I took particular interest in researching Lesia Ukrainka and her role in perpetuating the Ukrainian Renaissance when the nation was so distinctly divided between the Russian and Austrian territories, as we discussed in class on Monday.  Not only was she immensely talented, but she also represents strength as a Ukrainian citizen in a differing way than did the Cossacks.  She was a brilliant writer, politically involved, and she accomplished all of this while suffering from tuberculosis.

Lesia Ukrainka was one of Ukraine's most renowned poets and the leading woman writer in Ukrainian literature.  Her mother, Olha Drahomanova-Kosach, was a Ukrainian writer and publisher, and her father, Petro Antonovych, was remarkably involved in advancing Ukrainian culture and was vastly invested in the Ukrainian publishing ventures.  Contrary to what was custom at the time, Ukrainka's family enforced only Ukrainian language in their home and even hired tutors in an effort to circumvent the schools that taught Russian as the primary language.  Her family was very much involved in Ukrainian identity and the resistance of Russian influence.  She first became involved in writing when she was eight years old when she wrote her first poem entitled "Hope." It was written in reflection of a family member who was arrested and exiled for participating in a political movement.  When she was thirteen, her poem, "Lily of the Valley" was published in a journal in Lviv.  After that, her career as a writer and political activist took off.  In 1893, her first collection of poetry was published in Western Ukraine because the Russian Empire banned Ukrainian publications.  Her works were smuggled into Kiev.   While she loved to experience other cultures, her most famous pieces were reflective of Ukrainian history, mythology, and folklore.  

I found her to be a very interesting figure in Ukrainian history because she took such bold strides in the struggle against the Russian oppressors and has clearly made an impact in Ukrainian culture.  She represents strength to people everywhere, especially women, and also provides a great example of a role model for people who may be in need of inspiration to fight against an oppressive body.  

sources: 

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pages/U/K/UkrainkaLesia.htm

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ukrainka.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesya_Ukrainka 

Hryhorii Skovorda

Upon hearing of Skovoroda in class, I became intrigued. A few idiosyncratic images come to mind. First the romantic traveling artist--such as Lesya Ukrainka or others. Yet also present is more of an Eastern "holy man" image, such as a wandering Buddhist Monk in India. These are obviously stereotypes. Another stereotype is that concerning philosophers, as atheistic, humanistic critics accepting neither faith or science. Obviously Skovoroda is no stereotype. So what and who is he?

He was born to a Cossack family (1722), although whether rich or poor is not clear. For example, links [1] and [2] below have contradictory information on this point. As mentioned in class, he attended the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, although he never completed a full program. He also left the Academy on two occasions for travels and other things. In 1769, he abandoned formal teaching and began wandering the country side.

An interesting note, he refused to let his philosophical writings be published, calling them his children. He'd often give his writings to friends as gifts, instructing them to take care of them and keep them in their house. See more about this at link [2]. In a culture clamoring to fit into the Russian aristocracy seek worldly honor and riches (the Cossack Hetmanite being slowly dismantled during his lifetime), Skovoroda refused to be a worldly-type philosopher. More on this in link [2], with interesting stories concerning Cathrine the Great and a General Shcherbinin.

In his writings, he is critical of the Church, but deeply religious. Soviet realism made him into a pantheist, believing God is nature, but this biased by Soviet objectives. For instance, the following quote from link [3]:

"To Skovoroda, God reveals Himself to men in three ways: the material world into which we are born; Man himself, or the microcosm which reflects the macrocosm; and the symbolic world of the Bible, which gives us the possibility to understand the eternal God. The material world is meaningless without one's intimate connection with the divine. Man has to use his cognitive powers to understand the macrocosm and its Creator."

This is comparable with a 1965 U.S. thesis by Taras Zakydalsky at Bryn Mawr Collage (link [4]), particularly note the first paragraphs of the Metaphysics chapter. Here is a direct quote from Skovoroda on these three aspects, calling them three worlds.

In all, I find Skovoroda a refreshing individual: a man who had both deep faith in God, and yet was willing to address philosophical issues; a seeker of truth not limited to usual physical experience. He was critical of the church(es) he was familiar with, as they did not seem to fit his ideas of truth, yet not abandoning God because of these church(es).

Personally, am a scientist and also very religious. I believe both these aspects of my life involve seeking and learning truth. I am encouraged to see another truth seeker with both aspects. Was he successful? That remains for each individual to decide.

Sources:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hryhori_Skovoroda
[2] http://www.wumag.kiev.ua/index2.php?param=pgs20032/78
[3] http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2004/300417.shtml
[4] http://ditext.com/zakydalsky/skovoroda.html

chornobyl

Figure 1: An aerial view of the Chornobyl Power Plant after the meltdown.















