In case you are wondering why the entries have been sporadic – I’m moving to my place by the sea in the rather exotically named Arcadia, here in Odessa.
Assuming the sciatica remains reasonably content, I expect normal service will resume on Monday. Tuesday at the latest.
In the meantime, entertain yourselves with the “Services” offered at Odessatalk!
Elsewhere in cyberspace a heated debate amongst the Ukrainian Expat community and some English football fans is engaged, fueled by media coverage in the UK of Ukrainian and Polish supporters football violence and racist actions and chants.
Now there is no denying that there is a racist element amongst certain fans and in particular those associated to certain football clubs in Ukraine.
There is also one Ukrainian football club whose supporters are associated with anti-fascism (not that such a thing would be reported in the UK media).
However, this heated debate between the Ukrainian Expat community and traveling English fans has now centred over the word “nigger/negro” (негр).
It is time to be crystal clear. In Ukraine and Russia there is no racial derogatory slur attached to the word “nigger/negro”. It is not an insult here and neither is it meant to be insulting!
Despite the negativity attached to the word in the UK and other nations, historically and currently, the word nigger has no such undercurrent in Ukraine or Russia. It is not a word that Ukrainians or Russians would use to insult a black person.
In Ukraine and Russia, the word nigger/negro simply means a black person and nothing more. It is politically correct here.
If a Ukrainian or Russian wanted to racially insult a black person, nigger is most definitely not the word they would use to do it.
They would use words like chernomazy (черномазый) or several others I won’t bother to list that have the same distasteful connotations as those attached to the word nigger in the UK. Anyway, you get my point.
So, if you are in Ukraine for the football (or Russia or Ukraine for any other reason) and hear the word “nigger/negro” – it is not the insult you will automatically associate it with if you are an English football fan or western tourist. It is a politically correct word with no insulting undertone whatsoever!
Do please remember not all words have the same insinuations or inferences in all cultures and languages. Taking a drunken swing at somebody you hear using the word nigger here will land you (and not them) with a robust response from the police as they have said nothing wrong – in fact they have been politically correct.
Cultural, linguistic and historical awareness is a necessity if you are looking for an excuse to call racism over words like nigger in Ukraine. Wonder if the BBC or UK media will actually highlight this, or whether they will simply be so ignorant as to see it as a racial insult – that it isn’t?
Apologise for not having written anything yesterday and only this brief statement today, but to plagerise Ezekiel 25:17. The path to the Internet in Ukraine is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men and poor coverage. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness and repairs my Internet at 2115 on a Saturday night. For he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children and technically challenged bloggers. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brother or stop him reading my daily ruminations.
Normal service resumed tomorrow!
OK. Today I leave the macro-geopolitical and policy realm relating to Ukraine and the neighbourhood and go local. Namely the Odessa Travel Festival, the bulk and most public part takes place along Deribasovskaya (which is the nominal pedestianised main street in the city centre).
As always in the warmer months, the cafes and restaurants expand from their premises and spread out over the pavements with comfy chairs, tables and parasols to give life to the mañana feel of the city when the hot summer sun begins to camp here.
And what more a pleasant a way to pass a few hours than with a cappuccino and a cigar watching the beautiful and not so beautiful wandering around the city centre.
What better place to place the Odessa Travel Festival on a hot and sunny day than Deribasovskaya, a street always brimming with people with time on their hands and money in their pockets?
The point of the Odessa Travel Festival? Well to promote both domestic and European travel, of course, but also to promote things like language schools, education abroad, and generally encourage Ukrainians (or at least those in Odessa) to think of themselves as “Europeans” and by doing so entice them along the “European path” to values, cultures and people to people contact. (European Commissioner Stefan Fule would indeed be very pleased with such a strategy, as would the national tourist boards of those taking part.)
Last year more than 10,000 people from Odessa visited the festival. Approximately 1% of the population of the entire city and therefore quite probably having a small stand for those nations seeking to attract tourists, a worthy and very minor cost.
