The public statement of the local TEDxUCU community on the termination of its activities
An appeal to the entire large community of the Ukrainian Catholic University and the general public
Dear UCU staff, students, and alums!
Holding TEDxUCU at the Ukrainian Catholic University has become a particular tradition. In total, licensed TEDx events took place four times in 2017-2019 and 2023 after a forced break due to the COVID pandemic and then the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In all previous years, our communication with representatives of TED's headquarters in New York has been constructive. Moreover, it was a significant marker for us that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, TED published its official position to support Ukraine and against the unjust russian invasion. The opening session of the international TED conference in Vancouver, Canada, in April 2022 was dedicated to Ukraine. It included a fundraising campaign of $2.1 million for humanitarian aid and a video message from representatives of the TEDx community in Ukraine, including UCU students. That is why, feeling this solidarity, we held a licensed conference as a local TEDx center in the fall of 2023. However, in the winter, we faced TED's refusal to publish the speech of one of our speakers, Maksym Osadchuk, a military serviceman, historian, and Ukrainian Catholic University graduate student.
We emphasize that we have been negotiating and communicating on this issue all this time, as the lack of publication of our speaker's speech is completely unacceptable (under the license terms, the video is published exclusively by TED on its official YouTube channel). We would also like to thank the TEDxKyiv community for their full and unconditional support in advocating for this issue. Unfortunately, today, we have to state that we have exhausted any formal and informal ways to resolve this issue. Therefore, it was decided to inform the Ukrainian Catholic University community and the general public about this situation.
The full text of Maksym Osadchuk's speech can be found at the link below. Also, with Maksym's permission, we are sharing via the same link with his private video in which he voices these thoughts.
To quote verbatim, TED pointed out the presence of "inflammatory 'us vs. them' statements" in our speaker's speech. We categorically disagree with this interpretation. Moreover, we emphasized the universally recognized and obvious facts: our country has faced unprecedented violations of international law and norms violations, as described in the four resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly. Besides, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court issued warrants of arrest for two individuals regarding the situation in Ukraine: russian president and the presidential commissioner for Children's Rights in the context of the situation in Ukraine. Thus, as in any war, there are two sides, so the rhetoric of "us against them" describes the objective situation, not hate speech. We react to what is happening to us in the face of the aggressor country's failure to respect fundamental human principles.
As for the specific sentences that TED identified as "inflammatory," we provided counterarguments and necessary interpretations. Below are these specific sentences from Maksym Osadchuk's speech - Ukrainian original text, English translation, and brief examples of our arguments for each of these sentences.
| These from the speech by Maksym Osadchuk | Examples of argumentation | |
|---|---|---|
| Text of the speech in Ukrainian | Text of the speech in English | |
| "pосіяни в якості своєї великої події намагаються привласнити спільну перемогу над німецьким фашизмом, але як і завжди вони крадуть... Тут втім нічого нового, росіяни є росіяни" | "russians, as their great event, are trying to appropriate the joint victory over German fascism, but as always, they are stealing... However, there is nothing new here. Russians are being russians." | In this excerpt, Maksym addressed the dominant approach in russia to the interpretation of the events of World War II, in particular, the modernization of the Great Patriotic War narrative to articulate the feat by silencing the millions of victims, including in Ukraine and maintaining its influence on post-Soviet countries. The phrase “russians are being russians” refers to the appropriation of what is associated with the historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine. It is a systematic thing, and this is what Maksym articulates. |
| Це повне і остаточне звільнення України з задушливих обійм "руского міра" | "This is Ukraine's complete and final liberation from the suffocating embrace of the "russian world."" | You can find the phrase "russian world" and its interpretation in the works of American historians and writers - Timothy Snyder in The Road to Unfreedom, Anne Applebaum, and other scholarly articles by researchers from the United States and Europe.. Moreover, russians actively use this term as an antithesis to the Western world. You can easily Google it and see for yourself. |
| "Як ми навчилися під час війни конвертувати нашу любов до своїх і ненависть до окупантів у волонтерський рух..." | "Just as we learned during the war to convert our love for our own and hatred for the invaders into a volunteer movement…" | Every day, we experience the following: the breaking of the russian troops through various directions of the frontline, the destruction of different cities, the forced deportation of children, the execution of civilians and captured military combatants, hundreds of hospitals, thousands of schools and other educational institutions were ruined in total; not to mention the accurate attacks on energy, water, heat supplies, and communication infrastructure. Millions of Ukrainians are living under the occupation right now. But they are not "living life". They are trying to survive. It is a war as well, though only in a different dimension. And it is especially unbearable for us to realize that there are considerable threats to their health and life due to mental and physical torture from the occupiers. |
In our consistent argumentation, we additionally used specific quotes from well-known and reputable international and Ukrainian media, the positions of human rights organizations, academic centers, and individual representatives of the American and European academic community.
