CULTURAL COOPERATION WAR
Ukrainian association protests against staging of Swan Lake in South Africa by Russian ballet company
The Ukrainian Association of South Africa has appealed to writers, artists, musicians and other prominent figures to sever all ties with Russian artists until Russia’s military forces are withdrawn from Ukraine, Ukrainian borders are restored, and reparations for the human casualties and infrastructural damages are made in full.
Members of the Ukrainian Association of South Africa held a peaceful protest on Wednesday outside the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town where the ballet Swan Lake is being staged, ostensibly by the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre.
The association has condemned South Africa’s cultural cooperation with Russia amidst the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Olga Shmaidenko, a Ukrainian photographer, who was part of the protest, said: “I have a little baby and I am afraid to go home [to Ukraine] because the bombings happen all over, so you don’t know where it’s going to hit.”
In a two-page statement, the Ukrainian Association of South Africa called on South African art and culture institutions to unequivocally condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The association appealed to writers, artists, musicians and other prominent figures to sever all ties with Russian artists until the Russian military forces are withdrawn from Ukraine, Ukrainian borders are restored, and reparations for the human casualties and infrastructural damages are made in full.
“For 500 days now, Russia has been using military aggression against the sovereign country of Ukraine, threatening the world with a nuclear attack, and increasing hunger and poverty on the African continent, all of which are in violation of the UN Charter, human rights, nuclear safety, and any moral and ethical norms,” the association said.
The association argues that supporting Russian-registered ballet companies while Russian aggression continues is tantamount to financially contributing to the daily bombings of Ukrainian civilians. Furthermore, supporting Russian ballet dancers who remain silent about the military aggression is seen as endorsing the torture, rape and execution of dozens of Ukrainian civilians.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Ex-chair of Russian 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner Memorial speaks out on the truths behind the war on Ukraine
Despite the ballet company reportedly being vocal of its opposition to the war during its 2022 European tour in Belgium, the Ukrainian association insists that the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre has a long history of cooperating with the Russian government and military.
While the performance is presented as a product of an Australian-based company, the association claimed that the cast and messaging remained the same as the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, with renowned performers Irina Kolesnikova and Margarita Avdeeva from the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre.
Ukrainians protest against the staging of the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake at Artscape Theatre Centre on 12 July 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach)
The Ukrainian Association of South Africa has called for a boycott of the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake performances in South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach)
Ukrainian protesters take a stand against the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s performances of Swan Lake in South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach)
The Ukrainian Association of South Africa asserts that the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is still a Russia-registered company, pays taxes to the Russian government and has yet to condemn the Russian war on Ukraine or the killing of Ukrainian civilians.
More than 60 Ukrainian ballet dancers and artists have lost their lives in the war, among them ballet soloist Oleksandr Shapoval of the National Opera House of Ukraine.
The organiser of the protest, Kateryna Aloshyna, told Daily Maverick, “My parents are also still there [in Ukraine]. They are fighting back because they lived there their whole lives, worked there, paid taxes and will not leave because somebody crazy decided to bomb our country.”
The association reminded South Africans of Ukraine’s support for the cultural boycott of South Africa during the days of apartheid. It emphasised that Ukraine offered refuge to hundreds of South African freedom fighters in the 1960s, and played a critical role as a chair and deputy chair of the UN committee against apartheid.
“Ukraine supported South Africa by cutting all collaborations with its artists during apartheid time. We also now ask that all cultural cooperation be stopped with Russian artists until the war is finished,” said Marta Kuherenko, one of the protesters.
Daily Maverick asked Artscape Theatre for comments, but had not received a response by the stipulated deadline.
The production will move to the Teatro at Montecasino, Johannesburg, from Wednesday, 26 July, and more protests are expected there. DM
“Ukraine supported South Africa by cutting all collaborations with its artists during apartheid time.”
I support Ukraine, but this statement makes me wonder. Why on earth support a terrorist organization (anc) which has destroyed SA as much as Russia has Ukraine??? don’t get that.
You are 100% right.
It’s convenient, but not very cerebrally astute to so easily rewrite history based on current events. The true terrorists and dictators were the thugs that compromised the National Party, with whom brave men of integrity fought as true Freedom Fighters. The same cannot be said of Putin’s Russian aggression on Ukraine. Neither can the same be said of the descendants of those brave Freedom Fighters who systematically steal and plunder from the very people who have sacrificed so much over so many years. This show should be boycotted!