Jobava spoke at the opening ceremony where she thanked festival director Yulia Kozlovets for the invitation and Oleksandr Afonin and UPBA for being a valuable member of the IPA. She also spoke of the Prix Voltaire Special Award laureate, Volodymyr Vakulenko.
Exactly one month ago I was on another stage, in Norway, in slightly different circumstances. As many of you may know, one of the IPA’s pillars is the promotion of the freedom to publish and through that, freedom of expression. I was there as part of the World Expression Forum and the situation here constantly echoed.
That night, on that stage was a special moment for IPA, and for me, as we announced our laureate for the 2023 IPA Prix Voltaire, our Freedom to Publish prize, to brave Iraqi publisher Mazin Lateef Ali who disappeared 3 years ago.
We also decided to present an IPA Prix Voltaire Special Award to your fallen compatriot – Volodymyr Vakulenko K. Thank you so much to Victoria Amelina for coming to Norway to collect the prize and for bringing it back here and back to his parents.
I said that night that Volodymyr was a hero. At the IPA we think you are all heroes.
Jobava presented an IPA – Ukraine flag to the festival as a sign or our support.
Later in the week, Jobava also participated in the professional programme where she presented the work of IPA and opportunities for international support.
You can watch the opening ceremony here, see photos here and read her full remarks below.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour and a priviledge for me to be here as the Vice President of the International Publishers Association. IPA and its president Karine Pansa have entrusted me to you with great love, solidarity, support. We, publishers worldwide, revere the incredible display of courage, dedication, and heroism of the Ukrainian book sector.
I want to say special thanks to Yulia Kozlovets for the invitation. And to Oleksandr Afonin, and all of your members at the UPBA for being a valuable member of the IPA.
Ukraine has lost many people dedicated to their motherland in this unjust war that has been raging in your country for more than a year, including soldiers and civilians, women, and children. Ukraine has also lost writers and readers. They were lost for each of us, for everyone for whom justice and freedom are the most priceless achievements of humanity. Their faded life is the failure of each of us.
Today I would like to specifically highlight one of them, Volodymyr Vakulenko, a children’s author, whose body was found in one of the mass graves in Izium.
Exactly one month ago I was on another stage, in Norway, in slightly different circumstances. As many of you may know, one of the IPA’s pillars is the promotion of the freedom to publish and through that, freedom of expression. I was there as part of the World Expression Forum and the situation here constantly echoed.
That night, on that stage was a special moment for IPA, and for me, as we announced our laureate for the 2023 IPA Prix Voltaire, our Freedom to Publish prize, to brave Iraqi publisher Mazin Lateef Ali who disappeared 3 years ago.
We also decided to present an IPA Prix Voltaire Special Award to your fallen compatriot – Volodymyr Vakulenko K. Thank you so much to Victoria Amelina for coming to Norway to collect the prize and for bringing it back here and back to his parents.
I said that night that Volodymyr was a hero. At the IPA we think you are all heroes.
And it is very important for IPA to support you as you defend your language, culture and nation from aggression. And you are doing it valiantly. The fact that “Book Arsenal” has already returned to its in person format this year after a one-year hiatus, and that we have gathered to celebrate all these historic event, shows that the rapid revival of the Ukrainian book sector is inevitable. IPA will keep standing by your side to support you in this goal.
We anticipate the day soon when we will travel to Kyiv together with our other colleagues from all over the world to commemorate the three most significant achievements of your heroic warriors and brave people in general: justice, freedom, and, of course, the victory of Ukraine!
As you know, today I am wearing two hats – acting as vice president of the IPA and representing Georgian Publishing house Intelekti. As a Georgian, I feel like one of you, so I can’t speak to you like a stranger.
The Ukrainian people are among the nearest and dearest to us of all the world’s peoples; thus, I feel like one of you. Unfortunately, we also share a common experience of the war with Russia and the occupation of our lands. The common pain binds us together. Our scars from the 2008 war are still raw as well because, despite what it may appear from a distance, war is not a statistic at all, it is an amalgamation of individual tragedies, ruined lives, and unhealable traumas.
And despite official Tbilisi has frequently made unfavorable, ambiguous, and unfriendly statements over the past few months, I would like to take this opportunity to express the opinion of the vast majority of our population, the Georgian people, that we have not changed and that our love for the Ukrainian people has not changed, and moreover, it has actually doubled. And you can readily notice this if you take at least one stroll through the streets of Tbilisi, which is decorated with Ukrainian flags and inscriptions in every corner.
We are inspired by you and the perseverance of the Ukrainian warriors and we are also proud of the Georgian soldiers who are fighting on your front right now or who has given their lives in this war. The people of Georgia are grateful to Ukraine because we believe that you are fighting for the well-being of our country and a better life for the whole world. We believe in the victory of Ukraine and that evil will ultimately fail!
Razom nas bahato, nas ne podolaty!
Slava Ukraini!