On the occasion of the 155th anniversary of Lesia Ukrainka's birth, the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine hosted a solemn presentation of the first Arabic edition of the fairy-tale drama ‘The Forest Song.’ The publication was an important step in the development of Ukrainian-Arab cultural dialogue and the popularisation of Ukrainian classics in the Arabic-speaking world.
The initiator of the project, Director of the Academy Ihor Ostash, emphasised the deep connections between Lesia Ukrainka's work and the Middle East. In particular, he noted that at a young age, the writer created a textbook entitled Ancient History of Eastern Peoples, in which she thoroughly covered the history of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Phoenicians. The author described in detail the development of the cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos (the territory of modern Lebanon) and highly praised the contribution of Phoenician civilization to world culture.
Serhii Halchenko, Deputy Director of the T. H. Shevchenko Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, emphasised the uniqueness of Lesia Ukrainka's archives and manuscripts and the importance of rethinking her legacy today.
Lebanese journalist and translator Imadeddin Raef, who has been promoting Ukrainian literature in Arabic for over ten years, called the work on the translation of The Forest Song not only a literary challenge, but also a spiritual pilgrimage to the sources of Ukrainian culture.
Nataliia Bodak, head of the Lebanese Cultural and Information Centre, presented cultural diplomacy projects that strengthen Ukrainian-Lebanese ties.
The musical and poetic atmosphere of the event was created by the melodies of the sopilka played by Tymofii Iliukhin and readings from ‘The Forest Song’ by students of Arabic philology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
A special ‘gift’ for Lesia Ukrainka's anniversary was the performance of her works by the winner of this year's National Selection for Eurovision, Viktoriia Leleka, accompanied by bundura player Yaroslav Dzhus.
Among the guests of the event were the Chargé d'Affaires of Iraq in Ukraine, Minister Plenipotentiary Tarek Adil Kazem, Member of Parliament of Ukraine Iryna Kostankevych, Director of the General Directorate for Foreign Missions Pavlo Kryvonos, founder of the Lebanese Cultural and Information Centre, patron Rodrigue Merhej, Volodymyr Bodnar, Member of the Volyn Regional Council, and members of the Public Council at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
The event was also attended by students of Ukrainian higher education institutions, teachers and students of the Small Diplomatic Academy, diplomats from Ukrainian missions in the Middle East, and representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in the UAE and Lebanon.