Now Odessa is not the biggest city in Ukraine. It is in fact only the 4th biggest. It is though a tourist destination itself receiving just over 1 million tourists each year. A ratio of approximately 1 tourist per year to each local, which is none too shabby considering Odessa does so very little to advertise itself as a tourist destination (and what is does do is disjointed and really rather poor).
The city is also home to about 20 consulates and a few honorary consuls for good measure. Sadly, the UK does not have a consulate here or indeed an Honorary Consul despite 20 other nations considering Odessa as worthy of one or the other. An issue I will return to later in this entry.
Anyway, with nothing better than to paint the walls at home, I decided to delay that task until the weekend and wander off and see just who was taking part in this festival organised by the regional administration.
There were numerous other regional oblasts in attendance, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk etc luring those from Odessa to visit them and spend money there.
Also present were stalls from Greece, with my old acquaintance Alexandros Ikonomou, Head Counselor of the Trade & Economic Department of the Greek Consulate in Odessa, managing to sneak into this photograph, looking officious as always. (We have both attended many of the same functions, ranging from the official opening of envelopes, to the more grandiose of functions, although though quite why I am invited and attend such things remains a mystery to me.)
Germany also had a presence.
So did the Czech Republic.
And Bulgaria.
As well as Azerbaijan.
And Turkey.
Not forgetting Italy.
I could go on, but you get the drift.
Where is the UK stall? - There wasn’t one! Where is the British Council encouraging the youth of Ukraine to study in the UK? - It wasn’t there. Who was giving advice about IELTS and UK Visas and tourism? - There was none. Where was the Union Jack amongst all the international flags and national nick-nacks on display? There was none.
Why?
Do 10,000 people from Odessa manage to find and enter the British Council office on Admiralsky each year? I doubt it! Is part of the British Council’s mission to spread the good word about Blighty or not? Do the people who work in the British Council and face the Ukrainian public on a daily basis have an in-depth knowledge of the UK education system or tourist industry? I doubt it as they are Ukrainian.
To be honest, if it wasn’t for my boy having just been offered a place at Trevelyn College at Durham University this October, I wouldn’t know about the application process, IELTS courses and examinations and bureaucratic rigors involved in him studying abroad.
Why does the UK Ambassador in Kyiv regale the Ukrainian public who may read his blog with tales of how good a UK university education is, how essential the English language is, and then there is no presence from the UK at such an event which advertises the fact that education is part of the travel festival perimeters and has done so for months on the Odessa City Website?
I mean literally, the only British thing present was me!
Does the 4th biggest city in Ukraine not warrant public UK participation when the total expenditure for a stall and UK nick-nacks would cost no more than a few hundred quid for the entire 3 days? Is it some part of the UK FCO plan to have as limited a UK presence outside Kyiv as is humanly possible?
I mean seriously? For £100 I could have sat there for 3 days handing out horrible cheap pens that will stop working within 2 or 3 days with the Union Jack (probably the wrong way up) printed on the side. I could have handed out UK tourist literature and spoke from tourist experience of everywhere from Edinburgh Castle to Stonehenge, from the Roman baths of Bath to Winchester Cathedral and everything in between.
I could have entertained the passing interested Ukrainians considering sending their children to the UK to study with stories from the student union bars of my youth, just how to apply, where to seek out the IELTS tests, what documentation is required to support any Visa application for the UK and a myriad of UK anecdotes and tall tales as a bonus.
All for a cost far less than an average decent bottle of red in the Ambassador’s wine cellar in Kyiv.
In fact, if asked nicely, I would probably have done it for free. After all, if it became a regular annual event to semi-officially fly my nations flag in foreign climes (so to speak) at Odessa’s annual tourism festival (or other things), something like a “thanks very much” letter from whoever is Foreign Secretary in 10 years time, to go with the other official commendations and gongs I have for bravery and/or cleverness under pressure, or both stupidity and recklessness on behalf of The Crown with fortunate and successful outcomes, would be a nice addition and recognition enough should I ever undertake such a role over a prolonged period for free.
