The sixth international artistic and intellectual forum Via Carpatia: “The future of tradition: Ukrainian in the global world”, which this year was held in Ivano-Frankivsk on October 13-15, ended with the presentation of the annual award named after an outstanding friend of Ukraine, a Polish philosopher and chronicler of the Hutsul Region Stanisław Vincenz “For Humanistic Service and a Contribution to Regional Development“.
This time, Yosyf Zisels – public figure, dissident, executive co-president of the Vaad of Ukraine, executive vice-president of the Congress of National Communities of Ukraine, initiator and head of the “Recovery during the war” program – was awarded the prestigious award.
Laureates of the Stanisław Vincenz Prize are intellectuals and public figures who have made a significant contribution to cultural or social development. In past years, it was received by Yuliia Paievska (Taira), Myroslav Marynovych, Ivan Malkovych, Leonid Finberg and Petro Rykhlo. They, friends and partners form the “Vincenz Circle” – an intellectual club of people united by high humanistic ideals.
“I am not a very emotional person, but now I am overwhelmed with feelings – first of all, feelings of gratitude to the Via Carpatia chapter for such a high assessment of my modest contribution to the life of Ukraine, – said, accepting the award in Ivano-Frankivsk from the hands of the Via Carpatia Forum initiator Mykola Kniazhytskyi, Yosyf Zisels. – I lived most of my life in Chernivtsi, in the Carpathian region. As a child, I bought books for myself – my father gave me money. I remember how one book caught my attention among many others. It was called “On the High Uplands”. I found out later that it was a book by Stanisław Vincenz, written in 1938. It was translated into Ukrainian in 1957. At that time I did not remember the author, but this book about the Hutsuls and the Carpathians, which I “became sick of”, had a great impact on me. Many years have passed – and I stand before you as a laureate of the Stanisław Vincenz Prize.”
To greet the participants and guests of the Via Carpatia Forum in Ivano-Frankivsk came acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Rostyslav Karandeev, who noted: “The Via Carpatia festival is designed to unite Ukrainians. Over the years, this festival movement has spread to much wider regions and even to countries that have the Carpathian mountains on their land”.
“It is very important for us to preserve this tradition – Via Carpatia took place both during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Last year we held a Forum in Lviv, – says the initiator of the Via Carpatia Forum, a People’s Deputy of Ukraine Mykola Kniazhytskyi. – But we dream of returning to Verkhovyna and Kryvorivnia – and we are already closer. Just as the Armed Forces of Ukraine are gradually liberating our territory. I believe that next summer we will hold the Via Carpatia in Verkhovyna and Kryvorivna, where we will communicate among the mountains, admiring the beauty of Cheremosh and listening to Hutsul melodies. This year in Ivano-Frankivsk, we had a good dialogue about the future of Ukraine.”
Over three days, dozens of different artistic and intellectual events took place within the framework of Via Carpatia 2023. The event from the series of open lectures at Vasyl Stefanyk Prykarpatsky National University has started. They were read Yosyf Zisels, Vitaliy Portnykov, Mykola Kniazhytskyi and Volodymyr Vyatrovych.
Five panel discussions took place: “At the crossroads. The fate of tradition in a globalized world”, “Getting out of the shadows. Positioning of Ukraine in the world”, “Emigration and solidarity. Between the conservation of the ancient and the promotion of the modern”, “Strengthened by the experience of ancestors. The role of tradition for the sustainability of the Armed Forces and volunteering”, “Finding yourself. War as a trigger for national self-discovery”. Among the speakers were Myroslava Barchuk, Anzhelika Rudnytska, Rostyslav Derzhypilskyi, Olga Salo, Elmira Ablyalimova, Tetyana Pylypets, Bohdan Tikholoz, Genad Poberezhny, Yuriy Gudymenko, Antin Borkovskyi, Vasyl Pavlov, Volodymyr Skorostetskyi, Maria Makivnychuk, Rostyslav Luzhetskyi, Roman Vashchuk, Myroslava Keryk, Khrystyna Beregovska, Nadiya Makivnychuk and others. All discussions were broadcast live to a large audience by the “Espreso” TV channel (now they are available for viewing on the “Espreso” YouTube channel).
Mykola Kniazhytskyi presented his own documentary the film “Church without Christ. The activities of the Russian Orthodox Church should be banned”. Mykyta Poturaev, head of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Taras Antoshevskyi and Father Ivan Rybaruk from Kryvorivna took part in the discussion of the film.
One of the central events of Via Carpatia 2023 was Literary and artistic meeting “Word in War” — a book fair for which about two dozen military writers came to Ivano-Frankivsk. Some are straight from the front. Among the participants are military authors and volunteers Oleksandr Lysak, Olena Lototska, Kateryna Flekman, Serhii Dzyuba, Artemiy Kirsanov, Valeriya Borshchevska, Volodymyr Skorostetskyi, Andrii Lototskyi, Viktor Yankevych, Olena “Lastivka” Mokrenchuk, Rustam Dmytruk, Olga Donechchanka, Oksana Vesna, Ilya Titko and others.
The curator of the artistic component of the Forum is Shevchenko Prize laureate, outstanding theater director and film actor Rostyslav Derzhypilskyi. Intellectual discussions were complemented by the Ivano-Frankivsk National Academic Drama Theater named after Ivan Franko – a show performances “Nation”. Film screenings took place: the premiere of the film Mykhailo Krupievskyi “Chubay. Speak again” and presentation Myroslava Barchuk’s film “What a Difference” from the documentary series “The Last War”.
At the closing of the Forum, singer Yuriy Yosifovych performed, and at the literary location “Word in War” – the military band of the legendary 10th Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss”.
Vela Forum Honored Artist of Ukraine Anzhelika Rudnytska. Director of the Forum – Yaryna Yasinevych.
In addition, three exhibitions were presented at Via Carpatia 2023: the painting of Lyudmila and Mykola Rybenchuk “Ukraine 2022-2023”, the exhibition of “IALAE” within the framework of the project “Zincir/Chain – links of memory” and the exhibition of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance “The Freedom Factor”.
The Via Carpatia 2023 forum was held with the financial support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation and the International Renaissance Foundation. The literary and artistic meeting “Word in War” was supported by the Ukrainian Book Institute.
At the same time, the content of the Forum’s events is not the official position of the UKF, the UIC and the IFV.
Organizers:
NGO “Verkhovyna – Flower of the Carpathians”;
All-Ukrainian Democratic Forum.
Information partners:
General TV partner – “Espreso” channel;
The general radio partner is “FM Halychyna”.
Partners:
Ivano-Frankivsk National Academic Drama Theater named after Ivan Franko;
Lviv Ivan Franko National Literary and Memorial Museum (Franko House);
NGO “Crimean Institute of Strategic Studies”;
Prykarpattia National University named after Vasyl Stefanyk;
Lviv Regional Library for Youth named after Roman Ivanychuk;
Publishing House “Spirit and Letter”;
Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Universal Scientific Library named after I. Franko.
With the help of:
Cities of Ivano-Frankivsk;
Verkhovyna settlement council;
Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration;
Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council.
Photo from Forum Via Carpatia 2023 by link
