The\u00a0Friendship of Nations Arch,\u00a0a\u00a0monument dedicated to the unification of Ukraine and Russia,\u00a0temporarily adopts\u00a0a\u00a0new look and a new symbolic name \u2013 the Arch of Diversity. Now, Kyiv\u2019s iconic landmark resembles a huge orange-to-purple rainbow. The art object sends a powerful message to Kyiv\u2019s locals and visitors: \u201cUkraine is proud to be diverse\u201d.\u00a0The project was made possible with the\u00a0support\u00a0of Kyiv City State Administration at a zero cost for the city.<\/p>\n
The metal Arch is 30 meters high and has a diameter of 50 meters. It is a part of the sculptural group constructed in 1982 to honor the merger of territories in control of the Zaporizhzhian Cossacks with the Muscovite Tsardom that occurred in 1654. The Soviet historic narrative presented the event as \u201cunification of Ukraine with Russia\u201d, while in fact the treaty itself was more of a political and military alliance. Moreover, it was legally denounced in 1667 when the Muscovite Tsardom signed a truce with Polish\u2013Lithuanian Commonwealth (against which the treaty with Zaporizhzhian Cossacks was signed earlier). Therefore, the monument has been a quite controversial topic lately, especially with regard to official decommunization.<\/p>\n
It is not a coincidence that the re-creation of the Soviet landmark took place days before Europe\u2019s largest song contest,\u00a0Eurovision\u00a02017. The motto of this year\u2019s show is \u201cCelebrate Diversity\u201d, and the host-city Kyiv used every possibility to get this message across to its local and foreign festival fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Arch calls to celebrate diversity in all\u00a0of\u00a0its meanings: racial, linguistic, musical, sexual. Looking on this art piece, everyone sees a unique aspect of diversity. I consider Ukrainian society to be free and open-minded enough to respect any manifestation of diversity, which we tried to convey through this art piece,\u201d tells Gennadiy Kurochka,\u00a0the\u00a0author of the idea,\u00a0Managing\u00a0Partner of CFC Consulting [NB: CFC Consulting has been supporting Ukraine\u2019s communications at all Eurovision competitions for the past 12 years].<\/p>\n
Although it was expected that\u00a0the\u00a0rainbow colors will cover the entire monument, its top segments remain unpainted. This showcases Ukraine\u2019s continuous and relentless efforts to break away from\u00a0the Soviet and Russian legacy, to seek new meanings and pave its own path as an independent European state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"