On October 22 at 15:00, the War Museum will host the presentation of the educational project “Linguocide” and a meeting with the project’s author — educator and co-founder of the NGO “Valentnist. Reconsideration”, Valentyna Merzhyievska.
As is well known, language and culture shape the national identity of every people. That is why Russia, throughout various stages of its existence — from the tsarist era to the present day — has persistently sought to eradicate the Ukrainian language. The “Linguocide” project aims to reveal the scale of Russia’s cultural colonization policy and to show how we can resist it.
Valentyna Merzhyievska, co-founder of the alternative school “BerkoShko” and author of educational projects “ChasoLiniia”, “Linguocide”, and “Kalendatyka”, will share the story behind the creation and concept of “Linguocide.” The speaker will emphasize how, despite 400 years of persecution and prohibitions, the Ukrainian language has endured. She will also address the differences between the language policies of the russian empire, the ussr, and modern russia. In addition, Merzhyievska will introduce participants to the cultural, educational, psychological, and memorial projects of the “BerkoShko” school, which strengthen national identity and contribute to preserving cultural heritage.
About the “Linguocide” Project. It is an interactive memorial of Russification in Ukraine, created in 2022 during the ongoing Russian–Ukrainian war. The project was developed by the NGO “Valentnist. Reconsideration” with the support of the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine and the magazine “Kunsht”, as part of the anti-disinformation initiative “Mediengeist.”
