30 years of Independence: 30 Ukrainian solution creators. Rubryka's large-scale project
From Viacheslav Chornovil to Emine Dzaparova. Who are the Solution Creators? These are the ones who create Ukraine every day.
Who are the Solution Creators?
These are people whose solutions have affected Ukraine we know in one way or another; hence, without them, it wouldn't exist the way it is.
These are the people who create the solutions that change us and our country.
These are the people who build it every day.
They're brave. Strong. Diverse.
They take responsibility.
To mark the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's Independence, Rubryka, together with illustrator Oleksandr Hrekhov, launched a project, a series of cards, #SolutionCreators, where we mention 30 personalities who created and are creating Ukraine during its independence. 30 years and 30 people; everything is simple. Today we introduce you to all thirty heroes of "Solution Creators."
Happy birthday, Ukraine! Happy Independence Day, Ukrainians!
1. Viacheslav Chornovil
Not surprisingly, our first hero is Viacheslav Chornovil, a Ukrainian politician and initiator of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine. He became the leader of Ukraine's national liberation movement in 1985-1991, and before that, because of his active political position and advocacy of a free Ukraine, he was repeatedly subjected to Soviet repression; Chornovil was imprisoned and sent to Yakutia.
But that didn't stop him from fighting for Ukrainian independence. Viacheslav Chornovil decided that the case was worth persisting; and now, thirty years later, we know for sure that he was right.
2. Andrii Shevchenko
The coach's solution is the key to the team's success!
This year, Ukraine reached the quarterfinals of the European Football Championship for the first time; the match took place in Rome on July 3. Ukraine played with the English team, but our players couldn't beat the British.
However, reaching the quarterfinals was already a glorious victory for the Ukrainian national team; and almost all the credit goes to the national team coach, Andrii Shevchenko. Andrii Shevchenko is a legendary football player. During his career, he played for Dynamo Kyiv, Milan, and Chelsea in London and made Ukraine famous all over the world with his brilliant game. If you ask a foreigner if they know who Shevchenko is, they'll know not Taras but Andrii.
From 2015 to 2021, Andrii Shevchenko doesn't leave the position of the head coach of the national team of Ukraine, and during this time our national team, of course, has grown well.
3. Serhii Zhadan
"The country doesn't hold a grudge.
The country never is to budge.
The country where the rain returns,
about her, I'm smooth writing songs,"
Zhadan writes, and we love him for that (Rubryka's translation – TN).
Heroes of #SolutionCreators create solutions in all fields, from Ukrainian statehood to culture. Serhii Zhadan is a Ukrainian writer, author of four novels and six collections of poems, as well as the frontman of Zhadan and the Dogs band.
Zhadan is one of the most famous Ukrainian writers, not only in Ukraine but also abroad. His decision to write in Ukrainian about Ukraine has now become a national cultural signature, and the novels "Voroshilovgrad," "Depeche Mode," "Mesopotamia" and "Orphanage" have long been cult.
4. Leonid Kadeniuk
#SolutionCreators create not only solutions but also history!
So Leonid Kadeniuk wanted to fly into space and became the first astronaut of independent Ukraine. The first and (so far) the only one.
"I was the first to fly into space with the Ukrainian flag and fulfill the tasks of the Ukrainian government. In 1997, the Ukrainian national anthem was played in outer space for the first time," the astronaut said.
Not every choice becomes historical, but the entire history is created of choices, made by someone or for someone. Leonid Kadeniuk is forever inscribed in the history of Ukraine.
5. Antonio Lukich
We couldn't help but include the inspirator of Rubryka's mascot, the Quack-on-the-spot, in our selection #SolutionCreators.
Therefore, meet the hero of our next card, director Antonio Lukich. In 2020, he presented Ukrainians with the film, "My Thoughts Are Silent," which has already become a cult, and gave the idea of the Quack-on-the-spot to Rubryka 🤫 Remember whose singing was the film protagonist Vadim to record? Mythical Rakhiv mallard or fussy mallard. In the end, Vadym found his quack, and we found ours.
