“there is a cultural hunger” among Ukrainians, says singer and writer Irena Karpa

“It’s impossible to buy a ticket to go to the theater in kyiv!”, exclaims Irena Karpa, Ukrainian singer and writer, former Ukrainian cultural attaché in France. As the war sparked by the Russian invasion prepares to enter its third year, the promotion of Ukrainian culture is stronger than ever, in opposition to the Russian heritage present in the country.

In the population, “there is a search for names of authors, Ukrainian music, cinema”notes Irena Karpa. “There is a cultural and especially charitable hunger, because we organize things to help. It’s very vibrant, it’s very powerful, there are lots of new cafes, restaurants, coworking spaces opening every day, it’s is incredible, even!”

A “bittersweet” impulse

This popular dynamic, “That’s what I admire about Ukrainians”says Irena Karpa, who lives in Paris but regularly returns to Ukraine.

“That’s why, I think, I go back and forth. To see that life goes on, that people are there, that they talk, that they laugh, that they don’t give up. “

Irena Karpa, Ukrainian writer and singer

at franceinfo

An emulation also driven, according to her, by the losses experienced by the world of Ukrainian culture. “It’s very bittersweet what’s happening, because there are people of culture who are exterminated, whether they were fighters or not.she nuances. It is also for this, for the honor of these people, that we must propagate Ukrainian culture, also abroad.” pleads the writer.

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