From June 5 to June 15, 2023, Luxembourg hosted the inaugural UA Days in Luxembourg (UA Days), a festival of Ukrainian culture organised by LUkraine asbl. The festival aimed to showcase Ukrainian culture and history as a unique and valuable part of the world’s cultural heritage. It provided a diverse range of activities that allowed participants to immerse themselves in the richness of Ukrainian culture while fostering cultural exchange between Ukraine and Luxembourg.
The festival received support from the Representation of the European Commission in Luxembourg, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Belgium, and the Consulate of Ukraine in Luxembourg.
“UA Days in Luxembourg holds a very special place in our hearts. It was a groundbreaking event where we went beyond the context of war and revealed the hidden cultural treasures of Ukraine. With its wealth of history, culture, and heritage, Ukraine has so much to offer Europe. We were amazed by the response from the people of Luxembourg and delighted to see their enthusiastic participation and interest in learning about Ukrainian culture. We are confident that UA Days in Luxembourg will become an annual tradition!” Inna Yaremenko, Vice President of LUkraine, says.
- 10 days of the festival
- 12 events
- 1200+ visitors
- 16 707 EUR of donations raised
Our esteemed guest, Anne Calteaux, Head of Representation at the Representation of the EU Commission in Luxembourg, highlighted the importance of preserving Ukrainian culture during the UA Days Opening Night “Extravaganza” by stating, “Ukrainian culture will survive, and we will not allow Putin to destroy it. It is our duty to ensure that this culture lives on, and the voices of Ukrainians are heard loud and clear.”
Throughout the festival, Ukraine conducted fundraising efforts for its emergency relief mission in the Kherson region, which was devastated by the blowing up of a dam by Russian troops.
The festival included several remarkable events, such as the “What is Ukraine?” photo exhibition at Hesperange Park, the UA Days Opening Night “Extravaganza” featuring artist Oleksandr Teterin and a violin concert by renowned Ukrainian violinist Vasyl Popadiuk. Other highlights included the Ukrainian Vyshyvankas Defile, the art exhibition “Ukrainian Women Through History” in Dudelange, the display of Maria Prymachenko Artworks rescued from a museum destroyed by Russian military forces in Luxembourg City Museum, the “Extravaganza” Art Exhibition in Biodiversum, a charity meet-up titled “Ukrainian Women: Resilience & Heritage” with Ukrainian writer and feminist Irena Karpa, Ukrainian movie screenings (“Klondike,” “Viktor Robot,” “Foxter&Max,” “Viddana,” “Double Imelmann”), a Carillon Concert with Iryna Riabchun, a Ukrainian Fashion Show, and the UA Days Closing Celebration in Rotondes featuring Luxembourgish band Rome and Ukrainian band XARMS.
Additionally, there are ongoing exhibitions available for visitation: the Art Exhibition “Ukrainian Women Through History” in Dudelange will remain open until June 30, and the Maria Prymachenko Art Exhibition in Luxembourg City Museum will continue until September 1.
Frank Wilde, a renowned stylist, influencer, and great supporter of Ukraine who is also known for his elevator selfies wearing yellow-blue clothes, supported the festival. In his exclusive comments to our partner media, Chronicle, he mentioned, “Honestly, one and a half years ago, I had no idea about the richness of Ukrainian culture. It has been a learning process for me. Ukraine serves as a valuable lesson for the world to learn from. Ukrainian culture is not only about its heritage but also about humanity, dignity, and the determination to live independently with strength.” He also gave a shoutout to Luxembourg for being an incredible supporter of Ukraine in this war, saying, “My wish for Luxembourg is for them to remain focused and continue standing with Ukraine. And this is what I would say to all our partners. The war is not over, and we are aware that Russia is waging its war based on the genocide of Ukrainians, hoping that Europe will grow tired of it. They want us to start questioning how much longer it will take and whether it’s truly worth it. This is the moment when we must not give up. Not at all. Russia is threatening the very fabric of civilization. So let’s continue giving our all to support Ukraine. There is no alternative to it.”
We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all the partners who supported LUkraine in organizing this festival.
- The Representation of the European Commission in Luxembourg
- Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Belgium
- Consulate of Ukraine in Luxembourg
- The government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration, and the Greater Region)
- Ville de Luxembourg
- Ville de Hesperange
- Ville de Diddelange
- Documentation Center for Human Migrations in Dudelange
- Biodiversum
- Rotondes
- Tramsshapp
- Luxembourg City Museum
- Hotel and Galerie ‘Simonchini’
- IBIS hotels
- Chronicle,
- Brasserie Shuman
- AAL Schoul Restaraunt
- Altrimenti
- LAFF
- UDPS Store
- Cinematique
- Cinextdoor
- Cine Utopia
- Central and European Film Festival
- Lisenbart film studio
- Linoleum
- Voice
- Art and Social Association
- The Museum of Outstanding Figures of Ukrainian Culture
- Ivan Gonchar Museum
- Art territory.ua
- Association of graphic designers “4th block”
- Prymachenko Foundation,
- Ukraїner
- Ranok Publishing House.
Thank you to everyone who attended our festival and shared those incredible experiences with us. We would like to express our gratitude to those who have donated and continue to do so. Your support is invaluable to us. We kindly request that you continue to contribute to our emergency relief mission and help us spread awareness by sharing our open letter urging the government to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
