Problems of the Preservation, Management, and Popularization of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine in Wartime

Abstract

The article discusses pressing problems of the protection of Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Such problems include, but are not limited to: lack of effective mechanisms for the identification, study, preservation, management, and popularization of various elements of intangible cultural heritage in wartime conditions; lack of a national strategy for protection of intangible cultural heritage in wartime; discrepancies between national legislation and international norms regarding protection of intangible cultural heritage; absence of a mechanism for compensation for damages caused by Russian military aggression in this sphere; insufficiently close cooperation between communities, relevant government bodies, and international institutions; limited use of new forms of popularization of intangible cultural heritage, such as mediatization. The author notes that interest on the part of Ukrainian society and the international public towards Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage is currently growing, accompanied by a rethinking of this heritage within the framework of the national policy of decolonization. An illustrative example is the so-called ‘battle for borscht’, one of the results of which was the inclusion of the culture of making Ukrainian borscht in the National List of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine and the world-wide List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. It is stressed that the industry of protection of Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage, developed along the lines set by the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, has generally proven ill-prepared for the challenges of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Without a doubt, the industry is in need of close expert attention. In particular, the wartime situation calls for bringing together a coalition of experts that could help develop more effective principles and mechanisms for the protection of Ukraine’s intangible cultural heritage.