The publication systematizes more than three decades of cultural and educational initiatives. The event brought together students and graduates of different years, faculty, representatives of the creative industries, media and honored guests.
The third President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, made a welcoming speech, who noted the role of cultural initiatives in the formation of national identity: “We are proud of our culture, we are proud of our nation, we are proud of our origin. I applaud what the university is doing, what Mikhail Mikhailovich is doing, that during the 33 years of the rector and management of this university such a layer of national culture has been created. Thank you for your concern for these kinds of projects.”
Video: Mikhailo Poplovsky / YouTube
The famous Ukrainian theater and film actor, master of the theater and film actor course at the University of Culture, Vyacheslav Dovzhenko, at the presentation of a new book, addressing young people, noted: “Culture is the basis of the state in which you live, which you multiply and in which your personality is formed,” and read out the words from a poem by Vasily Simonenko:
“Virostesh ti, sinu, virushish on the road.
Sleeping anxieties will disappear with you.
You can choose everything in the world, son,
You can’t only choose Batkivshchyna.”
Mykhailo Poplavsky’s book “National Projects” documents dozens of large-scale projects that over the years have become notable events in the Ukrainian cultural space. Among them: the All-Ukrainian children's television competition “Krok do Zirok” (founded in 1997), which opened the way to the stage for hundreds of young performers; television competition “Our Song” (since 2004); culinary TV show “Chef of the Country” (since 2010), which combined Ukrainian cuisine and show format; Shevchenko evening “We are your children, Ukraine!” (since 2013); concert program “Mamo, eternal and kohana!” (since 2013); National music award “Ukrainian Song of Rock” (since 2016) and others.
A separate section is dedicated to the telethon “The Song Unites Us!”, which in 2012 set a world record – 110 hours 3 minutes 27 seconds of continuous performance of Ukrainian songs live on the First National TV Channel. The achievements were officially recorded in the world Guinness Book of Records in the category of the longest musical television marathon of a national song. The broadcast was watched by viewers in more than 116 countries, and information about the record became resonant news in the international media space.
The book pays much attention to the development of the university as a strategic educational center. Mikhail Poplavsky calls KNUKiI “the main project of life,” emphasizing that it is here that new generations of specialists in the fields of culture, show business, management, journalism and PR are formed.
Over the years of leadership, the university has been positioned as a platform for creative experiments and production starts, where the educational process is combined with the practice of television, concert and media projects.
The book contains archival photographs, publications of Ukrainian media from different years, reviews of participants and partners of the initiatives.
“Without culture there is no nation, no state and no Ukraine,” the author notes in the book. According to him, national projects are designed not only to create a television product or concert events, but also to cherish the Ukrainian language, song and family values at a time when these were not mainstream.
In the digital age, this mission continues through social networks and online platforms, which have become new channels of communication with young people. The university team actively uses modern PR tools, integrating traditional culture into digital content format.
The presentation of the book “National Projects” was not only the result of many years of activity, but also a statement about the continuation of the cultural strategy. In his speech, Mikhail Poplavsky emphasized that the main driving force behind all initiatives was faith in youth and Ukrainian identity.
“National projects live. They appear, change, inspire. Because as long as there is love, there will be Ukraine. As long as there is faith, there will be success. As long as there is youth, there will be a future. I believe in youth. I believe in success. I believe in Ukraine. Let's hold the Ukrainian wave together!” – noted Mikhail Poplavsky.
