Press review “History of AUOE 2000–2020”

History is written by us, leaving its memory both in objects of material culture and in monuments of spiritual heritage: books, architecture, songs. We usually associate the press – newspaper and magazine articles – with describing current events, but thanks to archived newspaper clippings from past years we can accurately describe an event in the time to which a particular article belongs.

The interesting and at times dramatic history of Estonia’s Ukrainian community has been described many times by journalists and by participants themselves. The first large association of Ukrainians in Estonia was named the Ukrainian Community Society (Ukrainske zemliatstvo) and was officially registered in 1988.

In the late 1990s the Ukrainian diaspora in Estonia began to grow rapidly – both in the number of compatriots living here and in the founding of many communities, societies and associations across the country. For a short time there was an association called the Union of Ukrainians of Estonia, headed by Oleh Mazurenko. Besides organisational work, it began to publish a periodical – the newspaper “Suspilstvo” (“Society”), edited by V. Reznichenko, which actively covered the current work of Ukrainian societies.

1.In particular, one of the first publications  of 21–28 February 2000  reports the founding of a branch of the Union of Ukrainians of Estonia in Maardu. Its leader Leonid Chupryna writes about it with enthusiasm.

He describes how this important event was prepared, who helped with the organisation and how the branch was solemnly opened. The next publication of “Suspilstvo”, or rather a photo report, tells us about the solemn opening of the Ukrainian House  at Mere pst 5, Tallinn, which later became the first cultural centre of the Ukrainian association that from August 2000 bore the official name Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia. It was during the solemn opening of the house and its blessing by Father Oleksandr that an important event took place – the signing of the Protocol of Intent to create a Ukrainian association called AUOE.                               

This event was also covered by Dmitri Klenski, correspondent of the newspaper “Molodezh Estonii”; the clipping has survived to this day.     

Some societies, as journalist D. Klenski notes in his article – the Union of Ukrainian Women of Estonia, the Ukrainian Community Society of Estonia and the local Greek Catholic Church – remained on the sidelines of this important act for the time being.          

During the solemn opening and blessing of the house, a Ukrainian-Estonian and Estonian-Ukrainian dictionary published by Mrs Liudmyla Tsyhanova was presented to the community.  

We also have AUOE Newsletter “SUSPILSTVO” No. 1, which contains official information in Ukrainian and Estonian about events within the association during 2000.

A whole series of newspaper clippings and an issue of “Struny”, the newspaper of the Ukrainian Community Society, are devoted to a memorable event in the history of Estonia’s Ukrainian community – a gala concert for the 9th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. It took place at Lindakivi Cultural Centre on 24 August 2000 on the joint initiative of the Congress of Ukrainians and AUOE.           

Among the newspapers preserved in the AUOE cultural centre archive is issue No. 5 of STRUNY of 1 November 2000, devoted to an important event in the history of the Ukrainian diaspora: on 14 October 2000, His Beatitude Archbishop Lubomyr Husar of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church consecrated the Tallinn parish of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

2. The year 2001 has preserved descriptions of two important events in newspaper clippings.

One of them is devoted to the memory of a young, talented woman, Hardi Alet, who, while a student at the Academy of Music, led the choir of the society “Prosvita”, now called “Ukraina”. One of the choir’s members, Oleksandr Dubrovskyi, writes about the love of music and choral singing that the very young conductor instilled in the amateur singers, about how Hardi worked with the choir, and about her diploma defence as a choir conductor, for which the choir “Ukraina” was her creative work. The article “The Story of Our Love” appeared in “Molodezh Estonii” on 15 June 2001.

The second clipping, of 23 April 2001, under the heading “Our Life”, is from a local Tartu newspaper and is titled “The Last Concert”; it is devoted to the very concert at which the young conductor Hardi Alet led the choir “Ukraina” for the last time, when it performed in Tartu at the invitation of the local Society of Slavic Cultures.             

