ukrainian-born,Columbia University-educated scholarpublished several influential works of lit-erary history, including “Literary Politicsin the Soviet Ukraine: 1917-1936”(1956, second edition, 1990), “BetweenGogol and Shevchenko” (1971);“Shevchenko and the Critics” (1980);“Paneteleimon Kulish: A Sketch of HisLife and Times” (1983); “YoungUkraine: The Brotherhood of Ss. Cyriland Methodius” (1991); and “UkrainianLiterature in the Twentieth Century: AReaders’ Guide” (1992). Many of thesetitles have appeared in Ukrainian transla-tion in Ukraine since 1991 and havealready had a profound effect on scholar-ship in the field.

Prof. Luckyj served as the first editorof the journal Canadian Slavonic Papers(1956-1961); was among the editors ofthe two-volume Ukraine: A ConciseEncyclopedia (1963, 1970); and was theEnglish-language editor of the first vol-ume of the five-volume Encyclopedia ofUkraine (1984).

Prof. Luckyj has also been a prolifictranslator, aided by his wife, Moira, produc-ing renderings of works by PanteleimonKulish, Ivan Bahriany, Mykola Khvyliovy,Valerian Pidmohylny and the classic biog-raphy of Taras Shevchenko by PavloZaitsev, as well as collections of modernshort stories and poems.

Ms. Stodilka said that among the lastrecommendations made by the recentlydeceased Prof. Danylo Struk was thatProf. Luckyj should receive this year’sCFUS award and that an endowment inhis name be established.

Prof. Luckyj was unable to attend thebanquet for health reasons, and forward-ed a recording in which he expressed hisgratitude and a request that the endow-ment be applied to reward the best trans-lation from Ukrainian into English, “ofwhich the field is in dire need.”

Prof. Luckyj’s junior colleague, Prof.Maxim Tarnawsky, accepted the awardon his behalf, and paid tribute to the con-tribution the scholar made, ranking himalong with Prof. George Shevelov ofColumbia University, Prof. OmeljanPritsak of Harvard and Ivan Lysiak-Rudnytsky of the University of Alberta,who “paved the way for Ukrainian schol-arship into the North American academicworld, combating both the prejudices ofnon-Ukrainian scholars and the provin-cialism of Ukrainian academics.”

Prof. Tarnawsky praised the honoree’sdedication, perseverance and adherenceto the highest standards of research andscholarship.

John Stetch soarsA wonderful performance by pianist

John Stetch brought the evening to aclose.

Mr. Stetch has five recordings to hiscredit, including “Rectangle Man,”“Carpathian Blues” and “Stetching Out”on Terra Nova Records, and his mostrecent, “Green World” on Justin TimeRecords. He won the 1998 Prix de Jazz duMaurier at the Montreal International JazzFestival, placed second in the 1993Thelonious Monk InternationalComposers Competition in Washington, isoften on tour with his eponymous band,and is frequently heard on national radio inboth the United States and Canada.

Ukrainian Independence Dayto be marked on Capitol Hill

(Continued from page 11)Professionals...

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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. –Roksolana Luchkan is engaged to bemarried to Nicholas Charles Humphrieson September 25 at the St. VolodymyrUkrainian Orthodox Cathedral on West82nd Street in New York City. A recep-tion will be held at The UkrainianInstitute of America.

Ms. Luchkan and Mr. Humphries metsix years ago while traveling in Ireland.

After they met, both Ms. Luchkan andMr. Humphries lived in Australia forthree years. They will reside in NewYork City.

Nicholas, the son of Mr. and Mrs.Kenneth Humphries, hails from Sydney,Australia. His father is a self-employedarchitect, and his mother works for theMalleson, Stephens and Jacques law firmin Sydney.

Roksolana is the daughter of ValentinaLuchkan and the late Jaroslav (Slavko)Luchkan. The Ukrainian Weekly recentlypublished an article about Mr. Luchkanand his leadership in Plast, as well as his

work on Apollo 13 – the first shuttle toland on the moon. Mrs. Luchkan is cur-rently employed by Aetna US Healthcareas a benefits consultant, and is a self-taught artist and singer.

Roksolana works for ThomsonFinancial Securities Data as an accountexecutive. She is a graduate of theUniversity of Southern California whereshe studied international relations.

A former member of Plast, Ms.Luchkan stays active in the Ukrainiancommunity by acting in Ukrainian playsunder the direction of LydiaKrushelnytsky. She is a member of theUkrainian Institute of America andUkrainian National Association Branch12.

