COLUMN: Carillon Flashback December 11, 1991 – Ukrainians celebrate rebirth of homeland

Bells rang out at 24 Ukrainian churches in Winnipeg and many more in rural Manitoba, as Canadians of Ukrainian descent celebrated the independence of Ukraine.

Fred Jaskiw waved the Ukrainian flag and rang the bell at the Pansy Ukrainian Catholic Church, as he joined the celebration of a new future for his relatives in Ukraine.

As soon as a visa is available, Jaskiw says he will be off to Ukraine to visit relatives and “help them celebrate and see what needs to be done.”

Jaskiw said he tried to telephone his nephew Walter, who visited Canada in 1990, but after the vote he found himself among the thousands of Canadians who couldn’t get through the jammed phone lines. Ukraine still has no embassy, so he will have to go through the Soviet embassy for a visa, but does not see any problem there.

Things were already much more open in the Soviet Union when Jaskiw visited Ukraine in April. People were happier and had freedom to talk on the street. Before that, the KGB (Soviet secret police) was always right behind, Jaskiw said.

Even collective farms, which are in poor shape after a steady decline since their establishment after the Second World War, are no longer out of bounds for visitors.

The independence of Ukraine has not come without suffering, but people like Jaskiw’s nephew do not mind suffering even for a couple of more years, if that is what it takes to achieve democracy.

Two brief periods of Ukrainian independence in this century were short-lived, Jaskiw said. Lenin’s army crushed a 1918 bid for freedom, and Ukrainians found themselves fighting on two fronts, when Ukrainian leaders again declared independence in 1941.

Jaskiw said his country had little chance then, standing between the Russians and the Germans during the Second World War.

But this time is different, and a peaceable way has been found for Ukraine to gain independence. An Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted by the Parliament of Ukraine on Aug. 24, and a referendum was called for Dec. 1.

Citizens of Ukraine voted more than 92 percent in support of independence. On the same day as the referendum, a presidential election took place and all six candidates campaigned in favor of a “Yes” vote.

The people have voted and the whole world is talking about what happened, Jaskiw explained.

While all of Ukraine supported the vote, an independent Ukraine will not prosper without the help of the West, Jaskiw cautions.

“Some Ukrainian businessmen from Canada need to go there to show them how to operate a private business. Equipment for agriculture will be desperately needed when the land of collective farms is given back to the peasants.

Ukrainians have demonstrated over the years they know how to work and there will be no problem there, Jaskiw said.

A sea of yellow and blue flags symbolized the rebirth of Ukraine, as several thousand independence supporters rallied at Winnipeg City Hall, after the referendum result was announced.

At Pansy and other southern Manitoba Ukrainian churches, the bells tolled to mark the beginning of a new era.