6. Elina Svitolina
Ukrainian tennis player and the third player in the world, Elina Svitolina, couldn't help but get into our selection. She started to play tennis and became one of the best tennis players in the world, glorifying Ukraine far beyond its borders. Elina is the most successful athlete in the history of Ukrainian tennis, who can not help but inspire and make you believe dreams come true if you work for them. And this year Elina won "bronze" at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
7. Ivan Malkovych
This card in the #SolutionCreators series is completely magical.
Because the hero is Ivan Malkovych, a Ukrainian writer and poet, and also a publisher. He presented Harry Potter in the A-BA-BA-GA-LA-MA-GA publishing house to Ukrainian readers and instilled a love for books in more than one generation of Ukrainians. His solutions made the childhood of tens of thousands of Ukrainians!
In addition, Ivan Malkovych is the author of cult works, a poem known to almost every Ukrainian "With an angel on his shoulder" (this poem was sung by incredibly talented musicians from the Plach Yeremiyi band).
8. Heorhii Gongadze
Heorhii Gongadze is a journalist, the founder of Ukraiinska Pravda, who did his job honestly and was killed for it. Heorhii Gongadze wasn't afraid of the truth and wasn't afraid to talk about it. Without him, Ukrainian journalism would be different.
Unfortunately, the killings of journalists aren't yet a thing of the past in Ukraine. On July 20, 16 years after Gongadze's assassination, another journalist, Pavel Sheremet, was killed in Kyiv. The investigation into the explosion of the car in which he'd died that day is still ongoing. To date, neither the killers of Heorhii Gongadze nor the killers of Pavel Sheremet have been identified or punished.
Who ordered their murder?
We want to believe that justice will be done.
So we continue the work of honest journalism.
9. Jamala
A new card in the #SolutionCreators series is an image with sound.
After all, when it comes to Jamala, it's impossible not to hear her voice. Jamala is the singer who brought Eurovision to Ukraine when she sang honestly about the deportation of Crimean Tatars and conquered Europe with her song.
"I'll find.
I'll find my way home,
Though it's hard to go through memories with insane fatigue,"
Jamala sings these lines in another song and makes us believe that justice will be done and Crimea will return home to Ukraine.
10. Paul Pshenychka
#SolutionCreators are the people who create modern Ukraine. And teachers deserve special mention.
Teachers help children discover a world full of opportunities and form a new generation of Ukraine and the world every day with their hard work. Every teacher who's not indifferent to their students deserves recognition.
We made one of the best physics teachers in the world, Paul Pshenychka, our next card hero in the #SolutionCreators series. The zeal and inspiration with which this teacher from Chernivtsi introduces children to the laws of the world are driving the changes. And not just at the school desk.
Thank you teachers for their hard work! We're convinced that each of us had at least one teacher who helped us believe in ourselves and find our way in the world.
11. Lina Kostenko
"Words are frightful when they're silent…"
The next heroine in the #SolutionCreators series is the word painter, Lina Kostenko.
She's the author of many poems and three novels, as well as a living classic of Ukrainian literature.
Her words "Nations don't die of a heart attack. First, their language is taken away" became the leaders of the protection and promotion of the Ukrainian language in Ukraine.
Lina Kostenko's words aren't silent; they speak loudly about what's important. At the human level, at the level of society, at the level of the country.
12. Levko Lukianenko
Of course, we couldn't help but mention one of the founders of our independence, Levko Lukianenko.
Levko Lukianenko was the creator of one of the most important documents in the history of Ukraine, the "Act of Independence of Ukraine," which was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on August 24, 1991. Since then, the history of modern independent Ukraine has begun. Levko Lukianenko devoted most of his life to bringing this moment closer to Ukraine; he was an ardent dissident for a long time who promoted the ideas of independence and autonomy of our state.
13. Kateryna Pavlenko
The next heroine of our series definitely made a splash!
Kateryna Pavlenko, the soloist of the Go_a band, who represented Ukraine at Eurovision this year, determined that she would sing despite everything. As a teenager, she underwent surgery to remove a tumor from her lung, after which she couldn't sing traditionally. And for the first time in the history of Ukraine's participation in the main song contest in Europe, she decided to go with a song in Ukrainian.
