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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛЮТИЙ 2013 WWW. UNWLA.ORG 15 It has become tradition that year after year, d uring the month of February , Ukrainians around the world gather to commemorate the many heroines whose lives were dedicated to their homeland of Ukraine and who, in many cases, had laid down their lives for their country. This commemoration has been celebrated in the Dia s- pora since 1950, and in 1993 it began taking root in Ukraine. Although most of these heroic women will forever remain nameless, history records the lives of some. One of the first recorded heroines of Ukraine was Princess Olha. This strong and spi r- ited ruler sacrific ed her life to unite, govern, and christen the Ukrainian nation during the 10th century. She lit the flame of Christianity in Ukraine and this flame has not been extinguished until this very day. Through centuries, we encou n- ter many other women of integrit y and principle. For instance, in the years of 1917 - 1920, when it was unheard of to have women soldiers in armies, many have been documented fighting for the freedom of Ukraine i n the ranks of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen ( Sichovi Striltsi ) . The first femal e officer of Sich Riflemen II was Olena Stepanivna. She loved science and books, was committed and firm in her faith, and 33 young women followed her lead and gathered into an auxiliary subunit. On December 7, 2012, the 120th birthday of Olena Stepanivna, a fundraiser was initiated to erect a monument in Ivano - Frankivsk in memory of the “officer with feminine charms.” The most fascinating pages in the history of Ukrainian women heroines can be found du r- ing the period of the Second World War and the national liberation struggle by the Organiza tion of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). During these difficult times in Ukraine’s history, women bravely stood beside the men against the enemies of their hom e land. The sacri fices they consciously chose to make continue to be an inspiration. Throug h- out different years, the month of Feb ruary brought an end to the earthly lives of Ukrainian patriots Olha Basarab, Olena Teliha, Natalia Vinnik, Darius Hnatkivska - Lebed, Helena Ant oniva, Maria Lavrova, Natalia Shukhevych, and Halya Zayachkivska. We bow our heads to all the women who heroically fought for freedom and dignity, for the Ukrainian name, the Ukrainian spirit, and died for a free and independent Ukraine. May their memory l ive on forever! We must also mention that Lesya Ukrain - ka, one of the most talented daughters of Ukraine, was born in the same month of February. Her p o- ems and plays are associated with her strong b e- lief in her country’s freedom and independence. How fitti ng that we celebrate her life in the month of the Ukrainian heroine. February 21, 2013, is the International Mother Language Day, established by the UN ’ s Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). On this day, UN agencies participate in e vents that promote linguistic and cultural d i- versity, but they also encourage people to mai n- tain their knowledge of their mother language , and governments and non - governmental organ i- zations may use this day to announce policies to encourage language learni ng and support. How ironic that during this time, we read about the conflict surrounding language in the Ukrainian Saturday school in Alcorcon, an ou t- skirt of the city of Madrid, Spain. (Please see the Catholic publication CREDO , 12/27/12, for d e- tails.) The School ’ s director singlehandedly deci d- ed to initiate Russian classes in this Ukrainian Saturday school, which is mostly attended by the newest wave of immigrants. The teachers protes t- ed, but their position in this matter was quickly dismissed. A protes t was organized, and within a quarter of an hour, over two hundred signatures were gathered in defense of the native language in Ukrainian schools. The diaspora in Spain is a p- pealing to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as well as to the Ukrainian internationa l community for help in combating the R ussification of Ukrainian Saturday schools. In his e - mail, Paul Sadokha, Chairman of the Union of Ukrainian s in Portugal , addresses the historical importance of Ukrainian churches and organized schools outside of Ukraine, stating that these had create d the strong global institu - tion of the Ukrainian diaspora ! He also points out that this same diaspora has made an important contribution to the development of Ukrainian statehood. The newest wave of immigrants, whet her in Spain or Portugal or elsewhere, must follow suit, Mr. Sadokha argues, and ensure the integrity of Ukrainian Saturday schools. Is the conflict in the Ukrainian Saturday school in Spain yet another manifestation of the pro - Russian movement in Ukraine creeping across its borders? We will be following further developments.
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