З чужого краю тут співці бували
І тіні бранки любої шукали, –
Витає ж тута інша тінь, кривава:
Ні, тута не лежить краса гарема,
Марія смутна чи палка Зарема, –
Тут спочива бахчисарайська слава!
Lesya Ukrainka, “Bakhchisaray tomb”
I was 11 when Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula. Before that Crimea was a resort, a place of inner peace and new acquaintances for me. It was the second home where I used to travel with my family from my native Kherson in summer. However, the situation has changed drastically over the last few years. My city has become a second home for Crimeans who were forced to leave the Crimean peninsula.
When I was a child, my grandmother used to tell me stories about her relatives and acquaintances who hadn’t been able to return home for almost all their lives. She told me about the events after the deportation in 1944 and until 1989 when the forced resettlement of Crimean Tatars was declared illegal. It was so strange and incomprehensible to me then, what is it like not to be able to live where you were born, where your parents, your ancestors lived? “This is terrible,” I thought.
Eight years. Such a small and at the same time huge figure. For 8 years Crimea has been suffering from occupation, not ceasing to believe that someday everything will be as it was before. So, what should we do when this “someday” comes? How to revive Crimea in the culture, language and historical memory of the whole country?
Today, although the Crimean Tatar language is declared to be one of the official languages in the occupied Crimea, this is purely fictitious, just like Ukrainian. According to Russian data, less than 7 thousand children (about 3%) studied in the Crimean Tatar language on the occupied peninsula in 2020. Although, according to the census, more than 230 thousand Crimean Tatars live on the peninsula.
In 2013, according to the information-analytical study “The situation in the educational sphere in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine (2014-2019)”, only a little more than 3% of pupils studied in Crimean Tatar, while almost 90% of pupils studied in Russian. When it comes to kindergartens, it is in general less than 1.5%. The fact is that the situation around the Crimean Tatar language has not previously been given due attention by the Ukrainian state, and therefore after de-occupation the language issue is difficult to resolve.
To solve the problem, time is needed, and even more – concrete, decisive efforts to support the reintegration of Crimea and the development of the Crimean Tatar language by the state, which should form an appropriate regulatory framework and ensure its full implementation. An example of such initiatives is the “Strategy for the Development of the Crimean Tatar Language for 2022-2032”, adopted the day before the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine. This strategic document provides, among other things, for the establishment of a special commission to ensure interagency coordination, communication between the selected institutions and coordination of their actions. In my opinion, this commission must include representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, because every opinion should be heard, every person’s attitude should be taken into account.
First of all, after the de-occupation of the peninsula, it is necessary to get rid of Russian as a language of education to ensure the full use of the state Ukrainian language and to create conditions for the comprehensive development and widespread use of the Crimean Tatar language. I believe that parents should be allowed to choose the language of education (Ukrainian or Crimean Tatar) for their children, as well as students should be allowed to choose the language of education in their universities. However, regardless of the language of instruction, the curriculum should be the same. Moreover, they should develop and approve additional disciplines and lessons for pupils and students to cover the topic of Crimea. For example, “History of Crimea”; “Crimea in international relations”; and, of course, “Crimean Tatar language”. In addition, it is worth introducing extra courses that pupils and students can attend optionally. There will be classes with a close specialization (for instance, “Culture of Crimea”, “Indigenous People of Crimea”, “Crimea in World Art”, etc.) Such subjects should be taught at schools, colleges, universities not only on the Crimean peninsula, but also in mainland Ukraine. All Ukrainian youth should study and know Crimea much deeper than it is being studied now. In particular, it is necessary to pay additional attention to the study of the history and culture of Ukraine in educational institutions on the peninsula, which have been distorted and fabricated since 2014.
Only by creating effective ways to promote the Crimean Tatar language, providing free and easy permanent access to its learning, the Crimean Tatars will really be able to regain the right to speak their native language not only in everyday life, but also in any sphere of activity. They will be able to get what they have been deprived of since 1944 at least.
We must remember that the Crimean Tatar language, due to constant bans and extermination, forced Russification of the population, is now among the dying languages. Does any state, which for some reason believes that it owns the territory “from time immemorial”, have the right to deliberately destroy the greatest cultural heritage, the most important factor of human self-identification – language? Of course, it does not! We cannot turn back time, but we can provide the Crimean Tatar language with a decent future.
The attempts to deprive the indigenous people of their own land, history, culture were expressed not only by deportations, ban of the Crimean Tatar language, and forced Russification. In the middle of the last century, during the war and post-war years, there were massive renamings of settlements on the peninsula. They are mainly of Crimean Tatar origin, but after the deportation of 1944 more than 1300 cities, villages, settlements of Crimea took Russian names, losing their authenticity.
