Leading specialists in the sphere of culture in Dnipropetrovsk met at Cyril and Methodius Regional Universal Scientific Library to discuss All-Ukrainian project “Culture-2025. Platform for Changes”.
This project will cover the whole country and consider different positions and requirements in the sphere of culture and general public. It has begun with strategy sessions in Lviv and Vinnytsia. At present the project has already been discussed in Dnipropetrovsk. Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, Odesa and Kyiv are next.
The representatives of culture institutions of Dnipropetrovsk and region – workers of the museums, libraries, creative associations, conservatories, philharmonics, theatres, etc., took part at the discussion in Dnipropetrovsk. Dr. Oleksandra Leonova represented Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine” and “Tkuma” Institute at the roundtable.
The participants discussed obstacles on the way to cultural development which occurs in legal and financial systems, communication, infrastructure and others. Alongside with the main problems – contradictions in legislation, which regulate culture institutions’ activity, the financing of culture by the “leftover principle” – the participants of the discussion turned their attention to the general problem of the population’s low cultural level and change of the value system of the Ukrainian society, for which promotion of personal cultural level is not a priority. Despite the difficult situation in the sphere of culture in Ukraine, the participants were quite optimistic, as the organizers of the event came to Dnipropetrovsk to hear the opinion of representatives of cultural sphere and their propositions for improvement of the situation. After the discussion of the complex of cultural issues, which Ukrainian society and professional environment is currently faced with, the participants tried to propose their own problem-solving ideas. It’s significant that such discussions are aimed at creating Ukrainian cultural development strategies and its legal registration for the next decade – 2015–2025. Maybe the future bill, created on the basis of professional discussion of the actual issues locally, not just “front-office decision”, would turn out to be viable and, at last, would outline the positive dynamics of cultural development in Ukraine. However, the key to successful development of culture (and not just culture) is not only favorable conditions on the part of the state, but also an active position, interesting initiatives and innovative approaches, the desire to evolve and change our society for the better not only of cultural figures, but also of all those aware of the importance of culture in Ukrainian society.
During the discussion Oleksandra Leonova especially emphasized the importance of creating favorable conditions for the developing of national cultures in Ukraine, development of the atmosphere of tolerance and overcoming xenophobia, discrimination, anti-Semitism, which is an important step for Ukraine on the way to the European and the world cultural values.
Fruitful debates, idea exchange and free intercourse allowed the participants of the discussion to formulate propositions on main directions of the strategy plan on cultural development.