Needless to say, Go_a instantly conquered Europe. The song "SHUM" even topped the ranking of the most popular tracks on the Spotify platform. The song is still hovering around the world!
Incredibly talented Ukrainians create our history here and now. Kateryna Pavlenko is definitely one of them!
14. Serhii Nihoian
#SolutionCreators are the creators of Ukraine. Ukraine would not exist without its heroes.
Serhii Nihoian is a young Armenian and patriot of Ukraine who laid down his life for its independence during the Revolution of Dignity. He was one of the first to die on the Maidan on January 22, 2014, and it's a sacrifice we may never forget.
He should have turned 28 in the summer, but he's 21 years old forever.
Serhii Nihoian and the Heavenly Hundred are heroes who defended Ukraine on the Maidan at the cost of their lives. Heroes don't die as long as they live in our hearts.
We remember.
15. Larysa Denysenko
#SolutionCreators are people who care about the fate of Ukraine and Ukrainians. That is why we couldn't ignore human rights activist, writer, and journalist Larysa Denysenko in our series of illustrations.
Who are we without rights? Human rights are what allow us to live a full life without fear for our security and our freedoms. All people are born equal. Everyone must be safe. Everyone's rights must be respected.
But these simple truths are sometimes forgotten. Larysa Denysenko and other human rights activists are the ones who don't let anyone forget it and don't let injustice go unpunished. UNDP Tolerance Envoy to Ukraine, the official of anti-discrimination and domestic violence campaigns, feminist, author of "Maya and Her Mother," Larysa Denysenko, established that human rights must be respected, and she stands her ground. And words are her superpower.
"Every word of each person has its own power and price," Larysa Denysenko says. And we completely agree with her.
16. Oleksandr Roitburd
#SolutionCreators in Ukraine couldn't exist without Oleksandr Roitburd, the artist who made us famous in the world, and the man who turned the Odesa Art Museum into a center of public life in the city.
On August 8, Oleksandr Roitburd passed away. The director of the Odesa Museum, co-founder of the Ukrainian trance-avant-garde theory, and an artist whose works are exhibited around the world, including at the MoMA Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, has made a unique contribution to the development of Ukrainian art.
Oleksandr Roitburd deserves to be named one of the #SolutionCreators. His art made Ukraine famous all over the world. The artist lived and worked in New York for some time, but returned to Ukraine. In recent years, Roitburd managed the Odesa Art Museum, turning it into a comfortable public space, which changed the face of Odesa.
17. Oleksandra Matviichuk
#SolutionCreators create free Ukraine and lead its free citizens.
Oleksandra Matviichuk, a human rights activist, Euromaidan SOS coordinator, and chair of the Civil Liberties Center, is a person who works tirelessly on human rights issues in Ukraine.
Oleksandra Matviichuk initiated the #SaveOlegSentsov campaign in 2018, which later became the basis for a broader movement for the release of Ukrainian political prisoners. The OSCE recognized her as a defender of democracy, granting her a proper award. And today our heroine continues to fight for human rights, for a free and united Ukraine. Every day.
18. Zhan Beleniuk
Athletes are the pride of Ukraine! Of course, we couldn't ignore them either 😉
The Tokyo Olympics blew up, from which Ukraine's representatives brought 19 medals! (We've already mentioned Elina Svitolina's medal). And the only gold medal at this year's Olympic Games was won by Zhan Beleniuk in the final of the Greco-Roman wrestling. Having won, the athlete danced the hopak, charging the entire Ukraine with energy!
We're grateful to everyone who represented Ukraine at the Olympic Games this year. You create Ukraine and its history!
19. Serhii Kulchytskyi
The Ukrainian military is the people who protect the peaceful sky over Ukraine. They're the Heroes of Ukraine who create its independence every day, defending the homeland from the enemy. And they're definitely the #SolutionCreators, and so an integral part of our project.
Serhii Kulchytskyi, a Ukrainian soldier and a Hero of Ukraine, is one of them, one of the founders of independent Ukraine here and now, although he's no longer with us. He heroically laid down his life to defend Ukraine near Sloviansk in 2014, but we'll be grateful to him and to all the soldiers who once defended Ukraine, or are defending Ukraine right now, always. And the meaning of their lives and deeds will never be forgotten.