Nicholas recently completed a gradu-ate certificate degree at OxfordUniversity in England. He is an accom-plished rugby player. He has played forManly Rugby Union in SydneyAustralia, the Penguins Internationalteam, Oxford Rugby Blues, as well as theNew York Athletics Club.

This fall Mr. Humphries will beginwork at Arthur Anderson in the businessfraud division.

NOTES ON PEOPLENOTES ON PEOPLECouple to wedon September 25

ing of the UWC executive on July 10 (withMr. Lozynskyj and other senior officialspresent), negotiations with the former land-lords were broken off and a unanimousdecision was made to accept an offer fromthe Ukrainian National Federation (UNF),which owns the UCU building.

Mr. Pedenko is in charge of the head-quarters’ day-to-day operations. Contactedby The Weekly at his new offices, heexpressed great satisfaction with them.“Very spacious and very comfortable,” Mr.Pedenko said.

Even the downsides have upsides, as theUWC official saw it: “It’s somewhatremoved from the center of Ukrainian life,

where the former location was, but it’s atthe center of the city, and this has manyadvantages.”

However, the solution is temporary.“We’re not sure how long we’ll be able tostay here,” Mr. Pedenko averred, “we mighthave to move at any time from five monthsto five years.”

The UNF itself is in flux, having decidedto sell the Ukrainian Credit Union Buildingpart and parcel with its current headquartersnext door.

The transition to another facility, onEvans Avenue in Etobicoke (a Toronto sub-urb) has begun, but is in abeyance, pendingthe sale of the buildings on College Street.

The UWC’s new coordinates are: 295College St., Toronto, Ontario, M5T 1S2;telephone, (416) 323-3020; fax, (416) 323-3250; e-mail, [email protected].

Roksolana Luchkan and Nicholas Humphries.

ANNOUNCEMENTMembers of the Ukrainian National Association who are 79 years or older and are stillpaying premiums on their insurance with UNA are entitled to a fraternal benefit. The UNAwill pay the annual premiums for policies issued in classes 1, 5, 6, 21, 51, 26, or 56. Thispayment is automatic and members do not need to do anything. Any member who hasinsurance in any other class is not entitled to this benefit. All members 79 years and overwho have dividend options other than cash must continue to pay their insurance premi-ums. with Dividend option 2 or 4 (accumulation of interest on the dividend or additionalpaid-up insurance), the UNA will pay their dividend option but not the premium. Membersmay cancel their dividend option if they wish to have the UNA pay their premiums. Pleasecontact the UNA Home Office or your branch secretary.

The Executive Committee

(Continued from page 5)Ukrainian World Congress...


To subscribe: Send $50 ($40 if you are a member of the UNA) to The Ukrainian Weekly,Subscription Department, 2200 Route 10, P.O. Box 280, Parsippany, NJ 07054

by Olena WelhaschPARSIPANNY, N.J.: Imagine having a

softball-sized personal assistant floatingaround your house or office and taking careof time-consuming tasks. NASA astronautsmay soon have access to this luxury thanksto the work of Yuri Gawdiak and his NASAresearch team.

The Personal Satellite Assistant (PSA) isan astronaut support device designed tomove and operate independently in themicrogravity environment of space. Thefan-propelled PSA will monitor the spacestation’s environment, testing sensors, fans,communication control and navigation, andwill even be able to make minor repairs,leaving the astronauts free to work on othermatters. The PSA will be instrumental inmeasuring temperature, air pressure and gaslevels. “Gases behave differently in space.They have a nonpredictable distribution, sothe hard-wired sensors won’t pick up agiven gas. The PSA can hunt and search forgases,” said Mr. Gawdiak.

Due to its size, the PSA will be able toinvestigate areas of the spacecraft that peo-ple cannot. This technology would havebeen useful when a fire broke out on theMir space station, to ensure that the entirefire had been extinguished.

Equipped with a camera, micro-phone, speakers and display terminal, thePSA will enable the scientists on Earth tointeract with crew members while pro-viding a unique view of the missionoperation. The on-board sensors mayalso be used to monitor the status of labanimals. Ideally, the apparatus will haveplug-and-play capabilities, allowing theastronauts to outfit the PSA with particu-lar tasks to complete that day.

