On November 9, 2023, at La Gaîté Lyrique, the Ukrainian Institute was officially established as a major player in Ukrainian cultural diplomacy in France, in the presence of Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska.
The welcoming speeches by Carine Rolland, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Culture, and Arnaud Ngatcha, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Europe, international relations, and Francophonie, were followed by interventions from representatives of the French institutions partnering with the Ukrainian Institute.
State Secretary Laurence Boone and Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak expressed their support for the Ukrainian Institute in France. Elisabeth Quin, journalist, then moderated a discussion between Eva Nguyen Binh, President of the French Institute, and Volodymyr Sheiko, General Director of the Ukrainian Institute, about the role of their institutions in times of war.
After Iryna Dmytrychyn, President of the association preceding the Institute, introduced the new team of the Ukrainian Institute in France, Emine Dzhepparova, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussed Crimean Tatar culture. She then invited Jamala, a Ukrainian artist of Crimean Tatar descent, to close the inauguration with a concert.
In her speech, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska highlighted:
“Fortunately, the Ukrainian Institute in France will not need an air-raid shelter. However, today, the air-raid sirens are ringing through all of Ukrainian culture. We have already lost 700 museums, historical monuments, and libraries, and those under occupation have been looted, with their artworks remaining uncertain. There are various ways to preserve culture, and ours is to talk about it, share it, and engage with those who wish to hear it. The Ukrainian Institute was created with this exact purpose. Our culture attests to our existence, that we exist, and that we will continue to exist, no matter the empire [Russia]’s desire to possess us.”
The Ukrainian Institute’s mission is to shine a light on Ukrainian culture, stimulate interest and demand for it by promoting its importance and intrinsically European nature, while encouraging France’s active role in supporting Ukrainian culture and the reconstruction and restoration of Ukrainian cultural heritage.
We are confident that the Ukrainian Institute will play a significant role in promoting Ukrainian culture in France.
