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10 OUR LIFE • July-August 2024 Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Sofia Yablonska Sofia Yablonska I believe people are capable of going beyond the limits of their own “I.” - SY Sofia Yablonska was a writer, journalist, cinematog- rapher, photographer, and the first Ukrainian wom- an to travel around the world and write about her journey. Sharing the modernist aspirations of her time for the new and unknown, inspired by the idea of movement as personal development, and simul- taneously remaining true to the promise she made to herself in the turbulent 1920s to live so that no one could ever take her home away again, she chose travel as her way of life. Her status as member of a then stateless nation made her especially sensitive to national and social inequality among the com- munities she described. Unlike her contemporaries, she spoke with the voice of the “second sex” from the “second world,” and her literary and documen- tary works, The Charm of Morocco (1932), From the Land of Rice and Opium (1936), and Distant Horizons (1939), still speak in a unique way not only about the quirks of non-European cultures, but also about the diversity and polyphony of Europe itself, not limited to its own center. Sofia Yablonska took up the issue of the female gaze and female voice in literature and created a new behavioral model for women, encouraging them to dream and act. She was aware of not only the lim - itations but also the opportunities that opened up for her as a woman, and she boldly used them to land in places inaccessible to male travelers. De- scribing a visit to a harem in Marrakesh or recount - ing confidential nighttime conversations between women on the flat roofs of Moroccan houses, she took care to capture the polyphony of testimonies that had been kept out of the cultural space for so long. As a young woman, Yablonska became friends with Olena Kysilevska, who corresponded with her for years and called her her daughter, recognizing their proximate life positions, readiness for action, and optimistic worldviews. Yablonska would later maintain relationships with the leading representa- tives of the women’s movement in Galicia and pub - lish her reportage in women’s journals, particularly Zhinocha Dolia (Women’s Fate) and Nova Khata (New Home). Zoika, Ziutka, Jad, Virgule, Teura were the names she answered to in various corners of the world. And the more she opened up to the world, the more deeply she realized who she really was. Hav - ing studied neither anthropology nor literature, Sofia Yablonska invented a new type of narrative focused on the feelings and experiences of a sub - ject: even if we cannot recreate the world around us objectively, we can still convey the singularness Two years ago, Soyuzianka Sofika Zielyk (Branch 64, New York City), in her role as Cultural Officer of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organiza- tions (WFUWO), launched a series of events produced by WFUWO and the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York to rediscover and celebrate the unique lives of influential Ukrainian women in the arts and sciences who con- tributed to the advancement of women’s roles and betterment of society, yet were suspended by the broader historical narrative. The inaugural event cele- brated the life of Ukrainian opera diva Solomea Krushelnytska (1872–1952) on the 150th anniversary of her birth. This year, the series honors the trailblazing life and legacy of Ukrainian writer, cultural commentator, photographer, cin - ematographer, mother and wife, and champion of the women’s movement in the interwar years Sofia Yablonska. The Ukrainian Institute hosted a multi-media exhibition, Teura: An Intimate Portrait of Sofia Yablonska , earlier this year, and was also the venue for a celebratory evening on May 30 that included presentations about Yablonska’s vanguard life of world travel, writing and photography, readings from her published books, live performances reflecting her personal musical tastes, her sustained connection to Ukrainian cultural life in Western Ukraine and abroad, and her legacy and influence on future generations of Ukrainian women. Following the program, guests enjoyed light refreshments created to echo the cuisines of Yablonska’s exotic travel destinations and those with which she entertained guests at home. The information on the following pages is drawn from the exhibition and the celebratory evening. All photos © Sofia Yablonska. Courtesy of Nathalie Oudin. All rights reserved. Sofia Yablonska
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