After all, heroes don't die.
20. Yurii Andrukhovych
The creators of Ukrainian literature are, without a doubt, the creators of Ukraine and #SolutionCreators. One of the most outstanding authors of modern Ukraine is the next hero of our series, Yurii Andrukhovych. When Mr. Andrukhovych decided to write, he allowed Ukraine to recognize itself and the world in his works. And the writer, having already become a living classic, shows at least that the mirrors of his works notice the most important thing.
The words "Resistance to evil is an absolute manifestation of the humane in a human. Art is also an unequivocal manifestation of the humane in a human. Resistance and art are complementary" belong to the author of "Moscoviada," "Perversion," "Twelve Circles" and other novels, stories, short stories, poems. And he's right.
21. Illia Chichkan
Ukrainian artists aren't only beauty creators, but also #SolutionCreators. After all, art is a kind of mirror where we see a little more about ourselves, society, country, and era. And the more we see, the more we understand. What's not "solving" about it?
Illia Chichkan is a contemporary Ukrainian artist, a representative of the New Wave in Ukrainian art. He's one of the most extravagant Ukrainian artists, whose works break stereotypes and take viewers out of their comfort zone, and thus expand the scale we think in. In 2009, Illia Chichkan represented Ukraine at the Venice Biennale and his works were long remembered by spectators from all over the world for their spectacle. But the artist is probably the most famous for referring to the image of monkeys in his works. Portraits of monkeys: what's so special about it? But Illia Chichkan draws attention to the nature of humans and society. He managed to scale this concept for many years of creativity, and monkeys are still the central image of the artist.
22. Iryna Vitovska-Vantsa
#SolutionCreators are, first, artists. Through their work, they unite people, help them realize and live through important social and political events, and shape the worldview of many people. Actors are important participants in this process. Important creators of Ukraine.
Irma Vitovska-Vantsa is one of the most famous actors of modern Ukraine, who has played in theater and cinema since 1998 and until today. The Young Theater actor, the star of the 2000s cult-series TV series, Lesya + Roma, and the new Ukrainian film directed by Antonio Lukich, My Thoughts Are Silent, Irma Vitovska-Vantsa is passionately loved by viewers and critics. In addition, the actor has a clear civic position, is engaged in public activities, and advocates reforms in culture. And she's right: art cannot be outside politics.
Irma Vitovska-Vantsa became the first winner of the Women in Arts Award from HeForShe in the Theater and Cinema category, created by the UN and the Ukrainian Institute. And many more awards. We believe she's worth every award and even more.
23. Kateryna Handziuk
#SolutionCreators are the creators of change. Unfortunately, sometimes change costs us too much. Sometimes, even people's lives.
Kateryna Handziuk is a deputy of the Kherson City Council, an adviser to the mayor of Kherson, a UN national volunteer, and a public figure. In 2018, Kateryna died in an attack because of her civil position and political activities. The attack on the activist and her death is called a crime against dignity. That's right: it is a crime against every Ukrainian.
Posthumously, the United States awarded Kateryna Handziuk with the Women of Courage International Award for her tireless efforts to fight corruption and protect freedom and democracy in Ukraine.
The perpetrators of Kateryna Handziuk's murder have not been punished yet.
Katia, we remember. And we believe that justice must prevail, and Ukraine must really become a democratic and civil state, where such events will be simply impossible.
24. Nastia Melnychenko
#SolutionCreators are not afraid to speak and be heard. People whose voices change thousands of lives.
Activist, human rights activist, and children's writer Anastasia Melnychenko is one of these people. In 2016, she launched the #IAmNotAfraidToSpeak campaign against the practices of accusing the victim and sexual violence. At that time, the global #MeToo movement hadn't yet gained such notoriety as in recent years: it exploded in the world in 2017. Nastia Melnychenko's campaign reached the international level and had a coverage of 16,335,157 people in the first month after its launch, and in the same month, it provided 12,282 original posts with the hashtag #IAmNotAfraidToSpeak.
We're grateful to Nastia for helping many people in Ukraine and abroad to find their voice and truth.