The PSA concept was presented at aSilicon Valley conference on data fusionthis summer. Today, the concept mock-up,which is about the size of a basketball,floats over a table on Earth. The challengesfacing the design team includes decreasingthe size of the PSA while maintainingenough power to keep it functioning andcreating sensors sensitive enough to preventit from bumping into objects on board.According to a recent article in NewScientist, NASA scientists predict that itwill be about two years before the PSA isready for the space shuttle or internationalspace station.

Yuri Gawdiak, 36, orginally of SilverSpring, Md., dreamed of working forNASA since he was a child. Today he does.Mr. Gawdiak is a team experiment leadengineer at NASA, Ames Research Center(ARC) in California.

In addition to the PSA project, Mr.Gawdiak was involved in the successfulMir Wireless Network Experiment (WNE),which was the first test of a wireless client-server network in the space environment.Mr. Gawdiak was also involved in a NASA(ARC) and the Federal AviationAdministration (FAA) alliance formed tobuild a full mission-simulation facility thatwill be used to validate future airport surfaceand air traffic control tower technologies.

Mr. Gawdiak was an active member ofPlast Youth Organization and was head ofthe Plast branch in Washington. As a youthhe attended bandura camp and Ukrainianschool. In his free time Mr. Gawdiak saidhe enjoys hiking, biking and skiing with hiswife, Lada, and immediately added that hehas fun at work, too. Mr. Gawdiak is amember of Ukrainian National AssociationBranch 15.

NASA engineer is working on personal satellite assistant


a 20.57 percent stake in the plant has been sold via auctions for privatization property cer-tificates and a 1.55 percent stake on favorable terms. The plant’s leaseholders already own a21.04 percent, with the state retaining a 50 percent controlling stake. (Eastern Economist) Russia accused of airlines discrimination

KYIV – Russia’s aviation authorities are conducting a discriminatory policy in respect toUkrainian airlines, said a Ukrainian Transportation Ministry official. According to the inter-governmental agreement on air traffic between Ukraine and Russia, Ukraine does not levy avalue-added tax for services provided by Russian airlines in Ukrainian airports, while theRussian side taxes services provided by Ukrainian airlines in Russia because Russian legis-lation does not regard flights between the two countries as international, which makes itpossible for the Russian side to levy VAT on CIS airlines. Such an approach violates theprovisions of Russia’s Air Traffic Code of February 19, 1997. Ukrainian airlines to datehave paid Russia more than $3.2 million (U.S.) in VAT. (Eastern Economist) Big Antonov line-up for Russian airshow

KYIV – About 300 aviation associations, design offices, plants, research institutes andenterprises participated and demonstrated more than 130 new aircraft at the fourthInternational Air Show MAX ’99 held recently in the Russian town of Zhukovskyi.Ukraine’s Industrial Policy Minister Vasyl Hureiev, his deputy, Valerii Kazakov, and thedeputy chief of armaments of Ukraine’s armed forces, Mykhailo Mytrakhovych, were inattendance. According to Mr. Kazakov, Ukraine displayed the AN-70, AN-140, AN-38 andAN-3, the AN-32P firefighter and the converted AN-74TK-200. The AN-140 was to haveits first air demonstration ever. Mr. Kazakov said the aim of the show was to convinceprospective partners that the AN-70 “has not been the only success of the national aviationindustry.” Ukraine will continue with its policy of promoting Antonov planes by holdingtalks with German and Italian delegations. The first passenger AN-140 could be assembledin the Iranian city of Isfahan by the end of 1999. Ukraine gained the rights for serial produc-tion of AN-140 in December 1995. (Eastern Economist) South Africa intends to order Motor-Sich engines

ZAPORIZHHIA – South Africa intends to place an order for engines for 12 top-classfighting helicopters with the Ukrainian company Motor-Sich, Dellari van Tonder, SouthAfrican Ambassador to Ukraine, said while visiting this company. The decision wasreached after South African aircraft engineers had visited the La Bourget and Moscow airshows and learned of aircraft engine production at the Ukrainian company. (EasternEconomist) Ukraine, Russia aim to begin production of AN-70

