First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska summed up the results of her cultural diplomacy projects, including the introduction of Ukrainian audio guides at world landmarks and the opening of Ukrainian bookshelves in libraries around the world.
In 2023, 20 Ukrainian-language audio guides were launched in 15 countries, including:
Netherlands: Escher Museum in Lange Voorhout Palace, Abraham Bredius Collector and Patron Museum, and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Albania: National Museum of Medieval Art.
Ireland: Trinity College Library.
Denmark: Hop On Hop Off bus and boat tour in Copenhagen.
Poland: Warsaw Uprising Museum and Nicolaus Copernicus House at the District Museum in Toruń.
Italy: Borghese Gallery in Rome and the Royal Museums complex in Turin.
Sweden: Nordic Museum – Museum of Ethnography and Culture, and the Viking Museum in Stockholm.
Finland: Suomenlinna Island fortress and the maritime sightseeing tour "Historical Center of Helsinki."
Israel: Yad Vashem Holocaust History Memorial Complex.
Australia: National Museum of Australia.
Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan National Museum of Art.
Cyprus: Archaeological Museum.
USA: Holocaust Museum in Illinois.
Austria: Imperial Treasury.
Greece: Benaki Museum in Athens.
As of December 2023, the Ukrainian-language audio guide project initiated by Olena Zelenska since 2021 has produced 77 audio excursions in Ukrainian across 43 countries worldwide. These countries include Turkey, France, Denmark, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Sweden, Uzbekistan, Austria, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan, Kenya, Rwanda, Germany, the United Kingdom, Greece, North Macedonia, Spain, the United States, Czech Republic, Latvia, Montenegro, Italy, Lithuania, Georgia, Portugal, Thailand, Hungary, Switzerland, Brazil, Slovakia, Norway, Qatar, Estonia, Indonesia, Netherlands, Albania, Ireland, Poland, Israel, Finland, Australia, and Cyprus.
In addition, in November 2023, as part of the project and in collaboration with the Development and Tourism Administration of the Petra Jordan Region, Ukrainian-language brochures were created for visitors to the famous historical landmark of the Kingdom – Petra. The publications were formally presented at the visitor center of the archaeological park of Petra by the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Hashemite Kingdom Miroslava Shcherbatyuk and the chairman of the council of authorized persons of the Petra Region Development and Tourism Administration, Dr. Fares Braitat. Since 1985, Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and on July 7, 2007, it was declared one of the Seven New Wonders of the World.
Throughout 2023, the project of the First Lady, "Ukrainian Bookshelf," has significantly expanded. Last year, Ukrainian bookshelves were opened in 10 countries: Spain, Armenia, the United Kingdom, Serbia, the United States, Romania, Singapore, Denmark, Mexico, and Argentina, and for the first time – at the headquarters of the international organization, Ukrainian literature appeared in UNESCO.
In the last month alone, bookshelves were opened at the Ricardo Guiraldes Central Library in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and in three cities in Denmark: Ikast, Gentofte, and Skive.
As of the end of 2023, the "Ukrainian Bookshelf" project under the patronage of the First Lady of Ukraine has been implemented in 45 countries and one international organization (over 190 shelves, more than 47,000 books): Austria, Turkey, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Latvia, Finland, Jordan, Croatia, Lebanon, Japan, Belgium, Albania, South Korea, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Norway, Moldova, Qatar, Slovenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Portugal, South Africa, Cyprus, UAE, Namibia, North Macedonia, Hungary, Indonesia, Armenia, the United Kingdom, Serbia, the United States, Romania, Singapore, Mexico, Denmark, Argentina, and UNESCO headquarters.
"While the empire seeks to destroy not only Ukraine but also Ukrainian culture, we are making efforts to expand this culture. It is another form of our resistance – cultural and valuable. Through books and scientific works, the world will learn how much Ukraine has given, and it will understand us better. It's an inseparable part without which, like others, the world is impossible," summarized Olena Zelenska.
