Even in wartime, the culture of Donetsk Oblast remains vibrant, demonstrating resilience, professionalism, and a willingness to collaborate. Experts from the Donetsk Regional Educational and Methodological Center for Culture (Methodological Center) continue to participate in the nationwide dialogue on the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, sharing the region’s experience and best practices developed under martial law.
On June 22, at the invitation of the Kirovohrad Regional Center for Folk Art, representatives of the Methodological Center for Culture participated in a regional online meeting of officials responsible for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of the Kirovohrad region. The event brought together specialists from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and representatives from the Rivne, Kirovohrad, and Donetsk regions around a common goal: preserving living cultural heritage and identifying effective mechanisms for its protection.
The Donetsk region was represented by Natalia Armyanovska, director of the Methodological Center, and Lyudmila Savchenko, head of the Department of Visual Arts. As part of their presentation titled “Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage During Wartime: The Donetsk Region,” they shared the region’s experience in organizing work related to elements of intangible cultural heritage amid security challenges.
The speakers paid particular attention to the issues of documenting, recording, preserving, and promoting intangible cultural heritage, emphasizing that preserving living traditions is an important component of safeguarding national identity today. The practical approaches developed in Donetsk Oblast serve as an example of how, even under difficult circumstances, it is possible to work effectively to preserve cultural heritage.
Such professional meetings not only facilitate the exchange of experience but also strengthen interregional cooperation, bringing together specialists from different parts of the country around a common cause—the preservation and transmission to future generations of Ukraine’s unique intangible cultural heritage.