Ukrainian diaspora in Canada donates rare books and archival materials to Ternopil museum
Фото: Суспільне Тернопіль
Books transferred from Canada were presented at the Museum of the National Liberation Struggle of the Ternopil Region. Among the materials is the private library of Mykola Plaviuk, the last President of the Ukrainian People's Republic in exile.
This was reported to Suspilne by Oleksandr Alfiorov, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, Rubryka reports.
The museum's director, Yevhen Fil, the museum received 440 boxes from Canada containing works of Ukrainian classical literature, magazines, newspapers, and materials related to members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).
"In such a short time, we were only able to review the collection briefly, but we already identified valuable books reflecting the period of the Ukrainian People's Republic, Carpathian Ukraine, the liberation struggles, the OUN, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), and the dissident movement. There is a great deal of classical literature as well as authors previously unknown to us, including Yevhen Malaniuk and Yurii Klen," Yevhen Fil said.
Photo: Suspilne Ternopil
Oleksandr Alfiorov, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, said that the books received were written by scholars, former military personnel, and cultural figures. According to him, the collections include the private library of Mykola Plaviuk.
"He was the last president of Ukraine in the diaspora, who in 1982 transferred the seal of the President of Ukraine in exile to Leonid Kravchuk. Unfortunately, many such private library collections have been lost. They were lost in emigration because generations of Ukrainians who cared for them have passed away. This was also related to the fact that these were third- and fourth-generation émigrés. Very often, these books were simply handed over to random individuals or dispersed into random collections abroad. We know of cases where heirs sold these books, together with the premises they were kept in, to various libraries, even though they had been collected in the 1920s and 1930s," the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory explained.
Photo: Suspilne Ternopil
According to him, until now only Kyiv could truly boast collections of this kind in Ukraine. Now, researchers will travel to Ternopil to study the newly acquired materials:
"These are studies that were not tainted by Soviet ideology. In fact, today we have received a tremendous breath of that freedom which existed outside a totalitarian society, outside the totalitarian power that prevailed in Ukraine."
The presentation of the collections was attended by Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk. He said that all the materials transferred from Canada by the Ukrainian diaspora would be digitized.
"This is not the heritage of a single region or city. It is the heritage of Ukraine as a whole, of all Ukrainians — 16.5 thousand books and archival documents that were nurtured over the course of 100 years far beyond our country's borders in Canada by the Ukrainian diaspora. This is important for the future of our nation."
Photo: Suspilne Ternopil
The humanitarian shipment includes more than 16,500 books and library materials. The collections will be processed after the Russian-Ukrainian war, and in the meantime, they will be kept in a secure location in the Ternopil region.
"The implementation of this large-scale project is the result of nearly a year of dedicated work to preserve historical and cultural values, which we will pass on as an invaluable legacy to future generations of Ukrainians. In these difficult times of the Russian-Ukrainian war, events like this affirm that the Ukrainian nation is indestructible! Our faith in Victory is unwavering!" said Fil, the museum's director.
Photo: Department of Tourism of Ternopil RMA
Today, visitors had the opportunity to see part of the collection at the Museum of the National Liberation Struggle of the Ternopil Region — including books, magazines, badges, and bofons (financial documents of the OUN-UPA). All the materials will be processed by specialists to ensure that this heritage becomes accessible to Ukrainians and researchers from around the world.
Photo: Museum of the National Liberation Struggle of Ternopil Region
Photo: Museum of the National Liberation Struggle of Ternopil Region
