[Aaus-list] Fwd: French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy spoke in Kyiv today (video)

[Natalia Pylypiuk]

FYI


Begin forwarded message:

From: Natalia Pylypiuk <natalia.pylypiuk at ualberta.ca>
Subject: French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy spoke in Kyiv today (video)
Date: February 9, 2014 at 3:43:38 PM MST
To: "SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list" <SEELANGS at BAMA.UA.EDU>

Dear Fellow Slavists, 

In defiance of the terror unleashed by President Yanukovych, the national liberation movement in Ukraine continues to grow, even in southern and eastern "oblasts" (provinces), where authorities have retained the patriarchal and despotic practices of their Soviet predecessors.  

Today's "viche" (assembly) in the capital's Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) was well attended and featured a speech by Bernard-Henri Lévy. The French philosopher supported the idea of an alternative government being proposed by the opposition, as well as the European aspirations of Ukraine.  Besides emphasizing the antiquity of Ukrainian civilization, he indirectly criticized the governments's current defamatory campaign, by pointing out that on the Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), all Ukrainians—Christians, Jews or Muslims—stood together for liberty. Comparing the Maidan with the Place de la Bastille,  Lévy also expressed his admiration for the courage of the Ukrainian people, and called Kyiv the capital of Europe. Today, he said, "I am Ukrainian."

Here is a video recording of Lévy's entire speech in French, with simultaneous translation into Ukrainian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXk7MJ0Z4II

Last night, Bernard-Henri Lévy also met with Ukrainian philosophers and scholars who had gathered at the Kyiv office of the International Renaissance Foundation (Міжнародний Фонд Відродження). There he reported having spoken with Iosyf Zisel's (Chair of the Association of Jewish Communities of Ukraine) and other community leaders.  Here is an audio recording of Lévy's address (in French) to the scholars:
https://soundcloud.com/hromadske-radio/bhl-revolution-ukrainienne

Best wishes, 
Natalia Pylypiuk (University of Alberta)


P.S.  On a related topic, I draw your attention to a petition, titled "Kyiv's Euromaidan is a Liberationist and Not Extremist Mass Action of Civic Disobedience," which was drafted by a group of prominent international scholars, specializing in the field of Ukrainian nationalism studies.  These individuals publish regularly in peer-reviewed journals and with academic presses, and/or work in organizations that monitor xenophobia in Ukraine.  The petition was prepared in response to the defamatory campaign being conducted by the pro-government Russian media and pro-Russian representatives of the Ukrainian authorities:

https://www.change.org/ru/петиции/to-journalists-commentators-and-analysts-writing-on-the-ukrainian-protest-movement-euromaidan-kyiv-s-euromaidan-is-a-liberationist-and-not-extremist-mass-action-of-civic-disobedience






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