Ukrainian Culture

(A) For long decades the development of national culture and the Ukrainian language remained inadequate in Ukraine, when the notion of “Soviet culture” served to substitute and subjugate any national identity and peculiarity. The rich culture of the Ukrainian people has its roots deep in the centuries past, when people first learned to dance and compose songs in which man's craving for freedom and happiness was lauded. (B) This culture has imbibed its singularity from the age old traditions of open-heartedness, hospitality and poetic spirit inherent in a people living in a land stretching from the Carpathian Mountains to the Don River, and from Polissia to the Black Sea steppes. This culture has made a weighty contribution in the treasure trove of world creative talent. It reaches world summits thanks to the selfless efforts of such poets and writers as Taras Shevchenko, Hryhory Skovoroda, Ivan Franko, Lesia Ukrainka, Ivan Kotliarevsky. (C) Melodious Ukrainian song is heard on many theatrical stages across the world, brought there by touring drama companies, solo performers and folk groups from Ukraine. Ukraine today operates a ramified network of institutions of culture and the arts. Professional arts are represented by some 100 operas and drama companies, 25 philharmonic societies and 4 conservatories. (D) However, the national cultural treasure trove is replenished not only by professionals but also by more than 300,000 amateur choirs, music and drama companies uniting some 5 million residents of Ukraine. The process of reviving Ukrainian culture is also making itself felt in the theatrical art. Currently, practically every drama company stages plays by Ukrainian authors.