Representatives of the regional administration’s culture and tourism department took part in an important event—the presentation of Ukraine’s first teaching materials on the Urum language of the Nadazov Greeks. The event took place in Kyiv on the initiative of the public organization «Nadazov Greeks» as part of the project «Let’s preserve the languages of the Nadazov Greeks: let’s learn Urum together,» which is being implemented with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
The presentation was dedicated to two important achievements for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Nadaz Greeks. One of them was a textbook on the Urum language entitled «Balalığım Çohrağı» («The Source of My Childhood»), as well as a literary collection entitled «Çöl’e s’evnip» («Admiring the Steppe»). Both publications were created in close cooperation with native speakers and with the scientific support of specialists from the Department of Turkology at the Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Thanks to these materials, which were developed with the needs of the community in mind, the preservation and study of the Urum language is now accessible to a wider range of people. These books are important for the revival of the linguistic and cultural identity of the Nadazov Greeks.
The event also featured the presentation of a new online resource by the NGO «Nadazov Greeks,» which contains materials about the community’s traditions. The website provides information about ornaments, song heritage, language materials, and other elements of cultural identity. This resource is open and accessible to researchers, educators, and anyone interested in the culture of the North Azov Greeks at: linktr.ee/north.azovian.greeks
This project is an important step towards preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the North Azov Greeks, as well as studying and supporting the small Urum language, which is part of Ukraine’s linguistic diversity.