O ženama i njihovim postignućima glasno se govori upravo ovih ožujskih dana. Sigurna sam da to nije dovoljno. Žene u umjetnosti, znanosti, društvenom životu i politici prečesto su ostajale nepoznate. Pogotovo ako su imale “sreću” ne samo biti žene, već i Ukrajinke. Danas bih vas željela upoznati s nekoliko izvanrednih žena iz Ukrajine.

Ana Jaroslavna, kraljica Francuske

Kći kijevskog kneza Jaroslava Mudrog i švedske princeze Ingegerde. Princeza Kijevske Rusije, imala je dobru naobrazbu za 11. stoljeće, govorila je nekoliko jezika. Nakon udaje za francuskog kralja Henrika I. 1051. godine, aktivno je sudjelovala u državnim poslovima i postala majka francuskog kralja Filipa I. Ana je dopisivala sa Svetom Stolicom, osnovala samostan, postala prabaka gotovo 30 francuskih kraljeva.

Solomija Krušelnjicka, operna diva

“Vagnerova primadona” 20. stoljeća, Solomija Krušelnjicka nastupala je u mnogim opernim kućama diljem svijeta od Odese, Lavova, Trsta do Milana, Buenos Airesa i Pariza. Na poziv maestra Puccinija, Solomija je izvela ulogu Madame Butterfly, nakon čega je opera stekla svjetsko priznanje.

Aleksandra Ekster, umjetnica

Aleksandra Ekster je dugo živjela u dva grada: Kijevu i Parizu. Upoznala je mlade ukrajinske umjetnike s kubizmom. I upravo je u njenom kijevskom ateljeu nastao ukrajinski kubofuturizam. Nažalost, 20-ih godina 20. stoljeća Aleksandra je bila prisiljena napustiti Kijev. Plodno je radila u Francuskoj, stvarajući kazališne scenografije, kazališne kostime, avangardne kompozicije i uzorke, knjižne ilustracije itd. Njezino uređenje scenografije s rampama i prijelazima značajno je proširilo mogućnosti kazališne scene.

Olena Kazimirčak-Polonska, znanstvenica-astronom

Istraživačica kretanja kometa u Sunčevom sustavu, Olena Kazimirčak-Polonska izračunala je kretanje 35 kometa. Na temelju njezinih izračuna, američki astronomi otkrili su nove komete. Također je uspjela potvrditi pretpostavku da veliki planeti zarobljavaju komete. Njezin rad nagrađen je najprestižnijom nagradom za astronomiju nazvanom po F. A. Bredihinu. A po njoj je nazvan mali pojas asteroida i mali planet.

Kvitka Cisyk, pjevačica

Kći imigranata iz Ukrajine, Kvitka Cisyk je od malih nogu bila povezana s glazbom. Tijekom svoje karijere radila je kao prateći vokal za Michaela Jacksona i Whitney Houston, izvodila je jinglove najpoznatijih američkih tvrtki. Izračunato je da je njezinu izvedbu jingla tvrtke Ford preslušalo više od 20 milijardi puta. Nominirana za nagradu Grammy, snimila je i dva albuma ukrajinskih pjesama.

Vjazovska, znanstvenica-matematičarka

Marina Vjazovska riješila je problem s popisa 23 neriješena matematička problema. Problem pakiranja kugli u 8-dimenzionalnom prostoru postavili su engleski matematičari krajem 16. stoljeća. Nisu ga uspjeli riješiti Johan Kepler i Isaac Newton. Marinino rješenje pronađeno je 2016. godine i bilo je “zapanjujuće jednostavno”. Njezino postignuće nagrađeno je Fieldsovom medaljom i Salemovom nagradom.

Sonja Delaunay, umjetnica

Talentirana umjetnica iz Odese, Sonja Delaunay postala je osnivačica umjetničkih pravaca kao što su orfizam i simultanizam. Bila je istaknuta predstavnica art deco pravca, dizajnerica, umjetnica, modna dizajnerica. Njezini radovi čuvaju se u Nacionalnom muzeju moderne umjetnosti u Parizu. Postala je prva umjetnica čija je retrospektivna izložba održana u Louvreu za njezina života. Nagrađena je Ordenom Legije časti Francuske.

