Ukrainian, German culture officials discuss cooperation in protection of cultural heritage

That's according to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

Both parties discussed the prospects for further cooperation in the preservation of cultural heritage, literature initiatives for visually impaired people, as well as interaction between Ukrainian and German cultural institutions.

Karandieiev thanked Germany for its support and assistance in preserving Ukrainian cultural heritage during the full-scale war, particularly for technical assistance such as packaging equipment and power generators, which helped save museum valuables.

He also reported on the recent destruction of libraries in Kherson, including the Kherson Dnipro Chaika Regional Children's Library and the Kherson Oles Honchar Regional Universal Scientific Library.

The latter of them not only served as an educational institution, but was also a methodical center that provided access to literature for people with visual impairments and had equipment for printing books in Braille.

"We consider it important for Ukraine to adhere to European values, which determine the level of attitude towards all citizens, including people with disabilities. We will be grateful to the German ministry for a joint program aimed at meeting the needs of Ukrainian visually impaired people through the provision of Braille books and audio books. After all, we are already focusing on the post-war recovery of Ukraine, and it is important for us to introduce a new philosophy of activity of cultural institutions," Karandieiev said.

He expressed hope for cooperation between German and Ukrainian cultural institutions and proposed the idea of the joint development of modern tourist centers and infrastructure around cultural objects. He also proposed that Germany take patronage of certain Ukrainian institutions.

"For example, the Elbphilharmonie could conclude a respective memorandum on cooperation with a philharmonic in Ukraine. Such cooperation would make it possible to expand the cultural horizons of our institutions, and, most importantly, to introduce modern forms of work organization," Karandieiev said.

Roth, in turn, reaffirmed her intention to continue supporting Ukrainian culture, focusing on a literary initiative for visually impaired people. She also announced the beginning of cooperation with an Odesa art gallery and noted the active participation of Ukrainian filmmakers at the Berlin Film Festival and in the program of the European Solidarity Fund for Ukrainian Films.

Roth also spoke about future initiatives, including the Recovery Conference and the possibility of implementing a joint cultural program with cities.

Photo credit: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine