Today, on June 26, the All-Ukrainian Forum “Culture During War: Human Capital” began in Kyiv. The event is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and the public organization “Institute of Public Communications,” with the support of the “METINVEST” Group.
Photos by Antonina Vyshnevska
“I thank everyone who is committed to the high mission of preserving Ukrainian culture, the people within it, and our significant human capital and vast cultural heritage. We still have a lot of work ahead of us. This is not only about preservation but also about restoring and building the resilience needed for victory today. So that we can soon say that the Ukrainian nation, people, and culture have won their right to continue living in peace, in the European community, together with those who respect and value us, our achievements, artists, and our country. I want to emphasize once again that it is not enterprises that are critical, but the people who work there,” emphasized Rostyslav Karandieiev, Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
The aim of the forum is to highlight and publicly discuss pressing issues concerning the state of staffing in the cultural sector, which have arisen due to the war, with representatives from government bodies, regional authorities, and the community. Additionally, it seeks to explore possible ways to preserve the bearers of the country’s artistic and creative industries.
“Culture once revived and preserved our nation, which the enemy has been trying to destroy for centuries. Language, history, memory—these are all things russia has fought against for centuries with Ukrainians. But it was culture that preserved our nation during times when we had no state, during periods of statelessness. Culture preserved Ukrainians, who later restored the Ukrainian state. Today, the Ukrainian state and army fight for our culture with fire and sword. In the trenches, on the fields, in the air, underground, in the water—we are reclaiming our culture, history, the right to our language, and the right to remain Ukrainian. I am very grateful to our Armed Forces, our defenders, who are now giving us the opportunity to be here, to breathe freely in our Ukraine, to fight, dream, and win,” said Iryna Vereshchuk, Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.
Key topics of the forum include: mobilization and its impact on national and regional culture; the state of staffing in the cultural sector, restoration and compensation of losses; new forms of organizing cultural services amid significant infrastructure losses and destruction; adaptation of culture to wartime conditions and the need for cultural events.
Participants include government representatives, experts, scholars, representatives of culture, and civil activists.
The forum will serve as a platform for developing joint systemic actions to preserve human capital in the cultural sphere during the war. This is essential for maintaining the knowledge, skills, and national culture for the youth and future generations of Ukrainians.
