"It pains me to say this, but the war is ultimately about the highest sense - the existence of us as a nation, a European nation, as a culture. The resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of June 2024 states that the reason for the Russian-Ukrainian war is cultural genocide, the cultural erasure of the Ukrainian people.
That is why diplomacy is ok, politics is ok, taxes are very important, and the economy is also important. But all of this works only for the purpose or primarily for us to exist as a community, as a society, as a nation on the cultural map of Europe and the world," said Nataliya Kryvda.
According to the latest Gradus Research, she added, the factors that unite Ukraine are a common enemy (71%) and a sense of belonging to the nation (39%), i.e. identity.
"Culture is about identity. We are about human capital, because we are the only ones who care about people remaining human. Culture is about anthropicity, about preserving human beings, cultivating human beings, the human in human beings.
We are about representing Ukraine abroad. And about representing ourselves to ourselves through the preservation of cultural heritage and its actualisation.
The last metaphor that struck me. I was looking for a beautiful translation of the word ‘resilience’, and the fourth line in this English translation is "toughness of hit", the ability to take a long blow. And only culture gives continuity. Politicians and policies change, we are all witnessing this. Tax codes change. Criminal codes change. And only culture preserves the sense of eternity, presence, and humanity in a person," the head of the cultural foundation elaborated on the importance of culture.
In addition, Nataliya Kryvda noted, small representatives of the cultural and creative industries are often the only businesses operating in the de-occupied territories or in areas close to the frontline. This industry also has an economic multiplier index higher than some other sectors, meaning it is able to make money.
However, today, she believes that culture is particularly in need of understanding and cooperation between state institutions, non-governmental institutions, ministries, the Presidential Office and cultural figures. It also requires synergy of government efforts, partners and business.
"We, all the institutions, are now conducting the same negotiations. And our foreign partners say: we are ready to help, but we want to see the goodwill of the state. The state must invest in its culture. In order to promote Ukraine abroad, we need to produce this product here. To produce a product, to objectify values, meanings, to form texts, cultural events, and so on. And the state cannot say: I'm not investing in this," Kryvda said.
In her opinion, all cultural institutions and actors should work together to advocate for an increase in the budget for culture, to explain why it is important and that this is not a request from the cultural sector alone, but a request from society.