Diaspora Dilemma

By Volodymyr Kish

As many of you know, I have been actively involved in the Ukrainian community here in Canada for quite some time. That involvement has included my being a member of the governing bodies of more than a few of the major diaspora organizations. In that capacity, I have witnessed more than a few debates about the proper role and priorities that these organizations should have. Regrettably, these debates continue to this day and are the source of continuing criticism, friction and discord between the various elements of the Ukrainian community.

The primary targets of this criticism of late, have been the umbrella organizations like the UCC (Ukrainian Canadian Congress) and the UWC (Ukrainian World Congress), and to a lesser extent the large national Ukrainian organizations here in Canada, both secular and religious. The main topic engendering the friction is each respective organization’s stance regarding what is going on in Ukraine, and what role our diaspora organizations should play with regards to the political situation back in the homeland.

The fact that it is an issue, is the result of the reality that within our Ukrainian Canadian community, there is a small but very vocal and very highly motivated group of activists whose attention and priorities are totally focused on what is happening in Ukraine. As a result, all their efforts are dedicated towards the cause of supporting the opposition movements in Ukraine that are striving to overcome the current oligarchic and corrupt regime that is bleeding the country dry. In so doing, they exert a lot of media and political pressure on the major Ukrainian organizations here in Canada to do likewise.

This puts these organizations in a real dilemma, because they realize that, by and large, the average Ukrainian Canadian considers the political problems of the Ukrainian homeland to be a peripheral priority at best. The main concern of most Ukrainian Canadians is what one of the aforementioned activists that I know calls “cultural retention.” This, in simple terms, means keeping Ukrainian culture and identity alive and vibrant here in Canada. This includes the support and development of Ukrainian schools, youth leadership development, dance groups, choirs, university Ukrainian studies programs, Ukrainian media, sports organizations, cultural events and festivals, and the like. Involvement in the political affairs of Ukraine is obviously of some interest, but not a major primary goal.

There are two motivations for this political aspect being secondary. First, is the generally accepted principle that the most important responsibility of Ukrainian organizations in Canada should be the needs of the Ukrainian community in Canada. Secondly, it would probably be safe to say that most Ukrainian Canadians are of the opinion that, though we should provide moral and political support to our Ukrainian brethren, the onus and responsibility is on them to clean up the political mess that has come about since Ukraine became independent.

When Ukraine was subjugated under Communist rule, the diaspora accepted the moral responsibility of keeping the cause alive, because their fellow Ukrainians in Ukraine were in no position to do so.

Ukraine now has had more than two decades of independence and despite some measure of corruption and electoral manipulation, it has had a very real opportunity to create a democratic and responsible state. The fact that it has failed to do so and continues to lack the collective will power, unity and determination to do so, has created a certain backlash in the diaspora manifesting itself in equal parts of frustration and disillusionment. Why should we continue to exert ourselves to the utmost for them, when there appears to be no reciprocal serious effort on their part?

The leadership of the UCC and the UWC are undoubtedly very interested in what is happening in Ukraine, and over the past few years I have witnessed considerable effort on their part to engage and lobby both the Canadian as well as the European governments on behalf of Ukraine. At the same time, they must balance how they devote their time, energies and efforts to ensure that their primary responsibility of managing the health and future well-being of their Ukrainian diasporan communities does not suffer.

The history of many of the Ukrainian organizations in Canada has shown what happens when too much focus is pinned on old-world politics and not enough on developing the Ukrainian communities here at home. We will only be of help to our homeland if we remain strong and influential here in Canada, and that calls for our primary focus and efforts being here. By all means, lets support the political cause of an independent, democratic Ukraine as much as we can, but let’s also recognize that our Ukrainian organizations here in the diaspora also have a more important function to fulfill.