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14 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЖОВТЕНЬ 2019 Chervona Ruta Reflec tions by Marta Zielyk “Subversive.” That’s how I was described by the local Ukrainian press exactly 30 years ago as I arrived in Ukraine to cover the first Chervona Ruta festival. The news organization I worked for at that time was Munich - based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty w hose mission was to report the news to countries lack- ing a free press. I was part of the Ukrainian Service of Radio Liberty and our broadcasts aimed to pierce the Iron Curtain and provide the Ukrainian population with uncensored news. If that was subversiv e, well then, I was proud of it. With its initial debut, the Chervona Ruta Festival became a seminal event in modern Ukrainian history. For six days at the end of September, 1989, dozens of groups, soloists and musicians flocked to Chernivtsi, a beautiful town in western Ukraine, close to the Romanian border. Tens of thousands of spec- tators also came to hear them. But I doubt anyone could have predicted the far - reaching consequences of this event. Those few days in Chernivtsi saw the dramatic birth of moder n Ukrainian - language popular music and the emergence of a new Ukrainian musical elite. Until then if young people in Ukraine wanted to listen to or emulate rock music, which was sweep- ing the world, they had two choices: rely on western music (to which the y had only sporadic access) or listen to Russian groups. The regime claimed that the Ukrainian language had no prestige, that it was the language of peasants and therefore simply unsuitable for the modern world. It was fine for singing the usual hackneyed lyrics about sunflowers swaying in the breeze or nightingales singing in the trees, but it could go no further. Modern rock music was simply incompatible with the Ukrainian language, the author- ities asserted. The festival proved the opposite. Amidst deep concern on the part of Ukrainian cultural elites over the weak state of Ukrainian popular music and of Ukrainian mass culture as a whole, Chervona Ruta at- tracted over 150 singers or groups. They were to compete in three categories, vying for titles of best per- formance in pop music, rock music and the music of singer - songwriters or “bards.” The one and only stip- ulation was that all performances had to be in Ukrainian. The festival proved that there was indeed a g en- eration of young, energetic, creative, talented Ukrainian musicians. Some had flown under the radar of the Soviet authorities for years, others burst onto the music scene when given a forum such as this festival. While the Soviet regime was attempting to squeeze out the Ukrainian language from almost all spheres of life, young people, it seems, weren't wholly apathetic to the plight of their language or their music. It be- came apparent that for young Ukrainians — those who had matured during the times of the Stalinist terror and Brezhnev’s stagnation, and finally, Gorbachev’s glasnost — the time was ripe for a rebirth of Ukrainian culture. When news of the “First All Republican Music Festival Chervona Ruta” (named for the popular song written by Volodymyr Ivas iuk) reached me in my Washington, D.C., office it seemed like a perfect fit for me as a journalist. I had been broadcasting a weekly youth show for years, and music was a large com- ponent of my shows. The problem was that no Radio Liberty journalist had eve r been given official accred- itation to cover an event in Soviet Ukraine. But my boss and I decided that I would try. After submitting my official request for a working visa, I was invited to the embassy of the USSR in Washington, D.C. , for a “chat.” The bu ilding was a rather attractive beaux - arts mansion on 16th S treet, but I was acutely aware that setting foot in it meant I was on sovereign Soviet soil. The chat lasted all of 5 minutes during which I was politely informed that my request for a working vis a was denied. When I asked why, all I received was an enigmatic smile and a hand on my back ushering me out. Undaunted, my Service chief and I decided that I would still travel to Chernivtsi but on a tourist visa (which was approved) and report on the fest ival nevertheless. Clearly, being officially recognized as a journalist and getting accreditation was preferable, but in the end, the mission of covering the festival for Radio Liberty listeners had to take precedence. A funny thing happened when I actual ly arrived at the festival. I stopped in at the offices of the festival directors and introduced myself. Eyes went wide with surprise but no one seemed the least bit bothered by the presence of a “subversive.” In fact, everyone went out of their way to mak e me feel wel- come. They were all nationally conscious cultural activists and were clearly happy to have Radio Liberty reporting on the festival openly and truthfully. When I regretfully explained about being denied a working visa, knowing looks were exchan ged all around and I was told to come back the next day. I did and was
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