Another clipping from “Molodezh Estonii” of 2 June 2001 is devoted to the visit to Estonia of the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Lord Russell-Johnston. At the invitation of the Union of National Cultural Societies of Estonia, then headed by Lidia Kõlvart, the distinguished guest met leaders of Estonia’s national minorities. Much of the conversation was devoted to Ukraine: AUOE President Mrs Oksana Mamutova and her deputy V. Reznichenko asked the guest important questions about PACE support for the Ukrainian state and its admission to PACE, and proposed admitting representatives of the diaspora to PACE as independent experts.               

3. The 2002 newspaper clippings, preserved in the archives, are mostly devoted to important events initiated by AUOE. The first, by journalist Liubov Semenova in “Molodezh Estonii” of 25 February 2002 under the heading “Rakurs”, was titled “Festival of Flowers” and covered the big concert of the first all-Estonian arts festival “Flowers of Ukraine” at the LINDAKIVI Cultural Centre. The next publication kept by local Ukrainians belongs to the Union of Ukrainians of Latvia: titled “The Northern Star Rises over the Baltics”, it appeared in “Panorama Latvii” on 15.10.2002 and describes the first festival of culture and art “Northern Star”. The author is Volodymyr Stroi.

Volodymyr described the participants and the emotions the festival aroused in some detail. Besides the local diaspora and Ukrainians from Riga and Ventspils in Latvia, a grand 45-member group from Syktyvkar in the Komi Republic, led by Nataliia Morshanova, took part.                         

The Russian-language capital-city publication “Tallinn” of 10 October 2002 also carried a short piece about the festival “Northern Star” and a brief interview with its organiser Oksana Mamutova.

4. Interestingly, two  2003 newspaper articles, preserved in the AUOE archive, are linked by the name of Viacheslav Reznichenko, now a well-known singer, vocalist and laureate of many international competitions and festivals.

The Reform Party periodical “Liberal-Forum” published a short but pleasant note about young vocalist Viacheslav Reznichenko’s latest victory at the 6th All-Russian Open Competition “Romansiada 2002”. It appeared in the newspaper’s first issue of 2003.

The next article, by journalist Marina Svetlova in the newspaper “Estonia”, was titled “In Memory of the Maestro” and covered a concert in honour of the great Ukrainian singer Ivan Kozlovskyi. The concert was organised by the society “Koit”, and the host and performer of the programme was the already familiar Viacheslav Reznichenko.

5. For the AUOE member societies, 2004, was a kind of turning point: the Association, as a solid mono-cultural association of Ukrainians in Estonia, finally received its own premises in Tallinn – the premises at Nafta 6/2, Tallinn were granted to the Association on a long-term lease with the consent of Tallinn City Government.

The solemn opening of the AUOE cultural centre took place on 19 February 2004. This joyful event is described in some detail by Vitali Andrejev in “Molodezh Estonii” of 21 February 2004.

The housewarming was attended by the Ambassador Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Estonia Mykola Makarevych, the then Estonian Minister for Population, the well-known writer Paul-Eerik Rummo, delegations of societies and guests…             

Sixteen years have passed since then; in that time activists have renovated the premises, creating a library, a classroom for the Sunday school, a room for individual work with children, a kitchen and a hall for small celebrations and meetings of the club “Kryla”. Today the AUOE cultural centre is a real Ukrainian home – warm and welcoming – hosting group classes and individual work, lessons of the Sunday school “Nadiia”, meetings of the club “Kryla”, Board meetings and more…

Among the first members of the choir “Ukraina”, and later the quartet “Susidky”, is one of our diaspora’s talented compatriots, whose roots are Russian but whose soul is Ukrainian. She was born in Russia and grew up in Ukraine. Now, having lived in Estonia for more than 30 years, Nataliia Batsanova is well known in the diaspora not only as a successful singer but also as a talented poet whose poems in Russian and Ukrainian are published in the press and widely known online.