KYIV – Ukraine and Russia plan to begin joint serial production of AN-70 militarytransport aircraft in 2001, according to a senior Ukrainian official. Vice Prime MinisterSerhii Tyhypko said on August 30 that the two countries would include expenses for theproject, which is 75 percent financed by Russia and 25 percent by Ukraine, in their budgetsfor next year. He also confirmed that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and hisUkrainian counterpart Valerii Pustovoitenko had come to such an agreement in Moscow aweek ago. Mr. Tyhypko added that Russia had also agreed to pay a $52 million debt owedto the AN-70’s designer, Ukraine’s Antonov Design Bureau. Antonov predicts demand forthe AN-70 at 1,500 units worldwide. The AN-70 is able to carry 35 tons of cargo. A versionbuilt with Germany called the AN-7X was offered in a tender for new military cargo air-craft for European armed forces earlier this year. The preliminary results of the tender wereto have been announced on July 2, but are still being awaited. The base price of the AN-70is expected to be about $40 million (U.S.), compared to $50 million (U.S.) for the AN-7X.There seems to be great interest in the AN-7X as well. Antonov has held talks with theAirtruck consortium uniting eight German aerospace firms on a trilateral agreementbetween Ukraine, Russia and Germany to supply the AN-7X plane to the air forces ofGermany, Denmark and Portugal. The plane is a modified version of the new AN-70 air-craft. Under the proposed trilateral agreement, a total of 305 planes will be supplied to thearmed forces of the three countries. In addition, Denmark and Portugal have announcedplans to buy between three and five and AN-7X planes. (Eastern Economist) Variah aircraft carrier is half paid-for

KYIV – Only half of the cost of the Variah aircraft carrier has been paid to date.Speaking on August 11, Oleh Firsov, deputy director of Black Sea shipbuilding plant, saidthe ship will not leave the shipyard until the buyer, a company based in Portuguese Macao,pays the total sum, $20 million (U.S.), in accordance with the contract signed in May of thisyear. (Eastern Economist) Cabinet supports liquid pharmaceuticals

KYIV – The Cabinet of Ministers instructed the State Innovation Fund to provide fund-ing for a project aimed at starting the production of liquid pharmaceuticals packed in tubesand droppers. The project will be implemented at the Styrol concern in Horlivka, DonetskOblast. The cost of the project is 21.9 million hrv. Styrol must present guarantees to the SIFfor the repayment of the credit in 2002. (Eastern Economist)Ex head of alumina plant is reinstated

KYIV – A ruling by a Mykolaiv regional court on August 6 reinstated the former generaldirector of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant, Vitalii Mieshyn, to his post. The court acknowl-edged that, in accordance with the articles of association of the MAP open joint-stock com-pany, Mr. Mieshyn should manage the plant until privatization is completed. In accordancewith his contract he will remain in his post until December 2000. The court ruled that theNational Agency of Ukraine for Management of State Corporate Rights did not have thepowers to break labor contracts concluded with the heads of joint-stock companies.(Eastern Economist) Arrests made at Kryvorizhstal works

KYIV – Six managers of the Kryvorizhstal steel works have been arrested, and a total of60 employees are under investigation, according to Interfax-Ukraine. Quoting a source at

(Continued from page 3)Business briefs



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the law enforcement agencies, on August 11 the news agency reported that 40 criminalcases have been filed. Among the charges are theft, bribes and abuse of authority. Yet, theenterprise officials are denying accusations. “I don’t know anything about any arrests orcriminal cases,” said Evgen Auer, assistant to general director. (Eastern Economist) September launch planned for rocket

KYIV – A commercial satellite launch under the auspices of the Sea Launch internation-al satellite program is planned to take place in mid-September. The first launch will involvelaunching a DIRECTV 1-R telecom satellite into orbit using the Ukrainian Zenit boosterrocket. The satellite will broadcast 20 television entertainment shows for direct satellite TVsubscribers. (Eastern Economist) Coal industry makes strides, says minister

