Hello Roman! Please tell us more about yourself. Where are you from, and what do you do?
I am from Nova Kakhovka. Since childhood, I have loved poetry, but I used to love Russian poetry until I was 17. I liked this poetry before the Maidan. It happened very often that I was on stage as a poetry reader, and so I was gradually ukrainized. Sometimes I recited poems by Vasyl Symonenko, sometimes by Anatolii Bakhuta (poet from Nova Kakhovka). I was apolitical until I was 17, and then I started looking at the world through the eyes of a Ukrainian and under the guidance of Stepan Bandera (laughs). I took off the rose-colored glasses of «little russia» and started diving into Ukrainian culture.
In 2019, I founded the cultural project Marmur, the marmurstore, and finally switched to speaking Ukrainian. I was afraid of switching to Ukrainian when I was studying in Kharkiv. No one would understand me, and in 2019 I rejected all stereotypes and told myself to stop communicating in the language of slaves and chauvinists. I decided to use my native language in my daily life and prepare for a full-scale war.
Were you preparing for a full-scale invasion, or did you not believe it would happen? How did it go on February 24, 2022?
When we started Marmur, we were already preparing for a full-scale invasion. When we wrote the Marmur principles, from which we have no right to deviate, we realized that the war would begin. We thought it would be in 2026-2027. I thought that I would have 8 years to build an institution. Only at that moment I forgot that my war against russian imperialism began in 2014, and we had these 8 years to awaken the youth. I believe that Marmur has made small steps in this direction. Of course, these small steps are not enough, like russophobia.
The day before the full-scale invasion, my colleague Dmytro and I watched putin’s speech. When he said, «Well, you wanted derussification, I’ll show you what real denazification is». Then Dmytro said that everything would start soon, and I didn’t believe him, thinking that they would start in the spring, when the ground dried up, and lay reasonable routes, so we would still have time. This is such a stupid, idiotic war. And their plans are very absurd. This is such an abyss that a smart person cannot understand.
I wake up on February 24 in Kharkiv because of explosions, the horizon is on fire. We decide to take women out of Kharkiv, while men stay to defend the city and collect resources for the Ukrainian army. Some people left, some people stayed. We moved to shared apartments, thought about where to go, where to be useful. At first, we were supposed to go to the territorial defense, but all the weapons were distributed. Then we decided to unload wagons at the South Ukrainian Railroad. We started working and volunteering there, delivering medicine and cooking lunches. Not much was actually done, because you burn out very quickly especially under shelling. I volunteered to the end of April, then moved to Kyiv. I started promoting Ukrainian poetry and culture. For two years we have been working, donating money. Hundreds of thousands are donated from our profits, millions are accumulated.
When and how did you come up with the idea of Marmur project? Is the team big now?
I founded Marmur with my colleague Oleksii. We started working in March and created the page on Instagram on April 22. So we are about to turn 5 years old. The team consists of a designer, a sales person, two printers, and Andrii Shymanovskyi (ambassador of Marmur). We have good people who are ready to do something good in the country.
Could you please tell us about the collaboration with Gender Zed? Did Ukrainians support the initiative or vice versa?
Together with Gender Zed, we raised the topic of LGBT people through the prism of Ukrainian poets and poetesses in 2021. We interviewed an LGBT soldier, an LGBT psychologist, and conducted social surveys of the LGBT community about how they feel. Of course, we created clothes to support LGBT people. A massive amount of work was done with surveys. We wanted to convey a very simple idea by the words of Olga Kobylianska that «the world is for everyone». We need to be kinder to each other, and it is obvious that girls and boys are defending us now.
I was deeply impressed by the story of a soldier from the LGBT community who is at the war now, protecting us. The best people of our nation are fighting for victory. I help them, but I do not directly defend our country. I have the highest respect for them, so I want to support them with concrete actions.
We release a post-explanation and it begins. A hundred comments accusing us of selling out. Marmur had already existed for two years at that time. We supported Ukrainian women, poets, small projects, young people, in short, we promoted culture. For the first time, we are talking about LGBT people and the fact that they exist, and yes, they are just like us. A lot of negative things have come out, but we need to support Ukrainian culture and the part of the population that has fewer rights than others. I think that women also belong to this category.
So on March 8, we went out to raise funds to support our friend from medical battalion «Hospitallerst». We are fighting for decent wages and decent attitude. There are no ugly women. My friends and strangers, alike, are fighting for me. And for what? So that I could sit there and say that a woman is a decoration of the team. This will not happen.
Let’s choose decent candidates, decent deputies and prepare for the elections right now. Let’s create a coalition and do important things. Of course, this is not relevant now because of the war. But let’s think strategically and unite around decent people. We need to change the old government. We need to create political and cultural programs. Let’s fight for our state, our country here and now, without delaying our future.
Are you planning any collaborations in the nearest future?
Yes, there are so many collaborations that you can’t even imagine. The most important collaboration is with MUR, as we have been supporting them since their establishment and continue to do so.
We will continue our cooperation with Gender Zed. Recently, an LGBT film being shown in the «Zhovten» cinema. «Good people» defamed it and wrote various negative statements. So I decided to write Gender Zed, and together we will create something new. If people have the strength to do this, then it’s obvious that we need to speak out about it again. Marmur will definitely reach out to someone. We have never been paid for promoting LGBT ideas.
We are still working with FRI (Foundation of Regional Initiatives), you will soon see it. Next is a cultural organization in Germany, then a post about derussification, and a nationwide poetry tour in honor of Roman Ratushnyi. We are building a cultural organization in 22 regional centers, and then I hope to expand to Donetsk and Luhansk. Of course, it’s not up to me to decide when. My job is to help the frontline every day: donations, collections, help in hospitals. So far, we are doing everything logically and consistently.
There will be significant derussification. Time and history wait for no one. We are on the verge of very terrible events in the country. I want my friends, who are no longer with us, to understand that they died for Ukraine, which will become a decent, uncorrupted state. You don’t need tens of thousands dollars to promote culture, trust me, one million hryvnias can create a huge boom.
Translator: Yuliia Koleha
The material was produced with the support of the NGO «Institute of Mass Information» as part of a project of the international organisation Internews Network.
