Conventional Thinking

By Volodymyr Kish

I was at the Ukrainian National Federation (UNF) Convention in Edmonton this past weekend, and despite the fact that Mother Nature welcomed us with two feet of snow and minus twelve degree temperatures, we were warmly met and graciously hosted by the city’s invariably friendly UNF-ers.

The Convention itself was a rather pleasant and enjoyable affair, as the organization is currently enjoying a relatively peaceful and upbeat period in its history. For the past five years, under the capable leadership of outgoing President Taras Pidzamecky, the UNF has experienced a bit of rejuvenation, having successful revived four formerly dormant branches, and instituted a number of successful new initiatives, particularly those aimed at developing the organization’s youth sector. There were no controversial issues or political disagreements to disturb the delegates’ peace of mind and focus on celebrating the 80^th anniversary of the Federation’s memorable and productive existence.

The more formal and official aspects of the convention were disposed of fairly quickly and efficiently, and what sticks most in my mind were the interesting and stimulating presentations made by a number of guest speakers at the workshops and panels that were part of the agenda.

Undoubtedly, the best of these was the talk given by Dr. Andriy Nahachewsky who spoke on the evolution of Ukrainian “immigrant” culture into the more refined “symbolic” form that characterizes Ukrainian culture in Canada today. The original immigrants brought with them the peasant culture and traditions that formed the structure of their lives in the villages of Ukraine, and that culture formed the starting point of their experience in Canada. However, the realities of Canadian geography, society, economics and day-to-day life imposed a process of change and adaptation that became accelerated and more pronounced with each passing generation. Today, Ukrainian “culture” in Canada is a very stylized and symbolic version of the original, and Ukrainian Canadians pick and choose those aspects of it that are individually the most meaningful to them, rather than accept the whole package that their original ancestors brought with them to this country. This should not be judged as either good or bad, but is the reality that we have. Culture is a dynamic entity that changes in response to circumstance and the passage of time, and our immigrant ancestors were very adaptable and resourceful in this respect.

Dr. Roman Petryshyn in his talk, challenged the delegates to redefine the vision and purpose of the organization. The UNF was originally formed and for most of its existence driven by a strong political agenda centered on supporting the struggle for Ukraine’s independence. The organization’s cultural, educational and social programs and activities over the past 80 years, though impressive and productive, were secondary to the main political purpose. Today, of course, Ukraine is finally a relatively free and independent country, and it behooves the UNF to reconsider its vision and priorities, particularly in its relations with the home country. Dr. Petryshyn suggested more emphasis in developing “citizen action”, cultural and educational initiatives with NGO’s in Ukraine.

Derek Fraser, a former Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine and most recently, the head of the election observer mission jointly sponsored by the Canada Ukraine Foundation, Ukrainian Canadian Congress, and the Ukrainian World Congress, provided the assembly with an in-depth overview of the parliamentary elections just concluded in Ukraine, and his analysis of the current political situation as well as the likely options for Ukraine’s future. His expertise and insider knowledge on contemporary Ukrainian affairs was obvious and stimulated a large number of questions and comments from the audience.

The Gala Banquet on Saturday evening featured entertainment by likely the two best known dancing ensembles in Canada, Shumka and Cheremosh, both of which arose from the Edmonton UNF Branch. Also performing was the celebrated Edmonton Dnipro Choir Ensemble. The Keynote Speaker was James Temerty, well-known entrepreneur and philanthropist, who expounded at length on his thoughts as to how the UNF should address the challenges it faces in remaining relevant and building on its past successes.

All in all, the Convention transpired in a refreshing atmosphere of positivity, cooperation and hope for the future. The newly-elected President of the UNF of Canada, Ihor Bardyn, will certainly have some good momentum going as he takes on his new responsibilities.