Natalya Yakovenko became one of the winners at the Poland-Lithuania Forum for Cooperation and Dialogue. The Ukrainian historian focuses on the modern history of Central and Eastern Europe in her works. “My task is to cleanse the language of a common history of Soviet hate speech against the Republic of Poland,” she stated.
by Piotr Bejrowski
On August 16, 2022, the Poland-Lithuania Forum for Cooperation and Dialogue was awarded once again. The celebrations took place at the Royal Castle in Warsaw on exactly the 250th anniversary of the first partition of Poland. The moderators of the awards gala emphasized the analogies between the policy of Tsarina Catherine II and aggressive contemporary Russian policy, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine that has been ongoing for six months.
One of the honored is prof. Natalya Yakovenko, a historian of the modern era and classical philologist from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Although unable to attend the gala, she sent a special letter, which was read by prof. Teresa Chynczewska-Hennel. Natalya Yakovenko, according to the words of Jan Malicki, director of the East European Studies at the University of Warsaw, combines the turbulent history of the Cossacks and the history of the Republic of Poland in her publications. For over forty years she has been cooperating with Polish and Lithuanian historians. As she herself says, one of her most important tasks is to redefine the story propagated by remnants of Soviet narratives that assumed the spread of hatred against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Some of her works have also been published in Polish. These are i.a. “History of Ukraine from the earliest times to the end of the 18th century” (2000) and “The Other Side of the Mirror. From the history of ideas and ideas in Ukraine from the 16th to 17th centuries“ (2010). Prof. Yakovenko is also, inter alia, co-author of a Latin textbook.
In addition to Ukraine historian Natalya Yakovenko, the award was also given to the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dymytro Kuleba, the poet, Serhiy Nathan, and the Orthodox clergyman of Polish roots, Serhiy Dmitriev, chaplain of soldiers fighting in the Donbas. They all emphasized the importance of defense against Russian aggression and the love of freedom by the nations of Central and Eastern Europe.
The awards gala was accompanied by an engaging debate entitled “Together or apart? The experience of the last 250 years in our region of Europe” referring to the anniversary of the first partition of Poland. It was attended by prof. Alvydas Nikzentaitis, president of the Lithuanian Jerzy Giedroyć Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation, Taras Vozniak, director of the Lvov Art Gallery. B.G. Woźnicki and prof. Richard Butterwick-Pawlikowski from the University of London. The discussion was moderated by Robert Kostro, director of the Polish History Museum.
The Poland-Lithuania Cooperation and Dialogue Forum was established in May 2012. It is an association supporting activities for the benefit of Polish-Lithuanian relations and promoting mutual cooperation. The President of the Forum is Adolf Juzwenko, the retired director of Ossoliński National Institute.