Instead, I hang my head in shame that not a single representative of my nation can be bothered to turn up to a festival that not only promotes European tourism, culture and people to people contact, but also the very lucrative business of educating foreigners at UK higher education establishments in a major Ukrainian city. That is made all the more disgraceful by the fact that the UK Embassy and Consulate in Kyiv is not the smallest UK FCO presence around the globe.
Poor show by the UK FCO and British Council all round.
Time for something light-hearted and frivolous despite the seriousness of the intended subject.
What do you get when you mash together World Heath Organisation, Tobacco Atlas, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Global Betting and Gaming Consultants statistics?
The answer is the Bloomberg Global Vice Index, a fairly flawed academic and cumbersome manipulation of statistics to reach an international “vice league” if ever there was one. Not to mention a rather misleading title as it includes only 57 nations from almost 200 on the planet due to the availability of statistics.
So, of the Bloomberg Global 57 nation Vice Index, where does Ukraine sit? The answer is a lowly 17th when all statistics have been mangled, making Ukraine more virtuous than half of Europe, the US, UK and Australia.
My family will be pleased that upon emigrating from the UK to Ukraine all those years ago, I now live in a more virtuous nation than the one I left! (The UK ranks 15th according to the Bloomberg Vice Index, debauched cesspit that it apparently is.)
The full global 57 nation league table and statistics can be found here, although if there are any statistics there worthy of note, skip page 1 which is Bloomberg’s less than academic model to arrive at its “Global Vice Index” and go to pages 2 and 3 which detail rankings in specific categories of “vice”.
I wonder if there is a “Worst Use of Statistical Data Index”? If so, where do we think Bloomberg would come on the basis of their Global Vice Index?
As I have written here before many times about NGOs, civil society and Ukrainian academia, occasionally in a supportive way when writing about specific individual NGOs, but also in a robust and critical way when writing about them in general, I should not let the new radically and dramatically better Ukrainian laws relating to NGOs pass unnoticed.
I have issues with NGOs collectively in Ukraine as anybody who puts “NGOs” in the search facility of this blog will see, however the RADA, with massive bipartisan support, has passed a significant piece of legislation that comes into effect in January 2013 which may (or not) dramatically improve the below par performance of most Ukrainian NGOs.
Certainly it will dramatically increase the number of NGOs and civil society groups, but as we all know, quantity does not always deliver quality.
To summarise the main features of the new law, actively lobbied for by Yuri Miroshnichenko (Party of Regions) and Andriy Shevchenko (BYuT, and no, not the footballer of the same name) it reduces the registration time from what is currently a month or more to about a week, there is no longer a need for 42 like-minded people to stand up and be counted as part of a NGO and the 23 documents required for registration have been slashed comprehensively to 4.
Not for profits will be able to register without any fees whatsoever and conduct business activities and thus raise funds to continue and expand.
The new law no longer regionalises NGOs to activities within the region of registration but allows for national activity regardless of location of registration and allows NGOs to act on behalf of those who have no connection with that NGO.
In short a very heavy bureaucratic and unevenly applied boot will be removed from the neck of NGOs and civil society in January 2013.
Excellent news for small, local NGOs and civil society groups who we will hopefully see begin to hold local administrations more accountable in a much more formal and publicised fashion.
Maybe the expatriate and immigrant community will form a NGO and hold State agencies like the OVIR to account for the inconsistent and foggy interpretations they apply to the immigration laws or the customs service that applies random “taxes” that differ from one point of import to another. Blimey! If so, I volunteer to be part of the Odessa regional infrastructure of such an NGO. (I am joking, perseverance and patience is all that is required to win those frustrating battles.)
