Curated by Iryna Slavinska
“And in the great new family, The family of the free…”
Family is a space of trust, a circle of unconditional support, growth and coming of age. It is in the family that we all gain our first experience of thinking and talking about life and death, justice and injustice. Whatever the family, we all learn about the world through it. The family circle helps to enter the outside world for the first time, to get to know it, and to cope with new acquired experiences.
Just like the entire history of Ukraine, the Ukrainian literature has powerful family stories and traditions. In particular, during 2021, the focus is on Lesya Ukrainka and her wide family circle that includes names of no less important Ukrainian classic authors, such as Olena Pchilka and Mykhailo Drahomanov. It’s equally important here to mention the Stara Hromada, or the circle of Ivan Franko and Panteleimon Kulish… And it’s no less important to list the primary names and families of the 20th century: we wish we would not miss anyone. That is why the conversation about significant literary families is the cornerstone of the special program Family Values.
The issue of human rights protection cannot be overlooked while talking about the family of modern Ukraine. Unfortunately, the issue of family values is now often pushed by those movements that, using the slogan of ‘traditional values’ as cover, allow themselves violence, such as attacks on peaceful assemblies of citizens. But the family and its protection cannot be a space of violence and hatred. That is why the program Family Values will give us an opportunity to talk about our Ukrainian traditional values: the justice and equality of citizens who, being in the great new family, the family of the free, can create a society with comfortable and safe living standards.