Should Ukraine be protected from enemy propaganda at the risk of falling into chaos? “Culture and Fascism” ? Several texts adopted by the Parliament of Ukraine on June 19, aimed at “Protecting (Ukrainian) culture from Russian propaganda”. just wait for the publication of President Vladimir Zelensky’s signature. In the alleys of Petrivka, Kyiv’s largest book market, this initiative divides booksellers and buyers.
“That goes too farBookseller Oleksandr Drobin told AFP this week. Some, no doubt, wanted to put themselves forward, to show that they were true patriots, but that was no way to show that one was a patriot, because approx. half of our population is Russian-speaking , and we are also interested in Russian culture. Lots of good stuff in there Russian history ». A little further down the market, another bookseller, Anatoly Gunko, whose books are almost all in Ukrainian, considers the law. “necessary”. Still, he judges “It’s a bit harsh to say that you should only speak Ukrainian, not Russian.” and wins. “Why should the Russian language belong only to Russia? 300 million people in the world speak Russian“.
It is not a way to show that we are patriots, because about half of our population is Russian-speaking.
Oleksandr Drobin, bookseller
Laws voted by parliament last week would specifically ban the import of all books published in Russia and Belarus, an ally of Moscow in its war against Ukraine, regardless of their authorship. Violators of these laws are subject to fines. But their application seems complicated. Russian books published in Ukraine or other countries remain theoretically authorized, provided that Russian is the original language of the author and that the latter is not considered hostile to Ukraine.
The great classics of Russian literature, such as Pushkin or Tolstoy, are considerably spared, but not more modern artists. The texts also prohibit the broadcasting of Russian music created after 1991 on television, radio and in public places.
Four months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, these texts will strengthen the legislative arsenal adopted in recent years aimed at: “decommunize” and “personalizethis former Soviet republic in order to promote the Ukrainian language. But for Alexander Drobin, “We should not confuse Russian fascism with Russian culture.”. For the bookseller, the deputies simply did not take into account the practical application of the voted texts. “They made this law themselves, but no one knows how to apply it. Should we take these books, pile them on the street, burn them, or turn them into toilet paper?” he gets carried away, pointing to the shelves of his bookshop, which are mostly Russian books.
“We have enough excellent authors”
In favor of the text, Anatoly Gunko turns the lawyers philosophically, quoting the well-known saying: “As the Romans used to say, the law is hard, but it is the law.”. Nadia, another bookseller who only wanted to give her name, also supports the new law. “When the war started, people started reading Ukrainian books. We have enough excellent authors” In Ukraine, he says. Nevertheless, “It’s more about selling the latest books, we’re a bit of a bookseller, that’s something else.” he also notes.
Readers also seem divided. “It is really not appropriate to adopt such a law today, there are more serious problems“, Natacha Sikorska, a market buyer, evaluates. “Ban Russian literature, I don’t agree, because Russian literature is history, it’s not Russian propaganda, it’s just education”– he continues.
One of his friends, a lawyer, who refuses to reveal his identity, is of the opposite opinion. “I have read a lot of Russian literature, I liked it and I still like it, but honestly, since February 24. (On the day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ed.)to me he’s just dead”, he misses. Like Natacha Sikorska, bookseller Drobin believes that the Ukrainian government has better things to do than legislate on these detailed issues and should focus on it; “Defense of our country”.. And to conclude. “Everyone makes mistakes, even our government.”.
Source: Le Figaro
