I have been involved in the Ukrainian community for most of my adult life, and for the most part, it has been both a manageable and positive experience. I cherish my Ukrainian identity and have no regrets about the amount of time and effort that I have invested in both honouring and helping to further develop the rich legacy of my ancestors.
Of late however, I have started to feel somewhat overwhelmed by the exponential rise in the number of causes, issues, commemorations, festivals, fundraisers, demonstrations, protests, exhibits, panels, lectures, concerts, banquets, etc. etc. that are playing havoc with my time and my calendar, not to mention my wallet. I am finding it hard to cope with the avalanche of demands on my participation and attention. What is most difficult for me, is that individually, most of these events are interesting and worthy, but the reality is that there are just too many of them for me to cope with, and I am inevitably left feeling some sense of guilt or regret that I cannot attend them all, or for that matter, even a significant number of them.
The reality of Ukrainian life today in the greater Toronto area is that it has become confusingly demanding for the average Ukrainian. There are two primary driving forces behind this. One is the rapid explosion in the number of special interest Ukrainian organizations that have sprung up in the past decade or two. The Toronto branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress consists of no less than 62 member organizations. Here you will find many of the original Ukrainian political and cultural organizations such as the UNF, SUM, LUC, and the various religious brotherhoods and sisterhoods. To this you can add a large number of sports clubs, recreational, literary, dramatic, choral and dance groups. There are academic, museum, media, professional, commercial and student associations and clubs. There are also special cultural “affinity” organizations such as the Lemkos, Zakerzonia Ukrainians and fourth wavers. In recent years a large number of charitable and humanitarian aid to Ukraine organizations have been formed such as Dopomoha Ukrayini, the Canada Ukraine International Assistance Fund, Children of Chernobyl and Help Us Help the Children amongst others.
All these entities have become proficient at organizing and promoting events, and seldom does a week go by that I don’t receive invitations to half a dozen upcoming happenings. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress itself has become an efficient event creating machine with a regular stream of commemorations, banquets and special initiatives. The Ukrainian calendar is chock full of recurring large annual events such as Malankas, Shevchenko concerts, “Matura” graduation extravaganzas, Ukrainian festivals, Ukrainian Independence Day and Ukrainian Heritage Day celebrations, Holodomor commemorations and the like. It is enough to make one’s head spin.
The other factor that has contributed significantly towards filling the calendar has been the constant stream of politicians, academics, artists and entertainers from Ukraine that are inexorably drawn to “tour” the diaspora, and Canada has become a particularly favoured destination. This kind of international cultural exchange is undoubtedly of mutual benefit to both sides, but it also serves to add to the demands and competition for my time and support.
The bottom line is that being Ukrainian today in Canada, and in the Toronto heartland in particular, has become a complicated thing. In some ways, I yearn for the simpler times of many decades past, when there were a reasonable number of events, usually every month or two that made manageable demands on my time and my budget. On the other hand, one cannot help but be impressed with the veritable explosion of Ukrainian activities that testify to the dynamism, creativity and dedication of those that make up the Ukrainian community here.
It is both a challenge and embarrassment of riches, one that most ethnic communities in Canada can only dream of.
I recounted my dilemma to my astute cousin Hrytz in Pidkamin the other day, which elicited his usual chuckle at my naivete.
“You know, my young turnip,” he chided, “You really don’t appreciate what you have. Its sort of like planting a garden with potatoes and carrots, and when it come time to harvest, you not only have a good crop of those, but also find in between, a large number of onions, garlic and beets that you never planted. It’s a blessing to be grateful for!”
I suppose that makes sense, but then what am I going to do with all those onions, garlic and beets?
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