Lecture of Yaroslav Hrytsak. Ukraine is Ukraine Festival
On May 10, we held the first day of the “Ukraine is Ukraine” festival in Milan's city center.
The event opened with a lecture by Ukrainian historian Yaroslav Hrytsak, who spoke about the phenomenon of Ukrainian hetmans and the formation of the Hetmanate.
Among the most prominent figures of that era was Pylyp Orlyk, the author of one of Europe’s first democratic constitutions, created in 1710.
Another key figure was Ivan Mazepa, who formed an alliance with Sweden against Peter I. Later, the hetman inspired writers and artists such as Byron, Hugo, Voltaire, and many others.
The Ukrainian Hetmanate became one of the earliest attempts to build a society based on representation, elections, and political freedom.
Alongside Yaroslav Hrytsak, the festival also featured Nataliia Kryvda, professor at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She spoke about women who influenced Ukrainian history from the Middle Ages to the present day.
The second part of the festival was dedicated to the connection between Ukrainian ballet and the global ballet tradition, as well as to the legacy of travel blogger Sofia Yablonska and the remarkable places of Ukraine.
The event was held under the patronage of the Comune di Milano, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Italian Republic, the Consulate General of Ukraine in Milan, and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
We were able to organize the event thanks to the contribution of Maryana Shafro and the support of our partners: Valeria Rodnyansky, Viktoria Boklag, POUSTOVIT, Nadiya ODV, Biosphere Corporation, and Truff Royal.