TED communicated to us that "conflict, war, and violence across the globe are horrific, and the russian invasion of Ukraine is no exception here." At the same time, we emphasized that the reality of war has been with us for more than ten years. And our goal is to save our country and keep it on the map of the world. Yes, we want peace to come one day. But not at the cost of losing our country, independence, and freedom.
We are adding one more of the TED points, which we found incredibly disappointing, verbatim: "The platforms for showcasing these ideas exist, but we must maintain that the TEDx stage is not a space for polarizing or otherwise inflammatory discussions of what makes a conflict an "opportunity" for a particular country while lambasting entire populations of a different country." We understand that TED is not publishing this video because its representatives think the organization is in this particular situation, necessitating being neutral, hearing different sides, etc. But we do not accept this. First and foremost, we fully share the statements expressed by our speaker. In this regard, we would also like to quote Timothy Snyder: "This war means that a generation of young Russians, those who survive, will be involved in war crimes and will be wrapped up in trauma and guilt for the rest of their lives." We'll add one more quote. "There can be no justice for Ukrainians without full accountability for all crimes committed by Russia since its military intervention in 2014" (Amnesty International on the second anniversary of russia's full-scale invasion).
We will also share with you what hurts us incredibly. Maksym recently wrote on his Facebook page: "It hurts to write about it, but, for example, from my first unit in the Aidar Brigade, which consisted of one hundred percent volunteers, as of today, I am the only one left alive. Most of them died during the full-scale invasion."
We summarize that the communication process did not achieve the expected results. TED's response, the general position, can be described by one of their most recent letters. To avoid any misinterpretations, we are again reproducing the text verbatim.
Thank you for following up and sharing these reflections. We're grateful for your perspective. However, while you've focused on various details, you still overlook that making broad generalizations about a nationality based on the actions of their government has no place on the TEDx stage.
You shared that you see excluding racist rhetoric as interfering with the agenda of your local event. A local event experience and the publishing of its ideas afterwards are independent, though connected. The impact of an idea within the context of a local event and its impact as a piece of digital media-preserved on the internet in perpetuity-are distinct. While the TEDxUCU audience may interpret Maksym's idea as a galvanizing call to preserve Ukrainian freedom, online viewers will fail to hear this message amid hateful remarks about a whole population. The collection of statements about “Russians” effectively mutes the power of Maksym's message for audiences outside of your local community.
In your response to the presence of inflammatory "us vs. them" statements in Maksym's talk and the rhetoric of “us against them” as a description of the objective situation: we must maintain that the rhetoric Maksym uses is objectively racist and prejudicial. No matter the context, racist generalizations have no place on the TEDx stage, and we cannot broadcast these sentiments on a global platform with millions of viewers. An authoritarian government's unjust actions do not and cannot represent a nationality as a whole; such regimes maintain their grip precisely through the silencing of dissent and protest. Replace "Russians" with any other population of a country and the effect would be the same.
Reflecting on these words, we are convinced that the integrity and congruence of any human being and any society mean the willingness to take responsibility and express disagreement with injustice in any way possible, or at least readiness to nurture such willingness. We learned these lessons during the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity in 2014, and we will not ignore these principles in any way. It is a matter of our survival as a country.
Ukraine is experiencing the brutal reality of war and has been fighting a full-scale invasion for over 900 days. It is not a misinterpretation or a "collection of statements about russians." Our country and citizens fight for human values, preservation of Ukrainian identity, and our own lives. These are not just pathetic words; the civilized world recognizes this; it is our reality. We want, can, and will state this at all available levels. And any statements that label our position as racist and hostile are categorically unacceptable and offensive.
To summarize this statement in the context of the TEDxUCU community, we are ending all activities and functioning in the future.
We express our gratitude to all our speakers for all the years of TEDxUCU's existence and special thanks to all those who spoke in 2023. Dear speakers, we know better than anyone how much time and effort you have put in. Our sincere gratitude to you for your dedication!
We cannot but mention our incredible volunteers who were with us - students of different years of study. Your work was necessary, and it was not in vain, not at all. We appreciate your reliable shoulder and authenticity!
We would also like to thank all of our partners who, like us, believed and continue to believe in the transformative power of worthwhile ideas that need to be shared, discussed, and implemented.
The most valuable is people, and the most significant luxury is communication, as the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote. Therefore, despite the stoppage of our activities, we will fondly remember our experience with TEDxUCU from 2017 to winter 2023.
To be continued. But these will be other projects and their formats, and they will undoubtedly include new acquaintances and meetings, the joy of communication and cooperation.
Dear friends, in conclusion, we would like to emphasize that we, Ukrainians, still have a long path ahead of us, but it is worth it because "freedom and citizenship are long-term projects, and there are no shortcuts." During the trials of war, our task is to continue to transform all our pain into resilience. Our mission is to create, not destroy, and to unite with those who share our values, to communicate and explain if others have different views. And what essential "not with a stream of loud and noisy phrases, but with quiet tireless work" loving Ukraine.
Best regards,
ex-local community TEDxUCU
August 16, 2024
Photo from the event in 2023