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Donbass is the native home for representatives of different
ethnic groups. Today the representatives of over 100 nations and nationalities live in Donbass.
The majority of them have found here a new Fatherland in this multinational region. Intellectual
potential of every ethnic group is extremely rich and unique. Mosaic of ethnic cultures forms
common cultural background of this miners' territory. Friendly relations of Donbass inhabitants
became the norm for our society.
Democratic changes in the state contributed to the growth of
ethnic self-awareness, provided creation of national and cultural unities.
According to the data of the Department on Affairs of
Nationalities and Migrations of the Donetsk regional state administration, 92 national and cultural
formations are registered and operate in Donechchyna. In their ranks they unite Greeks, Jews,
Spaniards, Poles, Germans, Armenians, Russians, Tatars, representatives of Dagestan peoples, total
number being over 70 000 persons.
Today national and cultural unities appear to be the leaders of
renaissance and development of languages, customs, traditions, cultural and art achievements of
national minorities.
On their initiative new educational institutions are opened. Say,
the Faculty of New Greek Language and Literature was opened at the Mariupol Humanitarian
Institute, where 160 students study. 1340 students of other faculties study New Greek Language as
the second specialty.
The Donetsk National University opened a laboratory for studying
Jewish culture, philosophy, history and Jewish/Hebrew language. Some young teachers of the
university are getting prepared to defend their Candidate of Science Dissertations on these
topics. This will allow opening Jewish Chair in the Donetsk National University in the
future.
At the university there is a college with the New Greek language
of studying. In the Donetsk regional center of culture "Deuche Quelle" there is a lecturing bureau
in history of Germans of Ukraine being attended by 60 persons.
In 1999 the Islamic university was opened.
In the territory of the region 17 Sunday schools work with
different languages of studying, i.e. New Greek, German, Armenian, Arab, Georgian,
Jewish, etc.
The New Greek language as a subject is studied by 605 students,
German language - by 690 ones; over 700 persons study their native languages
optionally.
Some pre-school institutions are opened for children of
representatives of national minorities: Jewish kindergarten in Donetsk, 2 Greek kindergartens in
Velykonovoselkivsky district and 3 ones in Mariupol.
Educational, methodical, bibliographic and fiction literature is
published, the authors being representatives of national minorities of the Donetsk region. During
the recent years over 10 books were published in New Greek language: "Kobzar" by T. Shevchenko,
"Across Three Seas" by L. Kiryakova, "Legends of Priazovie Greeks" and "Hellenes of Priazovie"
by A. Baldgie, Ukrainian and Greek phrase-book, etc.
The regional department of the Association "Ukraine - Israel"
held several creative and jubilee sittings: for the poet V. Avtsen, the physician and poet
E. Gurevich, the teacher G. Shtein, the dramatic critic N.Heintsler, the Honored Actress of
Ukraine L. Borodytska.
Since 1993 the Donetsk Department of International Association of
Germans "Vidergeburt" organizes historical, cultural, folklore and ethnographical expeditions about
the Donetsk region aiming at studying history, ethnography, religion and culture of ethnic groups
inhabiting Donbas.
The Regional Department of the Association "Ukraine - Israel"
created a historical club doing researches in history and Jews' contribution to the development of
the region.
To satisfy cultural needs of representatives of ethnic minorities
national holidays and festivals are organized, the Days of national independence, memorable days of
nations, religious holidays. Holding the festival of Priazovie Greeks "Mega Yurty" became a
tradition: Russian, Greek and Ukrainian creative groups take part in it regularly. For several
years festivals of Jewish, German, Spanish, Greek cultures give representatives of the minorities
the feeling of meeting with their historical Motherlands. Every holiday of this kind appears to be
a bright page of cultural life of Donetsk region.
National cultural associations include several dozens of amateur
artistic groups. The most famous of them are: Greek folklore companies "Spartansky samotsvity" and
"Illyus", dancing group "Tanair", singing one "Astery", people's choreographic company "Taifa",
children's theatre "Anayanisy"; Jewish variety choreographic company "Chocolate"; German folklore
company "Edelweiss", youth's theatrical group "Deuche Quelle"; Polish dancing group
"Radost (Joy)"; Tatar folklore singing and dancing company.
In the cities of Artemovsk, Donetsk, Mariupol, and in
Starobeshevsky, Telmanovsky, Velykonovoselkivsky districts local museums regularly hold
expeditions and exhibitions on history and spiritual legacy of ethnic groups of Donechchyna.
In the region over 300 monuments of German spiritual culture were
installed. With the help of Federation of Ukrainian Greeks' Associations in Priazovie the
monuments to the Metropolitan Ignatii and to the poet Bakhtarov were erected. The Donetsk regional
Tatar cultural center shot a film about the Tatar Diaspora "My native land".
During the recent years new forms of national associations
appeared: youth's, sport, educational, medical centers at the associations of national
minorities.
National cultural associations regularly take care about poor and
socially unprotected people, purchasing medicines, food, cloths for them. For example, the
Charitable Fund "Hesed Tsdaka" (the association "Ukraine-Israel") takes care about 6 000 people.
The International Department of Germans "Vidergeburt" with the help of Red Cross of Germany
assisted the Germans having been Trudarmeitsy (Labor Army members). Numerous donations are sent
from the International Council of Greeks Abroad, from International organization "Physicians of
the World", etc. and are spread among the poor, hospitals, boarding schools, etc.
The representatives of national minorities of Donechchyna
established close contacts with their historical Motherland, organized exchanges of artistic and
scientific delegations. Annually teachers and students have language trainings in Greece, Germany,
Israel, Poland.
SMI do their best to reflect the life and activities of public
national cultural formations and centers.
The regional radio broadcasts a program "Word after Word", during
which audience is acquainted with the life of ethnic national cultural associations of the region.
Monthly, the radio program "Polish Wave of Donbas" is broadcasted in Ukrainian and Polish
languages. Periodically, in the towns and districts of the region, where the representatives of
national minorities live densely, TV and radio broadcastings are issued about their
activities.
The following newspapers are published in the region: the Greek
newspapers "Hellenes of Ukraine" and "Chronos"; the Polish one "The Poles of Donbas", the Armenian
one "Armenian Bulletin", the Jewish "Menora", "Our Life", "Barum Ashem", the women's publicistic
magazine "A Idishe Mali".
Movements of communities of national minorities promote intensive
development of relations with historical Motherland of them, realization of economic, cultural,
educational, ecological, youth's, treating and rehabilitation, children's programs. It's important
to stress that the community association "Federation of Greeks' unities of Ukraine" became equal
section of the world Hellenism. With active participation of Greeks' unities the diplomatic office
was opened in Mariupol - the Consulate-General of Greece.
With intercession of national associations, towns, streets,
organizations and institutions get back their historical names; architectural and art monuments
are restored as well as cult constructions.
The rights for creative activities, cultural and artistic
development, access to cultural treasures, social protection and creation of conditions for
development of culture of all national unities are guaranteed in our region. Creative constructive
activities of public associations of national minorities of the Donetsk region take place in the
atmosphere of mutual understanding, close cooperation with all nations
of the region.
In the Donetsk Regional Scientific Library named after
N.K. Krupska, in the framework of regional studies readings, the problems of history of inhabiting
of the region by different ethnic groups are considered, meetings with national cultural
communities are held.
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