KYIV – Amidst all the closings of unprofitable mines, a new coal mine is to be openedin Ukraine for the first time since independence, Coal Minister Serhii Tulub announced.However, the coal sector was to receive 110 million hrv to finance objects of major impor-tance, according to a March 23 Cabinet of Ministers decree, and only 9.3 million hrv hasbeen provided thus far. Mr. Tulub warned that since the legislature overturned a presidentialveto on changes to the law on revenue taxes, the coal sector lost one source of financingand any further reductions could lead to “the full destruction of mine-building industry.” Asa result of major changes in the management structure of coal industry which started in thesecond quarter of 1998, coal miners were able to reach some stability in the sector, Mr.Tulub said in his report to President Leonid Kuchma. He lauded the mechanisms of statesupport distribution, higher control for budget funds allocated from the sector, individualmanagement at almost each of coal mining enterprises, capital construction financing onlyunder tender conditions, and also development of a number of anti-barter, technical andsocial programs. The measures taken have made it possible to increase coal extraction andlabor efficiency, lower production costs and increase quality. Given the positive experienceof crediting mining enterprises in 1996-1998 and the increased productivity that resulted,Mr. Tulub suggested that President Kuchma allocate 160 million hrv for providing one-yearloans for coal-mining enterprises for the purchase of equipment. He said that with enoughunextracted coal remaining and new horizons developed, equipment remains the onlyobstacle to increased coal output. Since the beginning of the year, domestic mines haveextracted 50 million tons of coal. The yearly plan for 1999 is 80 million tons; nearly 33 mil-lion tons have already been sent to consumers. In order for thermo-electric stations to accu-mulate the necessary reserves for the winter period, mines are being instructed to send100,000 tons daily to the stations. (Eastern Economist) Sugar beet crop to meet last year’s volume

KYIV – The sugar beet crop harvested this year will be almost 16 million tons – thesame as was brought in last year, announced the new Agro-Industrial Complex MinisterMykhailo Hladii on August 5. The harvest will ensure the production of around 1.9 milliontons of sugar by Ukraine’s 161 sugar refineries. The minister forecast that the total sun-flower harvest is expected to reach 2.5 million tons, or 300,000 tons more than last year.The increased volumes are mainly due to better yields and increased acreage being seeded,2.5 million hectares in all – substantially more than the initially planned 1.9 millionhectares. According to Mr. Hladii, the state will not interfere in farm activities and will notrestrict the movement of sunflower seeds from the region or from export. (EasternEconomist) PrivatBank offers gold bullion service

KYIV – PrivatBank announced on August 5 that it has introduced a new service: opera-tions with bank gold bullion. The bank can now offer buy-sell operations with 999.9 stan-dard gold bullion in weights of 5-12,500 grams, store gold and provide special preciousmetals accounts that would enable the clients to do operations with gold bars. (EasternEconomist) Professional women mark anniversary

KYIV – The League of Professional Women celebrated its second anniversary inAugust. The organization’s goal is to protect labor rights and assist professional careerwomen in business, science and education, public administration and the mass media.Partners of the league include the Institute of Philosophy of Ukraine, the BusinessIncubators Development Program in Ukraine, IREX, CIPE, ACCELS and the Women’sConsortium of the NIS-USA. The League of Professional Women publishes an informationbulletin and a newsletter to inform businesswomen about grants, training, education, con-ferences, and small and medium-sized loans. To date, seven members have won interna-tional individual grants with the advisory support of the league, while the league’s consult-ing group recently published Dr. E.V. Lazorenko’s book “Power in Ukraine: Non-TrivialPolitical Analysis for Those Who Are in Power and Those Who Want to Be in Power.”(Eastern Economist) Law set to exempt cognac producers

KYIV – President Leonid Kuchma signed a decree on August 10 exempting cognacspirit from customs duties until January 1, 2001, if the spirit is to be used for the productionneeds of domestic cognac manufacturers. The list of importers is to be approved by thegovernment. The same law also imposes a privileged rate of excise, or 0.02 ecu per 1 literof 100 percent alcohol, for ethyl alcohol used by domestic producers of pectin, vinegar,pharmaceuticals and veterinary medicines. The government must approve the supplies pro-cedure and regulate the use of alcohol. (Eastern Economist) German company orders bulk vessels

KYIV – UkrExImBank is to sign a loan agreement with Japanese Export-Import Bankworth 14.8 yen before September 10, intended for the Okean shipbuilding plant. The plantis to purchase equipment for the construction of 10 Panamax-class bulk vessels for theGerman Horizont Schiffahrtgesellschaft. A contract for the construction of two such ves-sels had already been signed earlier. The construction of 10 ships will cost $240 million(U.S.). Okean has already finished 67 percent of the first bulk vessel, which was originallybuilt for the Black Sea Shipping Company but then halted due to lack of funds. (EasternEconomist)

