On 21 November 2020, the Ukrainian students of the College of Europe in Natolin organized the Ukrainian National Day. They chose this particular date, as it is the day when Ukraine commemorates the Day of Dignity and Freedom of Ukraine, which marks the beginning of two significant and fateful events in the country – the 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2013 Revolution of Dignity, also called Euromaidan.
In the morning, students had the opportunity to discuss the European integration of Ukraine and the current situation in EU-Ukraine relations with H.E. Mr Andrii DESHCHYTSIA, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Poland and former Foreign Minister of Ukraine. During the meeting, students also talked about current Ukraine-Polish relations, changes in the Ukrainian mentality after the Euromaidan, and the influence of the war in Eastern Ukraine on EU-Russia relations. Also for this talk, students together with the Ukrainian team prepared a pre-recorded recitation of a Ukrainian poem by Volodymyr SOSYURA, “Love Ukraine”.
During lunch, students were able to try Ukrainian food and drinks, prepared by the Natolin Restaurant, while Ukrainian students presented two traditional songs – “Chervona Ruta” and “Odna Kalyna”.
In the afternoon, the documentary film “Winter on Fire” about the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine in 2013 was streamed and students had an opportunity to find out more about the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine, which became a turning point in contemporary Ukrainian history. In the evening, students learned traditional Ukrainian dance moves and enjoyed modern Ukrainian music.
The Ukrainian team and the College of Europe in Natolin thanks everyone for participating and sharing this special day with us!