I would be interested in any newly formed human rights, human trafficking, rule of law or domestic violence NGOs that may appear in Odessa. I may actually be an asset to a newly formed NGO/NFP in Odessa. Who knows?
The new law is also something of a god-send for the EU, who, having given up on the dysfunctional Ukrainian opposition and being stone-walled by the current government over several issues, have decided on a public strategy of NGO/civil society engagement for Ukraine at great expense through numerous platforms.
All very exciting! It will be even more exciting if government, society and academia will actually agree on what civil society actually is. On that note, I will leave you with an excellent piece by Michael Edwards contemplating exactly that.
I should also thank Sir Mike Aaronson, for bring Mr Edwards’ sterling article to my attention two days ago. – Thank you Sir Mike (but no cheque in the post for your timely assistance!)
Still, a good piece of legislation passed. Let’s hope that civil society and quality NGOs will flourish under the new law when it comes into effect, as the current landscape is somewhat barren to put it politely.
(By the way, the law passed with 334 votes in favour from those present in the RADA at the time of voting. The only party not to vote in favour was the cancerous Communist Party – No surprises there!)
It’s Sunday. I don’t want to rant. It seems I have ranted for most of the week and I only write about one topical and current Ukrainian issue each day. I can assure you there is much more than one Ukrainian issue to rant about each day, but I try to bump my gums about those things that don’t necessarily get reported on by the media as much as they could or should be.
After all, if you want to read the standard media agenda for Ukraine when it comes to reporting, you would read the standard media regurgitation from any number of sources main stream sources. That generally, like the politics here, is personality driven with hardly a mention of policy unless it is an after-thought.
When you do get “experts” commentating it is to state the blindingly obvious that in no way requires any qualifications in political science, economics or anything more than common sense. Recently an “expert” stated the electricity prices in Ukraine will begin to rise towards the end of the year.
Well, no shit Sherlock! Ukrainians pay an electric bill equivalent to about 26% of the cost to generate the said electricity. Of course it has to rise as the government cannot afford to continue to subsidise it to that extent. However prices are not going to rise before the next election in October for political reasons and is will make sense to incorporate any rises in the 2013 budget rather than the last few months of 2012. Does it take an “expert” to state the obvious?
Anyway, returning to the subject of the post, we all know about the “language issue” in Ukraine which (wrongly) is simply seen as Ukrainian verses Russian by those looking to score political points given the very large Russian speaking minority. The fact is, Ukraine recognises far more ethnic minorities and minority languages than Russian and those languages are protected by not only by the Constitution but also by Ukraine’s ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages many years ago.
Russian simply happens to be one of those languages recognised and due to the volume of Russian speakers, not to mention the usual meddling and propaganda from Moscow, it creates a political (and when stirred by the politicians), and public issue.
When all is said and done, however, the official State language for Ukraine is Ukrainian. People will speak what language they want to regardless of that fact, just as they Welsh will speak English or Welsh as they prefer. The Swiss and the Belgians do the same amongst the multiple languages used in those nations. It really shouldn’t be the big deal that it all too often becomes given that numerous nations have numerous languages used within them around Europe.
So, returning to the title of this post, and the budget allocated by the Ukrainian government in support of regional and minority language (and culture) in the national budget in accordance with the European Charter, just what sum of money has been allocated?
The answer is here. UAH 1.7 million ($212,500) for the numerous minority languages and UAH 964,000 ($120,500) for minority cultural development. A grand total of $330,000.
Unfortunately English isn’t a recognised regional or minority language in Ukraine, otherwise this blog (and my others) may well attract something in the region of about $3 in governmental development aid from such a massive budget.
If you are wondering which languages Ukraine does list with the ECRML, they are Belorussian, Bulgarian, Crimean Tartar, Gagauz, Greek, German, Hungarian, Jewish, Yiddish, Moldavian, Polish, Romanian, Russian and Slovakian.