Once, while in her home town of Korostyshiv, she shared her story of life in Estonia, her Ukrainian community, choir and creative work with a local journalist. The article appeared in the 10 July 2004 issue of the “Korostyshiv Newspaper”.

Since 2002, every even-numbered year has been marked by another arts festival “Northern Star”. Several articles about it are preserved in the archive. The second festival stood out because its concerts were held in two Estonian cities: on 15 October 2004 the first concert took place in Narva at the “Geneva” culture centre, and the next day an equally grand concert rang out in Tallinn.

Among the societies that joined AUOE in its first years is SUM (Ukrainian Youth Association), headed in Estonia from the very beginning by Volodymyr Palamar.

One publication about a meeting of the SUM and AUOE leadership with Estonian Foreign Minister and Reform Party deputy chair Kristiina Ojuland was titled “SUM in Estonia Conducts Public Dialogue”.

Another small clipping from the newspaper “Vesti” is also devoted to the youth movement in Estonia and its Ukrainian wing; SUM head Volodymyr Palamar answers questions from journalist Oleksandr Shehedin.

The Reform Party’s Russian-language periodical “Liberal-Forum” in December 2004 published an article by Oleg Nesterenko – member of Tartu City Council, Reform Party member and head of the Society of Slavic Cultures – about an interesting Christmas cultural event with Estonia’s national minorities. According to O. Nesterenko, the guests of honour were representatives of the Embassy of Ukraine in Estonia and the chairs of AUOE and the Congress of Ukrainians. It was graced by performances of the creative group of the society “Orpheus” from Tapa, international laureate V. Reznichenko and many other talented guests. Mr Oleg Nesterenko briefly recounts the history of Tartu’s Ukrainian community, which began with the association of Ukrainian students in 1898, and recalls the poet Lesya Ukrainka’s stay in Tartu…

6. Publications from 2005  again describe grand undertakings of Ukrainians. The first: the 4th International Festival of Children’s and Youth Creativity “Flowers of Ukraine” – its final concert, participants and festive atmosphere are described in detail and warmly by Vitali Andrejev of “Molodezh Estonii”.

This year the festival featured groups and soloists from Tallinn, Maardu, Tartu, Tapa, Pärnu and Narva, and guests from Ukraine – a sports ballroom dance group from Uman.                   

Festival participants were greeted by the leader of the Ukrainian Youth Association in Estonia, Volodymyr Palamar, and Estonian Minister for Population P.-E. Rummo.

The finale was the composition “Music of Kindness” performed by all festival participants.

Thanks to publications in Estonia’s “youth newspaper”, we could then – and can even more so today – immerse ourselves in important and interesting cultural events organised by AUOE societies.

In particular, the Ukrainian Youth Association in Estonia, led by Volodymyr Palamar, organised a grand concert for Ukraine’s Independence Day and the 5th anniversary of the Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia. The event is vividly described by journalist V. Maksimov in “Molodezh Estonii” of 13 September 2005.  

“Tallinn has never seen a concert like this,” the journalist writes enthusiastically. “Masters of art from Poltava and Kyiv put on a truly dazzling show” (those who want to go deeper are advised to consult the original source…)

7. Among the surviving publications from 2006 is the Tapa Parish newspaper Sõnumed of 11 May 2006, whose front page carries the article “Ljubov Laur – 10 aastat Eestis” (“Liubov Laur – 10 years in Estonia”). It sums up ten years of the society “Orpheus”, which Liubov Laur has had the honour of leading since 2000 and which is essentially the meaning of life for this Ukrainian woman in Estonia, a creative person who has found her calling and people’s recognition here on Estonian soil. The concert at Tapa Kultuurikoda on 7 April 2006 featured musicians and groups with whom Liubov Laur actively cooperates and, above all, her young pupils, Ukrainian children who, in her words, will carry on her work in Tapa and Estonia. The author is journalist Heiki Vuntus.

