Ukraine wants to be heard around the world. But we must also learn to listen to the wider world in return.

The Ukrainian Institute — the country’s leading institution for cultural diplomacy — is doing remarkable work to make Ukraine’s voice heard not only in Europe and North America, but also across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

In this episode, I speak with two key figures at the Ukrainian Institute who work on engagement with the wider world. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of building these vital connections.

Our guests are Alim Aliev, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, and Anabell Ramires, Head of the Department for Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

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Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

This is the final episode in our special series with the Ukrainian Institute, exploring Ukraine’s growing ties with the countries of the wider world — including Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

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Explaining Ukraine is produced by UkraineWorld, an English-language media project about Ukraine, run by Internews Ukraine.

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You can SUPPORT our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld.

Your support is crucial, as we rely heavily on crowdfunding.

You can also help fund our VOLUNTEER trips to frontline areas in Ukraine, where we support both soldiers and civilians.

Donations are welcome via PayPal: [email protected]

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CONTENTS:

00:00 – Alim Aliev, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, and Anabell Ramires, Head of Department for Asia, Africa, and Latin America of the Ukrainian Institute

02:00 – How Ukraine communicates with the wider world, particularly with the countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia

03:04 – Building bridges: the Ukrainian Institute’s new direction

04:42 – Сommonalities between Ukraine and the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America

10:31 – Lack of knowledge: How it influences relations between Ukraine and countries of AALA

12:14 – Topics that unite: ecocide, children, multicultural identity, and others

17:18 – When personal identity becomes a diplomatic tool

24:11 – Crimean Tatars are muslims, and indigenous people in Ukraine

28:54 – Difficulties in comparing European colonialism with Russian colonialism

36:40 – The rise of Ukraine Studies across the world

42:00 – Distance, and the shadow of Russian narratives

46:39 – What Ukrainians can tell people in Asia, Africa, and Latin America?

50:06 – Support UkraineWorld on Patreon: patreon.com/ukrainewold