Oleksandra Matvijčuk, aktivistica za ljudska prava, dobitnica Nobelove nagrade

Oleksandra vodi “Centar za građanske slobode”, čiji je rad nagrađen Nobelovom nagradom za mir 2022. godine. Pravnica po obrazovanju, Oleksandra se bavi ljudskim pravima, sastavlja izvješća za UN, Vijeće Europe, Europsku uniju, OESS i Međunarodni kazneni sud. Trenutno se Oleksandra aktivno zalaže za pomoć Ukrajini u njezinoj borbi protiv Ruske Federacije i dokumentira zločine ruske vojske na teritoriju Ukrajine.

Outstanding Ukrainian Women

Women and their achievements are being talked about loudly during these March days. I’m sure that’s not enough. Women in art, science, social life, and politics have too often remained unknown. Especially if they had the “luck” to be not only women, but also Ukrainians. Today I would like to introduce you to several outstanding women from Ukraine.

Anna Yaroslavna, Queen of France

The daughter of Kyiv Prince Yaroslav the Wise and Swedish Princess Ingegerda. A princess of Kyivan Rus, she had a good education for the 11th century, spoke several languages. After marrying the King of France Henry I in 1051, she took an active part in state affairs and became the mother of the French King Philip I. Anna corresponded with the Pope, founded a monastery, and became the great-grandmother of almost 30 French kings.

Solomiya Krushelnytska, Opera Diva

The “Wagnerian prima donna” of the 20th century, Solomiya Krushelnytska performed in many opera houses around the world from Odessa, Lviv, and Trieste to Milan, Buenos Aires, and Paris. At the invitation of Maestro Puccini, Solomiya performed the role of Madame Butterfly, after which the opera gained worldwide recognition.

Oleksandra Ekster, Artist

Oleksandra Ekster lived for a long time in two cities: Kyiv and Paris. She introduced young Ukrainian artists to cubism. And it was in her Kyiv workshop that Ukrainian cubofuturism was born. Unfortunately, in the 1920s, Oleksandra was forced to leave Kyiv. She worked fruitfully in France, creating theatrical scenery, theatrical costumes, avant-garde compositions and patterns, book illustrations, etc. Her design of scenery with ramps and transitions significantly expanded the possibilities of the theater stage.

Olena Kazymyrchak-Polonska, Scientist-Astronomer

A researcher of the movement of comets in the Solar System, Olena Kazymyrchak-Polonska calculated the movement of 35 comets. Based on her calculations, American astronomers discovered new comets. She was also able to confirm the assumption that large planets capture comets. Her work was awarded the most prestigious prize in astronomy named after F. A. Bredikhin. A small asteroid belt and a small planet are named after her.

Kvitka Cisyk, Singer

The daughter of emigrants from Ukraine, Kvitka Cisyk was surrounded by music from childhood. During her career, she worked as a back vocalist for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, and performed jingles for the most famous American companies. It has been calculated that her performance of the Ford jingle was listened to over 20 billion times. A Grammy nominee, she also recorded two albums of Ukrainian songs.

Maryna Viazovska, Scientist-Mathematician

Maryna Viazovska solved a problem from the list of 23 unsolved mathematical problems. The problem of packing spheres in 8-dimensional space was posed by English mathematicians at the end of the 16th century. It could not be solved by Johannes Kepler and Isaac Newton. Maryna Viazovska’s solution was found in 2016 and was “amazingly simple.” Her achievements were awarded the Fields Medal and the Salem Prize.

Sonia Delaunay, Artist

A talented artist from Odessa, Sonia Delaunay became the founder of such artistic movements as Orphism and Simultanism. She was a prominent representative of the Art Deco movement, a designer, artist, and fashion designer. Her works are kept in the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris. She became the first female artist whose retrospective exhibition took place at the Louvre during her lifetime. She was awarded the Legion of Honor of France.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, Human Rights Defender, Nobel Laureate

Oleksandra heads the “Center for Civil Liberties,” whose activities were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. A lawyer by education, Oleksandra is engaged in human rights, compiles reports for the UN, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE, and the International Criminal Court. Currently, Oleksandra is actively advocating for aid to Ukraine in its fight against the Russian Federation and documenting the crimes of the Russian army on the territory of Ukraine.