When it comes to why it is important for me to support cultural diplomacy, I believe that it is something that needs support a priori. If we take this idea further, I believe that companies above a certain level cannot afford to simply carry out operational activities and advertise their products. They must support projects that make them visible.
And I believe that cultural diplomacy, and the CultHub project in particular, is exactly the kind of project that can make waves. It acts as a lens, highlighting projects that can make Ukraine fashionable. And that is very important.
There are projects that are needed here, within Ukraine, to familiarise the population with their own culture, and there are those that are needed in the world. Because outside Ukraine, people are used to something different.
The second thing I would like to mention is one of my favourite films, Air America, about pilots who carried out logistical operations for the CIA. There is a very interesting dialogue between a cynical, experienced pilot played by Mel Gibson and a young, idealistic pilot played by Robert Downey Jr. The younger pilot asks him why he flies. He says, ‘You're a cynic, you have no ideals, why do you need this?’ And the older man replies that he has a concept of Saturday night. He tells him that if we take our everyday life, then surely we have a lot in common with the Soviet Union, but what sets us apart is how we spend our Saturday nights. And I believe that the level of cultural leisure, the level of culture that we have, is precisely what distinguishes us from our enemy in the first place.