I am not sure whether to give credit for the recognition of Ukraine’s responsibilities under the ECRML and doing something, however small, to adhere to those responsibilities in austere and gloomy economic times, or whether to ridicule the sums involved which may just (if you are lucky) meet the cost to purchase a reasonable apartment near the sea in Odessa.
Oh well, it’s Sunday and I don’t want to rant. Time for some locally made Cognac and a nice cigar. Tomorrow’s another day and my new kitchen is getting delivered. That’ll give me something to rant about I’m sure!
Well this is something I don’t normally do, however I am going to raise awareness of a NGO. In fact a European NGO but specifically it is the Ukrainian branch I am highlighting. It is the European Youth Parliament (EYP).
Why am I doing this? Because it is not tied to Yanukovych or Tymoshenko or Yatseniuk or any other dubious politicians in Ukraine. It is domestically A-political and free from the stench of Ukrainian political parties and personalities. It is for and by the youth and it encourages youth to youth/people to people contact across the European continent on policy rather than political party issues.
Amongst these young people, one day Ukraine may end up with leaders that are not recycled Soviet machinery with a single style of autocratic leadership regardless of party you vote for.
To promote it and encourage the Ukrainian youth to actually participate in something bigger than Ukraine, which does not function by the power vertical or is identified by a single personality (to the point of a Bloc name), and is not subject to oligarchy orchestration or the endemic corruption that runs through the main party politicians of all colours when it comes to policy debates, can only be a good experience for any who engage in it.
For the youth in Odessa, the EYP hold their regional session 15 – 19 August.
I have no vested interests in the EYP to declare. I am far too old to be classed as a youth and I am in no way affiliated to the EYP currently or historically. My interests such as they are, rest only in the fact I live permanently in Odessa and have the firm belief that policy politics and not personality politics is the only viable road ahead for Ukraine if the current cycle of useless (with a few notable exceptions across party lines) and corrupt politics is ever to be broken.
Anyway, plug for the EYP now made in English. You can ignore the next bit as it will say the same thing but in Russian for Cyrillic SEO reasons.
Also, before I forget, happy birthday to HM Queen Elizabeth II who is 86 today. What a fantastic monarch she has been!
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Ну это то, что я обычно не делаю, но я повышаю осведомленность о НПО. На самом деле европейские НПО, и особенно это украинский филиал выделяющий это Европейский молодежный парламент (ЕМП).
Почему я это делаю? Потому что это не связано с Януковичем или Тимошенко или Яценюком или любых других сомнительных политиков в Украине. Это внутри-политический и свободный от вони украинских политических партий и личностей. Это для молодежи и призывает молодежь к молодежи / между людьми контактирующиж на европейском континенте, о политике, а не политическим вопросам партии.
Среди этих молодых людей, в один прекрасный день Украина может закончить с лидерами, которые не утилизируются советскими машинами с одного стиля самодержавного руководства независимо от партийного голосования.
Чтобы продвигать и поощрять украинскую молодежь реально участвовать в чем-то большем, чем Украина, которая не работает в вертикали власти и определяется одной личностью (вплоть до блока имени), и не подлежат олигархии или оркестровкакоррупции, которая проходит через основной политической партии всех цветов, когда дело доходит до политических дебатов, может быть только хороший опыт для любого, кто участвует в нем.
Для молодежи в Одессе, ЕМП проводить свои региональные сессии 15 – 19 августа.
У меня нет никаких корыстных интересов в ЕМП. Я слишком стар, чтобы быть классифицированым как молодежь, и я никоим образом не связанных с ЕМП в настоящее время или истории. Мои интересы, такие как они есть, отдыхать, только я живу постоянно в Одессе и есть твердое убеждение, что политика политикой, а не личности политика является единственной жизнеспособной дорогой для Украины, если текущий цикл бесполезных (с некоторыми исключениями по партийной линии) и коррумпированных политики ли будет побит
