Call for Kyiv as “European Capital of Culture and Peace 2022”

On 24 February 2022 Russia launched a violent and completely unjustified invasion of Ukraine, a peaceful and sovereign European country. During this war, Russia has killed and tortured thousands of civilians, extensively bombed Ukrainian cities, committed war crimes, and caused great destruction of the country’s cultural and architectural heritage. 

In this dramatic situation, the Ukrainian Institute, Ukraine’s cultural diplomacy organisation, joins cultural workers from across Europe to call on the European Council to symbolically award the title of the “European Capital of Culture and Peace 2022” to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. With this symbolic designation, the European Union can send a clear signal of its commitment to intensification of cultural relations with Ukraine, and recognition of Ukraine’s cultural and territorial sovereignty. The designation would emphasise Ukraine’s membership within the European family, as Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has previously stated.

The European Capital of Culture initiative is one of the best-known and most successful instruments of EU cultural policy with worldwide appeal. Since its establishment in 1985, the Capitals of Culture have stood for a celebration of cultural richness and diversity in Europe. This instrument could now be used as a message of solidarity with the people of Ukraine and the country’s culture makers and institutions who, despite the extremely precarious and dangerous circumstances, are committed as ever to cooperate and develop links and partnerships with their incredibly supportive EU counterparts.

The call to designate Kyiv as “European Capital of Culture and Peace 2022” has now been handed over to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. More than 2,000 people from culture, science and civic community in Europe signed the call that was launched on 28 February 2022. The designation of Kyiv as the “European Capital of Culture and Peace 2022” should be made as quickly as possible, unscheduled, and independent of the regular procedure for awarding the title of the “European Capital of Culture”.

The call for Kyiv as „European Capital of Culture and Peace 2022“ remains open for signing at change.org

Supporters of the call:

  • Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General, Ukrainian Institute, Kyiv/ Ukraine
  • Dr. Kristina Marion Jacobsen and Sonja Anne Lang, Cultural Scientists, Berlin/ Germany

Co-signatories include:

– Olesya Khromeychuk, Historian and Director, Ukrainian Institute London, Great Britain

– Olena Odynoka, Head of the International Cooperation Department at the Ukrainian Book Institute, Ukraine

– Katja Petrowskaja, Author, Germany/Ukraine

– Ivor Stodolsky and Marita Muukkonen, Co-Founders and Co-Directors of Artists at Risk 

– André Wilkens, Director European Cultural Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands  

– Prof. Dr. Andrii Portnov, Professor for Entangled History of Ukraine, European University Viadrina, Germany 

– Dr. Henning Mohr, Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e.V., Germany

– Viktoriia Grivina, Cultural Scientist, Kharkiv, Ukraine

– Dr. Uilleam Blacker, Associate Professor in Comparative East European Culture, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, Great Britain

– Sasha Waltz, Choreographer, Germany

– Eva Menasse, Author, Austria 

– Prof. Dr. Benno Werlen, UNESCO Chair on Global Understanding for Sustainability, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany

– Ulrich Deppendorf, former Editor in Chief of ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Germany

– Dr. Friederike Landau-Donnelly, Assistant Professor for cultural geography, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands 

– Dr. Hanno Loewy, Director of Jewish Museum Hohenems, Austria

– Viktoriia Vitrenko, Ukrainian singer, conductor and cultural initiator, Ukraine

– Rebecca Harms, Patron of Kyjiwer Gespräche (Kyiv talks), former Member of the European Parliament, Germany 

– Robert Menasse, Author, Wien, Austria

– Prof. Dr. Julius Schoeps, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Moses Mendelssohn Foundation, Germany 

– Yaroslav Minkin, Cultural Manager & Chairman of the Board in Youth organization STAN, Ukraine

– Prof. Dr. Reinhold Leinfelder, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

– Tahir Della, Initiative Black People in Germany/ISD Bund e.V., Germany

– Daniel Deppe, Co-Lead program “international cultural relations” at Polis180 e.V., Germany

– Prof. Dr. Micha Brumlik, Selma Stern Center for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany

– Marc Gegenfurtner, Head of the Cultural Department of the State Capital Stuttgart, Germany 

– André Bücker, Theater Director, Theater Augsburg, Germany

– Prof. Dr. Christina von Braun, Selma Stern Center for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany

– Tetiana Lopashchuk, Project leader of Kyjiwer Gespräche (Kyiv talks), Ukraine 

– Prof. Dr. Susan Neiman, Philosopher and Director of Einstein Forum, Germany

– Matthias Lilienthal, Dramaturg and Curator Berlin, Germany

– Julia Pagel, Secretary General of NEMO, the Network of European Museums Organisations, Germany

– Jochen Sandig, Artistic Director Berlin/Ludwigsburg, Germany 

– Carsten Siebert, Chancellor and CEO of Barenboim-Said Akademie, Germany

– Prof. Dr. Svenja Goltermann, Historian, University of Zurich, Switzerland 

– Achim Könneke, Cultural Advisor of the City of Würzburg, Board Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e.V., Germany 

– Albert Drews, Evangelische Akademie Loccum, Germany 

– Peter Grabowski, Der Kulturpolitische Reporter (The Cultural Policy Reporter), Germany 

– Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Scherer, Political Scientist, Editor, Germany

– Volker Norbisrath, Advisor of cultural politics, Germany

– Dr. Michael Blume, Religious and Political Scientists, Germany 

– Notker Schweikhardt, Green Cultural Politician Berlin, Germany

– Anetta Kahane, Amadeu Antonio Stiftung, Germany

– Dr. Caspar Battegay, Literary and Cultural Scientist, Basel, Switzerland

– Robert Prosser, Author, Austria

– Nadine Seidu, Coordination Office for culture of remembrance of the State Capital Stuttgart, Germany

– Marc Grandmontagne, Cultural Advisor, Austria

– Ensemble Netzwerk e.V., Managing Committee, Germany

– Prof. Christian Höppner, President of Deutscher Tonkünstlerverband, Germany

– Sascha Sulimma, andcompany&Co, Germany

– Marita Hübinger, Editorial Board ZDF/ARTE, Germany

– Uwe Wagner, Head of Cultural Department of the City Gersthofen, Germany

– Tom Wolter, Board Member of the German Association of Independent Performing Arts, Artistic Director of WUK Theater Quartier, Halle, Germany

– Jasmin Vogel, Kulturforum Witten, Germany

– Andreas Montag, Author, PEN-Member, Journalist, Germany

– Jochen Brühl, Head of Tafel Deutschland e.V., Germany

– Christophe Knoch, Board Member of Stiftung Zukunft Berlin, Germany

– Prof. Dr. René Bloch, Institute of Jewish Studies, University of Bern, Switzerland

– Dr. Mara Ruth Wesemüller, Co-Lead program “international cultural relations” at Polis180 e.V., Germany

– Helge-Björn Meyer, Management, German Association of Independent Performing Arts, Germany

– Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Wagner, Head of Stabsstelle Ehemaliges Reichsparteitagsgelände, Stadt Nürnberg, Germany

– Dr. Guido Bröckling, Office Berlin of JFF-Institut für Medienpädagogik, Germany

– Stefan Wegner, Partner & Managing Director at Scholz & Friends, Germany

– Dr. Matthias Henkel, Neukölln, Germany