Ukrainians need not only weapons but culture and art in order to survive the onslaught of war, says Prof Nataliya Torkut, head of the Ukrainian Shakespeare Centre.
During a visit to the UK for Shakespeare’s birthday celebrations, the first time she has left Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, Torkut called for a greater awareness of the role of culture for people living through the trauma of war.
She says: “It is extremely important for people during the war to survive not only physically, but spiritually and mentally as well. We keep reading Shakespeare because we need something that helps us to feel that life is worth living.
“The famous ‘to be or not to be’ has often been used during wartime, because the nation has decided ‘to be’ since the very first day of full-scale invasion.”
Torkut has continued running the Ukrainian Shakespeare Centre from Zaporizhzhia in south-east Ukraine since last year’s invasion, participating in lectures and discussions, often from bomb shelters, in the face of blackouts and bombardments.
She has found numerous parallels with Ukraine’s situation in Shakespeare’s works, comparing President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with Henry V and his rousing speech at the Battle of Agincourt.
“He’s appealing to the nation, to those on the frontline – he’s like a Shakespearean character. His evolution from Prince Hal to King Henry V, we have seen it with our own eyes,” she said as she sat in the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham, which has hosted her visit.
Torkut will attend Shakespeare’s birthday celebrations in Stratford-upon-Avon this weekend, where she will participate in the parade and give the annual toast to the “immortal memory of Shakespeare”.
“It’s a great honour to be here in the very heart of Shakespearean activity,” she said.
Torkut said Ukrainians have benefited from a form of “intellectual volunteering”, where academics from across the globe have delivered lectures and organised panel discussions online for Ukrainian students free of charge. “Everything is very valuable for people who are suffering and surviving in this war,” she said.
“I do believe that William Shakespeare, and culture in general, can help us survive this cruel war. It is the essence of our human nature that we can’t live without beauty, without something that is much more important than our everyday situation.”
While the trip to England has provided a welcome break from the conflict, she is glued to her phone for updates on the latest airstrikes. She is particularly keen to hear from her son who is fighting on the frontline.
“Here we can feel people’s warmth, which is very important for people in trauma,” she said. “Even the simplest things, like coffee in the morning, a warm shower before going to bed, and beautiful English landscapes – everything enriches us.
“But I worry all the time about my son, my family, my postgraduate students, who are like family to me.”
Torkut’s online lectures are frequently punctuated by the sound of air raid sirens, at which point she takes a short break to allow students to move to a safe place before continuing.
She wants to use her time in the UK to thank the country for its extensive support for Ukraine since Putin’s invasion, but also to remind people of the importance of emotional support as well.
“When people are at war, they need the things which help them to survive – water, food, shelter, homes,” she said. “But at the same time, as human beings, it is impossible to live only on the physical level: we need something more. We need support, we need kindness, we need mercy, we need compassion.”
