You're reading: Sex to come to schools together with modern Ukrainian literature

A pro-Ukrainian language civil society organization launched an initiative to promote modern Ukrainian literature to school children that coincided with International Native Language Day on Feb. 21. 

Using the
acronym SEX, which in Ukrainian decodes as Modern Extravagant Creative Word, the
group known as Ne Bud Baidushym (don’t
be indifferent) started the literature project to “show that such a world (of modern
Ukrainian literature) actually exists,” said NBB director Oksana Levkova during
a news conference on Feb. 21.

The project
has gained the support of Ukrainian rock singers and celebrities.  

“Even
though sex is not all we have in life, who knows what processes sex catalyze in
our body,” said Sashko Yarmola from the Gaidamaky
rock band, praising the name of the project. “Sex might stimulate the search
for freedom, knowledge and adventures,” he said. 

“Unfortunately
literature programs at Ukrainian schools end with (writers) Lina Kostenko and
Dmytro Pavlychko and most pupils are just not sure whether Ukrainian literature
actually exists after these two,” said Kateryna Popravka, the project head.

Sashko Yarmola from the Gaidamaky rock band

Popravka
had participated in a similar literary project held by NBB back in 2007, but
said it did not work.

Several
dozen philology students have already volunteered to give lectures on modern
Ukrainian literature at schools in six Ukrainian cities – Odesa, Simferopol,
Kharkiv, Vinnytsya, Sumy and Zaporizhzhya. All agree that the project is quite
a challenge for them, but ensure they accept it.

“My
psychological characteristics are the following: I always fear before, but
never during the event,” said Anna Vorobyova, a 2nd year philology
student at Kyiv Mohyla Academy. “And I believe that if I really enjoy and love
what I am talking about, people will feel that sooner or later and get my point.”

She and her
fellow project participants believe that this is the best thing they can do in
terms of popularizing Ukrainian language and literature.

But not all
of the volunteers are philologists.  Vadym
Kovadlo is a first year student at Kyiv National Economic University, he writes
poetry and is totally in love with literature. Kovadlo has already tried
teaching professionally once and says that this is a great experience.

“I once
tried to tell 7th grade students about Liubko Deresh (Modern
Ukrainian writer) and they enjoyed it,” he says. “Our aim is to break the myth
that Ukrainian literature is something about suffering, depression and death
and do that once and forever,” he explained.

And the 10th
grade students of Kyiv School #49 seemed very pleased when their literature
class devoted to the Ukrainian modernism story “The Land” by classic writer
Olga Kobylyanska got interrupted by activists.

Most of the
students hardly have a clue of is considered a modern Ukrainian writer.  “I know Irena Karpa, but never read her, just
from TV news,” says Katya Len. She says she loves literature and wants to
connect her future with it, though she doesn’t really enjoy the school program.

“We should
read most of these literary works later when we already have some life
experience, as well as this ‘The Land’ story,” Len says. “When it says that the
guitar string brakes it’s hard for us to see any symbols in that, for us it is
just the guitar string that broke and that’s it.”

She added
that she would be happy to visit modern literature lectures.

“I’d
definitely read something about the author after the lecture and probably even
buy a book. The chances are high,” she laughs.

Kyiv Post staff writer Daryna Shevchenko can be reached at [email protected]