In 2016, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a resolution “On renaming certain settlements and districts of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol”. The Crimean Tatar toponymy returned at the legislative level. For example, the urban-type settlement of Kuibyshevo in Bakhchisaray district to the urban-type settlement of Albat; the village of Furmanivka of Dolynne village council in Bakhchisaray district to the village of Aktachi; the village of Ulyanovka of Chornopil village council in Bilohirsk district to the village of Sultan-Saray; the village of Zavit-Leninsky of Dzhankoy district to the village of Kuchuk-Alkali and so on. As a result, 70 settlements and 5 districts were renamed.
Six years ago, only those settlements that had communist names were renamed (for example, Sovetske village to Mishen-Nayman, Oktyabrske village to Kuchuk-Borash, Krasnoarmiyske village to Kojalak, etc.) All other cities and villages remained under the bitter invisible yoke of the totalitarian regime. 2021 saw a petition calling to return the historical names to all settlements of Crimea renamed by the Soviet authorities after the deportation of Crimean Tatars. However, the petition failed to collect the required number of votes and didn’t get off the ground. Why wasn’t such an important issue publicized in our country until recently? Because most Ukrainians did not know about the “toponymic repressions” that Crimeans suffered. The attention given to this huge problem is absolutely insufficient, leading to a poor awareness of the population.
After the de-occupation of the Crimean peninsula, the returning of authentic names should not be forgotten. It is necessary to return the original names to the settlements, from which the Crimeans were relocated. It is necessary to improve the resolution of 2016 or adopt a new one that would be wider and cover all other settlements.
In the meantime, it is worth conducting specific information campaigns to implement socio-cultural projects and prevent large-scale ignorance of the population about important issues of identity, historical identification of Crimeans. The land where your parents lived, suffered and fought cannot bear the name of their oppressors.
And it is not only about the problems mentioned earlier. It is also about the revival of the entire cultural and historical heritage of the Crimean Tatars. It is extremely important to debunk all the myths, all the manipulation and lies that Crimeans have suffered from so long. The truth existed, exists and will continue to exist, even despite the constant attempts of Russian dictators to eradicate it, to completely erase it.
The restoration of historical truth is one of the most important drivers for the reintegration of Crimea, and perhaps the most important activity of the non-governmental sector. The media and news agencies should promote the history of Crimea through all possible channels (for example, create specific programs, talk shows with high profile guests, radio podcasts, categories and columns in the print press or even the launch of new media). From NGOs’ part, different projects, forums, conferences and simply entertaining events aimed at different audiences (e.g. information evenings) should be launched. We should also pay particular attention to the dissemination of historical truth and the promotion of Crimean culture through the Internet, which has become extremely important in the time of information warfare. Moreover, it is essential to start different educational websites, platforms, courses and other resources. The most important thing for their activity is to create easy, unburdening, permanent access not only for the Crimeans, but also for all the Ukrainians, and, in contrast to what the Crimeans had for 8 years, it should be non-coercive.
We should not forget about mass events dedicated to the culture of the peninsula, such as theater, opera performances, film screenings, exhibitions in museums and galleries. Such events are extremely effective in attracting not only the so-called “intelligentsia”, but also all segments of the Crimean population. Together with the educational and social activities described above, cultural and educational activities will be particularly effective.
Special attention should be paid to the issue of returning works of art, which the occupiers robbed from Crimea to the territory of the Russian Federation. And, although the Russian authorities completely deny the theft of paintings and archaeological artifacts that historically belonged to the peninsula, under the guise of “restoration”, the fact remains: after the de-occupation of Crimea we will face the problem of returning all the stolen artworks.
Why is it important? Art has always been and will be a component of self-identification of the people, which diversifies its culture, distinguishes it from all the others. The Crimean Tatars have always had a distinctive, unique cultural heritage. These include national costumes, songs, traditions, means of painting and decorations, such as the traditional Ornek ornament, which over its centuries-old history has become an outstanding cultural heritage not only of the Crimean Tatars, but also of the whole world. Ukraine cannot lose part of the national identity of such an important people for us.
So, we must remember that every step towards the reintegration of Crimea is important, even the smallest and seemingly insignificant. Nevertheless, this should be our strategy after the de-occupation of the peninsula – to move confidently, with a clear plan, towards the revival of Crimea in all aspects. Our strength is that we are together. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has not ceased to show the world the power of our unity, and therefore we will be able to show it again by returning Crimea.