(Continued from page 22)Business briefs


Wednesday, September 8-Friday, October 8WASHINGTON: “My River: RecentPaintings of the Potomac River” by AndreiKushnir will be on view at the gallery ofTaylor and Sons Fine Art, 666 PennsylvaniaAve. SE. A reception for the artist will takeplace Saturday, September 11, at 5-8 p.m. atthe gallery. Mr. Kushnir has pained in oilssince 1980 and has displayed his work injuried and group shows. His works havefrequently been accepted in gallery showsby curators from prestigious galleries suchas the National Gallery of Art and theNational Museum of American Art. Forinformation contact Taylor and Sons, (202)546-0021.Sunday, September 12NEW YORK: Ukrainian National Women’sLeague of America Branch 83 invites theUkrainian community to the screening of thedocumentary film “Eternal Memory,” directedby David Pultz and narrated by Meryl Streep,at the Shevchenko Scientific Society, 63Fourth Ave., at 1:30 p.m. Admission is $5.Refreshments will be served. A discussionwith the director will follow the screening.This film is a historic documentary of theStalinist purges and terror in Ukraine duringthe 1930s and 1940s.Tuesday, September 14 IRVINGTON, N.J.: The first session ofMuzychne Doshkillia – Music and Me willtake place on September 14. The program fea-tures classes for pre-schoolers age 2 1/2 to 5 atthree locations: the Ukrainian CommunityCenter, 140 Prospect Ave., Irvington, N.J.; theUkrainian Youth Center, 301 Palisade Ave.,Yonkers, N.Y.; and (starting September 15) atthe Ukrainian Institute of America, 2 E. 79thSt., New York. For more information callMarta Sawycky, (908) 276-3134 or (973) 374-8079.

Sunday, September 26ROCHESTER, N.Y.: The 20th anniversarydinner of the Mosaic Ukrainian HeritageCenter will be held at 1 p.m. at St. JosaphatSchool Auditorium, 910 E. Ridge Road. Guestspeaker will be Lubow Wolynetz, curator andlibrarian of the Ukrainian Cultural Center,Stamford, Conn., and curator, Department ofFolk Art, The Ukrainian Museum, New YorkCity. Tickets are $10 and available at theMosaic gift shop, Ukrainian Federal CreditUnion and the lower level of St. Josaphat’sUkrainian Catholic Church until September19. In conjunction with the anniversary, anexhibit and sale of paintings by BohdanBorzemsky will be held at 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Theexhibit opening will be held at 6-9 p.m. onSeptember 25. For more information call IrenaRussnak, (716) 342-8423.SOUTHPORT, Conn.: A hospitality gather-ing for the Ukrainian National Women’sLeague of America will take place at 4-6 p.m.at the Ukrainian American Club, 279 KingsDrive (I-95, Exit 19.) Guest speaker NadiaShmigel, chair of the national Social WelfareCommittee, will discuss the UNWLA”sachievements, college scholarships, aid to vic-tims of Chornobyl, orphans and the aged, andfuture plans. The meeting is open to the pub-lic. Contact Roma Hayda, (203) 261-4530, orHelen Balaban, (203) 255-5461.Sunday, October 10WASHINGTON: The parish 50th anniver-sary celebration at the Ukrainian CatholicNational Shrine of the Holy Family will beheld at 4250 Harewood Road NE. At 9:30a.m. there will be a liturgy and dedication ofthe upper church structure with a banquet tofollow. Tickets to the banquet must be pur-chased before September 26; admission foradults is $30; children age 12 and under, $15.For more information and reservations contactDeacon T. Staruch, (703) 765-6769.

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Lesia Ukrainka School of Ukrainian StudiesLesia Ukrainka School of Ukrainian Studiesin Morris County, NJ, under the aegis of UCCA Educational Council

announces

the beginning of the school year for children from kindergarten through 12th gradeSeptember 11, 1999,

9 a.m. – Beginning of classes; 9:15 – Parents’ meetingat Parsippany High School

Ihor Zwarycz, President of the Parents’ Committee

PLEASE NOTE NEW REQUIREMENTS:Preview of Events is a listing of Ukrainian community events open to the

public. It is a service provided at minimal cost ($10 per submission) by TheUkrainian Weekly to the Ukrainian community. Payment must be receivedprior to publication.

To have an event listed in Preview of Events please send information, inEnglish, written in Preview format, i.e., in a brief paragraph that includes thedate, place, type of event, sponsor, admission, full names of persons and/ororganizations involved, and a phone number to be published for readers whomay require additional information. Items should be no more than 100 wordslong; all submissions are subject to editing. Items not written in Preview for-mat or submitted without all required information will not be published.

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36_September 5, 1999 - The Ukrainian Weekly

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