In a televised speech at the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 23 February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Russian citizens directly, pleading with them to remember the value and importance of cultural heritage: “How can you hate culture? Any culture? Neighbors always enrich each other culturally, but that does not make them one entity. It does not subsume us in you. We are different, but that is not grounds to be enemies. We want to determine and build our own history, peacefully, calmly and honestly.”

Cultural institutions and culture itself are clearly under great threat in Ukraine right now, despite the rules set forth by International Humanitarian Law, and Unesco’s plea for respect of “the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols (1954 and 1999), to ensure the prevention of damage to cultural heritage.” Managers of collections and archives are scrambling to protect holdings, while historic sites and buildings are under imminent threat of attack. Already the Ukrainian Library Association (ULA) has shared photographs on its Facebook page of the war-ravaged libraries of Chernihiv.

In an address likewise dated 23 February, Oksana Bruy, president of the ULA emphasized the importance and power of libraries, along with their position “at the forefront of the fight against fakes, misinformation and cyber threats.” When and where it is still possible, the country’s libraries remain an invaluable resource for communities by promoting research and education in the battle against misinformation, but also by offering classes in emergency medical assistance and serving as shelters to the increasing number of displaced citizens.

Meanwhile, the team behind the Book Arsenal Festival – the climax of the literary year in Ukraine – published an impassioned appeal on the 24th urging global “solidarity and support” in response to Russia’s “horrid and disgusting actions against Ukraine.”

In their plea, the team asked for cultural organizations and institutions to share both information on the war, especially with the hashtag #StandWithUkraine, and “successful stories of cooperation with Ukraine,” underlining the “essential progress” the country has made in recent years “in arts and literature, cultural diplomacy, sharing and promoting European values.”

It further encouraged the international community to visibly demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine by displaying the colours of the Ukrainian flag in “artistic and symbolic actions,” a plea that has been heeded across the world, including in the remarkable lighting of global monuments this past weekend, and one which we heed in our own capacity here today.

The 11th installment of the Book Arsenal Festival is to take place May 25 to 29 at Kyiv’s Mystetskyi Arsenal, the country’s flagship public cultural institution for contemporary visual art, music, theatre, and of course literature. The team concluded their appeal thus: “we believe above all that our Armed Forces along with the support of everyone involved — will stop the enemy and we will be able to meet in Kyiv this spring — to acknowledge and appreciate the principles of humanism, freedom, and critical thinking during the events together with you.”

Among the many international initiatives being developed in response to the crisis, The Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institut für Kunstgeschichte has joined the growing international effort to “help and protect colleagues, institutions, and heritage in the Ukraine” and announced the following resources for assisting cultural workers presently in danger:

“The RIHA’s Board invites its members to share knowledge about colleagues from Ukraine who are in danger and seeking for international help. It has set up a Google account to collect information about threatened colleagues, institutions, and cultural heritage confidentially. RIHA will share it with those who can offer help, as the BHMPI does with its ad hoc scholarships. Simply write to rihaforukraine@gmail.com. In addition, you can follow @Sci_for_Ukraine on Twitter, where institutions and labs post direct help offers.”

#StandWithUkraine

Standing with Ukraine