The next article, or rather its copy, published in the newspaper ME on 30.08.2006, was written by Liubov Laur herself and tells of a truly unforgettable event in Estonian-Ukrainian cultural relations. For the first time, the outstanding Ukrainian ensemble “Kyiv Soloists”, led by Kyiv Conservatory professor Bohdan Kotorovych, performed a classical programme at the Estonia Concert Hall. Besides the Estonian capital, the “Kyiv Soloists” performed in Pärnu, Narva and Tartu, where they also met local Ukrainian communities. This time the grand tour of Estonia was organised by the Embassy of Ukraine in Estonia, headed by Mr P. Kiriakov, with the support of AUOE and its local societies.

8. A small clipping from a 2007 article   (newspaper unknown) catches the eye with the resonant title “Just Like Home” and a photo of a vocal ensemble in Ukrainian costumes… The article tells how the society “Vitchyzna” in Pärnu welcomed guests on the occasion of a literary and musical concert of works by the poets Lesya Ukrainka and Lydia Koidula. The celebration was attended by representatives of the Ukrainian Embassy, and the main performer was the creative group of the local Ukrainian society “Vitchyzna”, then headed by Mrs Nina Sushko. In her welcome speech, Mrs Sushko stressed the current difficulties with premises and the need to finally provide a space for the group’s work and rehearsals.  

Alongside the article about this interesting event at the Pärnu society, the archive contains a clipping from a Pärnu newspaper of 13 April 2007 titled “The System Needs Reviewing”. The heads of national minority societies, including Nina Sushko, head of the Pärnu Ukrainian society, talk about problems in the funding system for their societies. As Mrs Sushko notes, there are many formalities in the system. Support should match the volume and content of the work, not be a flat sum. Moreover, some expenses simply cannot be included in a project application, although it is precisely these – gifts, sound recording equipment and so on – that cost the most.

Issue No. 7 of the Tapa Parish newspaper Sõnumed of 31 March 2007 opens with a large photo of people in festive Estonian and Ukrainian folk costumes; at the feet of the adult performers are young smiling faces, and in the middle, among the children, is Mrs Liubov Laur, organiser of the large concert-festival “Spring Is Coming!”, which brought together choirs from Tallinn, Sillamäe, Lehtse and Tapa. Its aim was to unite different cultures and peoples through their culture. Estonians and Ukrainians have their own choral traditions and musical culture. During the concert they exchanged their views of choral art, their special voices and temperaments. The choirs’ programme was complemented by young vocalists from the vocal group led by L. Laur.

The best-known and most popular Estonian society magazine is Kroonika. Leafing through the issue of 11 December 2007, we found a bright photo of our Ukrainian women, members of the vocal quartet “Susidky”, with a married couple. A short caption tells us that a Ukrainian tavern called “Bogdan” has opened in Mustamäe; its owners are Toomas Karp and his wife Carmen, known as the winner of Miss Tallinn 2006. The owners are delighted to welcome the Ukrainian group, which brings Ukrainian colour and music to the tavern’s guests.

(The Bogdan tavern, as is known, operated successfully for 10 years; in 2019 it got a new owner, but it kept its Ukrainian style – cuisine, design, music and so on – and is now called “Khutorok”.)

9. The 7th festival “Flowers of Ukraine” is covered by a short photo report by Maksim Toome in “Molodezh Estonii”  from June 2008   under the heading “Tusovka” (“Get-together”)…

The same page has a photo report of a fun Ukrainian-style party at the Krabibowling club featuring our well-known folk ensemble “Zhurba”.

10. The 2009 publications preserved in the AUOE archive, are mostly devoted to the Cossack theme. Issue No. 7–8 (April–May 2009) carried several articles and photos on the revival of Ukrainian Cossack traditions in Estonia. The lead headline, “Ukraine – Estonia: Cossack Bridges of Friendship”, is devoted to the so-called people’s diplomacy of the NGO “Ukrainian Registered Cossacks”, whose representatives have made friendly visits to many countries, including Estonia, where they were warmly welcomed both by the Ukrainian Registered Cossacks of Estonia and by representatives of Estonian military and state bodies.

