The first Ukrainian-language audio guides in Belgium were officially launched on Friday during a ceremony at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels.
Since 2020, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been working on a project to create Ukrainian audio guides for some of the world’s largest museums.
This initiative spearheaded by First Lady Olena Zelenska has resulted so far in the introduction of 80 Ukrainian audio-guided tours in 44 countries.
These guides have been implemented in noteworthy locations such as the Louvre in France, Westminster Abbey in the UK, the Colosseum and Borghese Gallery in Italy, and the Albertina Museum in Austria.
“Since the beginning of Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine, many Ukrainians have fled their country to save their lives, as the enemy demolished and looted their homes. Simultaneously, Ukraine continues to fight for its identity, freedom, democratic values, and culture,” the Ukrainian Embassy in Belgium said in a statement.
“Recently, this museum hosted the ‘In the Eye of the Storm' exhibition, which highlighted early 20th-Century Ukrainian modernism and featured works by Kazymyr Malevych, specifically presented as a Ukrainian artist,” Olena Zelenska said with pride.
Pointing to the vibrant cultural dialogue currently occurring between Ukraine and Belgium, the Ukrainian First Lady underscored the significance for her country of “addressing the world at a time when Ukraine is still battling against the invasion and the Russian aggressor is destroying our museums.” She added that “this is also important for the world at large, as the more languages are spoken, the more accessible art becomes.”
“The time has come to make the exhibitions at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts more accessible to Ukrainian visitors through these audio guides,” she concluded.