In April 26, 1986 there was a massive explosion in one of the reactors at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. This explosion caused several more to follow, which set in to motion the largest nuclear meltdown in history. Massive clouds of smoke carrying radioactive fallout carried dangerous debris all over Europe, and even as far as North America. As a result, almost 400,000 thousands residents were forced to relocate. 56 individuals were killed directly by the accident, but today World Health Organization estimates that nearly 4,000 people have died as a result of cancer brought on by exposure to radiation, and that 600,000 individuals have experienced high exposure to radiation.

Most experts blame the meltdown on a poorly designed reactor and personnel who were not properly trained. As a result of Cold War isolation there was little regard for safety, so workers did not receive sufficient education and preparation. The accident itself occurred during a test to see how long turbines would spin after loosing the loss of main electrical power supply. It was known that the reactors were unstable at a low power setting, but the personnel at the plant chose to run the test regardless. During the test, when they attempted to shut down one the reactors there was an enormous power surge, because the reactor was in such a volatile state, and this led to the initial explosion which initiated the meltdown.

When the meltdown first occurred officials failed to warn residents that a meltdown occurred, it was not until radiation levels increased dramatically in Sweden that anyone was notified. When the government finally issued a warning, they gave the impression that the damage was minimal and localized. It was not until almost two days later that the entire surrounding area was evacuated when citizens were notified about the severity of the accident. Originally citizens were told to expect to their homes in three days, as a result many of the still abandoned homes still contain many of the personal items of their former occupants.

Livadia Palace: Road 3

Livadia Palace was the summer retreat for the last Russian Czar, Nicholas II and his family, in the city of Livadiya, Crimea in beautiful southern Ukraine. The architecture of the palace was built in white Crimean granite in the Neo-Renaissance style. The palace features an arched porch made out of marble, two enormous patios, a Florentine tower, large elaborate windows, a balcony, and is beautifully decorated with an art gallery. The palace consists of 116 rooms which are furnished and designed in different styles.

After being used as a summer home for the Russian Czar, Livadia Palace was used to hold the Yalta Conference in 1945. The Yalta Conference was a very important wartime conference where the leaders of the United States, England, and Russia, (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin respectively) met to discuss on what to do with post-war Germany. 

Today, the palace houses a museum and is a major tourist attraction, but is also sometimes used by the Ukrainian authorities for international summits. The amazing architecture, location, and awe inspiring appeal makes Livadia Palace a perfect location for these summits. 

*This is a short clip and panoramic view of the front side of Livadia Palace. It is easy to notice the extreme beauty of this wonderful structure. It is most definitely fit for a Czar and his family. 

Swallow's Nest Castle: Road 3

The Swallow's nest castle is one of the most beautiful and romantic castles in the Europe and is one of the biggest attractions in Crimea. The castle was originally built in from 1911-1912 by Russian architect Leonid Sherwood. The castle sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Ai-Todor Cape near the Black Sea. 

It was first built for a Russian General around 1895. The first structure was actually a wooden cottage romantically named "The Love Castle." Later, ownership passed to a court doctor of the Russian Tsar named A.K. Tobin. In 1911, Baron Von Steinheil acquired the wooden cottage and built on top of it what stands today. The castle itself sits 130 feet above the water below. 

In 1927, Swallow's Nest survived a magnitude 6 to 7 earthquake and was closed to the public for nearly 40 years due to a massive crack that developed on the cliff itself. In 1968, renovations began and it was re-opened to the public in 1975 and houses a fine Italian restaurant inside. 

The castle itself has been in numerous films including Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. 

Kobza to Bandura

In last lecture, we briefly studied about Kobza and Bandura, Ukrainian traditional lute/guitar-like instruments, and how Kobza was played by blind man mostly. Well, I wanted to find out more information about each instruments and differences in their sound.

A quick historical background information about Kobza:
Kobza existed from the sixth century, brought there by Bulgars or by Polovetsians and Khazars (not exactly sure). Some source says that it was brought into Ukraine by wandering Arab scholars in the 10-11th century. It was very popular during the 16th century in Cossack state with the advent of the Hetmanate. The term Kobza later became a synonym for the bandura (newer instrument with more strings) and in the 20th century, it became extinct. However, there is a strong revival of Kobza playing in Ukraine these days, especially in Kyiv and Kharkiv. Kobza is made of a single piece of wod and consisted of a soundboard and 3-8 stings strung across it.

I found a video in Youtube of a Kobzar:



Bandura is differ from Kobza in that it has 32-55 strings and each note is played in different strings. During the 17th and 18th century the bandura was very popular among the common people and by the 18th century the bandura displaced the kobza, and both names are now used synonymously.



















Here is a video of an Ukrainian woman singing and playing Bandura (Youtube):



Personally, I hear their sounds to be very distinct and different. As a musician, I hear the sound of Bandura resembles more of a sound of harpsichord or a harp instead of a lute or a Kobza which are fretted (playing more than one note on a string). Both bring out the soul of Ukrainian musicians very well though. I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about Ukrainian Music as I have~