Another article describes the friendly visit to Estonia of the Hetman of the Ukrainian Registered Cossacks, Anatolii Shevchenko, who opened the Shevchenko Days in Estonia, inducted local Ukrainians into the registered Cossacks, visited Sillamäe and met activists of the local Ukrainian society “Vodohrai”.

A vivid photo report in “Molodezh Estonii” of 21–27 October 2009 covered an interesting event organised by the local Cossacks – the Feast of the Protection (Pokrova), or Day of Ukrainian Cossackdom, at the Town Hall.

An article in the Russian-language edition of Postimees of 20 February 2009 contains a short piece by Mrs Olha Horianska on the creative portrait of the already familiar poet Nataliia Batsanova – about Nataliia’s creative evening held on 15 February 2009 in the Small Hall of the Russian Cultural Centre.

Among the publications preserved in the cultural centre archive is also a newspaper from the Estonian town of Saue, with which the Ukrainian community, including AUOE and the local Cossacks, long maintained and developed cultural ties. This is shown by an article in issue No. 25 of 12 February 2010. Sirje Luberg, head of Saue Hobby Centre, shares her impressions of an evening of Ukrainian culture and cuisine organised by AUOE’s creative groups…

11. Another article in the Russian-language edition of Postimees of 10 September 2010  tells readers about a reception at the Embassy of Ukraine in Estonia attended by many distinguished guests and leading representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora, accompanied among other things by a performance of the quartet “Susidky” led by Mykola Rybchenko.

The All-Ukrainian Prosvita Society warmly greeted its like-minded friends in Estonia during another culture festival “Northern Star” in Tallinn. This is the subject of an article by Maryna Chorna in issue No. 48 of the newspaper “Slovo Prosvity” in 2010.

The Pärnu Russian-language newspaper “Panorama” of 29 October 2010 tells about the Feast of the Protection in Pärnu, organised by the local Ukrainian society “Vitchyzna”, and about the society’s head Nina Sushko being awarded the medal “For Active Work for the Diaspora” on behalf of the Registered Cossacks of Estonia.

Under the heading “That’s How We Live!” in the newspaper “Stolitsa” is a polemical article by Nataliia Aug in which heads of large national cultural associations voice their indignation at the unjustified funding of some projects by the integration and migration foundation under the programme “Our People”. As Lidia Kõlvart puts it: “It is unclear why unknown associations are funded while well-known and deserving societies go unnoticed by the integration foundation.”

Curiously, the polemical article is illustrated with a bright photo of the AUOE leadership holding a korovai, with joyful smiles on their faces…

For some reason there are no newspaper articles in the archive from 2011 to 2018 – presumably AUOE’s life is now chronicled more on the website and Facebook pages.

12. Nevertheless, in 2018   serious national Ukrainian publications – the journal “Nauka i suspilstvo” No. 3/4 2018 and the national newspaper “Holos Ukrainy” No. 38 of 24 February 2018 – published an extensive piece by journalist Serhii Krasiuk, “How Are Our Compatriots Getting On?”, based on his remote interview with Mrs Liubov Laur.

13. The final item from 2019  in this press review of AUOE’s life is an article titled “Autumn Waltz”, devoted to the anniversary of one of the leading creative figures of the Ukrainian diaspora: singer, amateur poet and head of the choir “Zhuravlyna” in Tapa, Iryna Solomatina.

The article appeared in the September 2019 issue of the newspaper “Tapaskie vesti”, or Sõnumed.

Of course, the list of materials about the life of the communities and of the association AUOE as a whole is not exhaustive, as it includes only the publications that people carefully preserved and brought to the cultural centre.

We are very grateful to those active, conscientious and caring people who in their time preserved all these materials and made clippings – in any case, this information is crucial for the association today, as it describes events as they really happened…

We call on everyone who has such materials in their collections to give them to us or make copies, so that they can be preserved for future generations!