By: Chloë Arneson, News Writer
Content warning: This article mentions violence, war, and death.
On September 1, Professor Laada Bilaniuk delivered a presentation on Ukrainian creativity and resilience in the face of war. She focused on detailing the cultural creativity that erupted on social media since the Russian invasion in February.
Laada Bilaniuk, who teaches anthropology at the University of Washington “is currently working on a book on the politics of popular culture in Ukraine.” Bilaniuk began the lecture by noting how Ukrainians have faced a multitude of horrors since the war began, including “destroyed buildings, looted buildings, death, maiming, [and] torture.”
Bilaniuk said many did not expect Ukraine to fare so well against Russia. “Against the odds, Ukrainians have resisted not only militarily, but also on the cultural front, with an explosion of creativity.
“I’m going to be tracing the threads of memes, sayings, songs, and images that have been viral that express the way Ukrainians have been coping with what’s going on.”
One viral phrase originated from a Ukrainian soldier from a small island who stood up to a Russian warship by telling them, “Russian warship, go f**k yourself.” The phrase became so popular that it was featured on official Ukrainian stamps, which sold 700,000 copies. “Wartime and horror seems to break down the barriers of vulgarity,” Bilaniuk said.
After cultural erasure under years of Soviet rule, many Ukrainians are now embracing the “hybridity” of the two cultures. “Musicians and performers who started out embracing western style [ . . . ] have increasingly started experimenting more with using Ukrainian,” said Bilaniuk. She explained many Ukrainian artists are “turning back to the culture they grew up in and finding value in that.
“If anything, this war has done the opposite of what Putin and others in the Russian government wanted,” Bilaniuk said. “It’s pushed Ukraine away from the Russian sphere of influence.”
Many of the jokes and art created during the war highlights the cultural differences between the two countries, according to Bilaniuk. It is showcasing that Ukrainian “cultural language has power.” Bilaniuk explained that the people of Ukraine want to demonstrate through media that “they’re not just second rate peasant little brothers to Russia.”
She stated many Ukrainians are embracing the decolonization of collective mentality. “While it has pushed Ukraine away from Russian language and culture, at the same time it has really united the government and the people.”