25. Kuzma Skriabin
The Ukrainian singer and leader of the "Skriabin" band couldn't help but be on our list #SolutionCreators. Songs by Andrii Kuzmenko, or Kuzma, are known throughout Ukraine. They are listened to and sung at parties, or alone, in the evenings by the fire, with guitar, and along to the frontman's recordings. Kuzma died in a car accident in 2015. He was posthumously recognized as a Hero of Ukraine.
But Kuzma's songs remain alive forever, and therefore the artist is alive.
"Don't think about tomorrow, it's a thousand years away, and I'm always around, and this happiness isn't known to millions, and we create it," Kuzma sang. And still, listening to his voice, you feel he's around.
26. Olia Kudinenko
#SolutionCreators are not indifferent Ukrainians. Not indifferent to our country, and not indifferent to the fate of other people. Olia Kudinenko, the founder of the Ukrainian Tabletochki Charitable Foundation for Children Cancer, a fundraiser, and public figure, argues that kindness and non-indifference are what makes us human and what makes life more vivid.
Tabletocki has been working for ten years and, during this time, has raised UAH 363,986,539 to help children. Every month, 500 children take care of the fund, and in June 2021 alone, more than 7 million hryvnias were raised to help them. The foundation helps parents pay for the treatment of seriously ill children, and makes the lives of these children brighter and kinder.
Also, Tabletochki" and Olia Kudinenko show that doing good is not only important but also simple. Every good deed counts. Helping each other matters.
That's why we are solution creators. That's what humans are.
27. Emine Dzhaparova
#SolutionCreators are fighting for justice and doing everything in their power to establish or restore it. Emine Dzhaparova is a Ukrainian Crimean Tatar politician and stateswoman, journalist, and First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. She is actively promoting the international coordination mechanism for the de-occupation of Crimea, the Crimean Platform. After all, Crimea is Ukraine.
Not indifferent Ukrainians are those who hold the fate of Ukraine in check. Emine Dzhaparova is without a doubt one of them.
28. Uliana Pcholkina
#SolutionCreators wouldn't do without Uliana Pcholkina. She's a Ukrainian professional karateka, public figure, and TV presenter. And Uliana Pcholkina moves in a wheelchair. She's a multiple karate champion in Ukraine and the world, Woman of the III millennium 2016, finalist of the world's first beauty contest Miss Wheelchair World 2017, Woman of Ukraine 2019. Uliana Pcholkina is also involved in public activities and promotes inclusiveness in Ukraine. After all, only an inclusive society can be successful. Uliana Pcholkina helps to create it every day.
"Тут і зараз, в цю секунду я живу". Уляна Пчолкіна — про життя на колясці та досягнення мрій
29. Bohdan Chaban
#SolutionCreators don't give up. Bohdan Chaban from Donetsk is an activist and volunteer; he's a person who had to completely change his life because of the Russian-Ukrainian war but didn't break down or give up. Instead, Bohdan defended Ukraine at the forefront and now supports his comrades and veterans in the rear, helping them get jobs and developing businesses that support it.
Non-indifference is a necessary quality to be a solution creator. Bohdan Chaban is not indifferent: to the fate of his own country, to the fate of his hometown, to society, and to the people who went through the war.
30. alyona alyona
Aliona Savranenko, or alyona alyona, is a young Ukrainian rapper who has become a real sensation in Europe. In 2019, she released her debut album "Pushka." The rapper performs songs in Ukrainian. Alyona Alyona not only became a rap star (The New York Times included her in the list of 15 little-known European artists that everyone should know about) but also raised the body-positive and body-neutrality movement in Ukraine to a new level.
And Alyona Alyona shows us it's not scary to make mistakes, the key thing is to take responsibility for your mistakes. The situation with drifting on Sofia Square, the Red Bull commercial, where the rapper took part in the filming, and which greatly defiled the area, and then participated in washing the pavement shows and proves it.
And a bonus (with all of Ukraine). Every Ukrainian
In fact, everyone is #SolutionCeators. Each of us makes dozens, even hundreds of solutions and choices every day, and all of them form what makes our lives and our country. Ukraine is each of us. Every day. Every minute.
We create solutions. We create Ukraine! 💙💛
