Authors

Louisa Martin-Chevalier¹;  ¹ Sorbonne Université, France

Discussion

The aim of this communication is to interrogate how contemporary ukrainian musicians and musical community integrate the logic of decolonization in their discourses, in their practices and their works in terms of aesthetic since 1991.

The process of cultural deconolonization is presented as necessary by Ukrainian artists, musicians and musicologists. First and foremost, it involves the rediscovery of Ukrainian creators or those considered Soviet, but whose Ukrainian identity must now be considered and valorized, as in the case of Malevič or Roslavec. Moreover, this desire to liberate form the "Russian world", analyzed as the continuation of colonial domination, opened up a broader process of cultural and intellectual re-elaboration. We'll discuss this idea with two manifestos (From Kyiv Contemporary Music Days and From Musicological community) that embody this reflection on the role of music in times of conflict, and that demonstrate these committed and militant discourses, which are not so common for musicians.

Secondly, this liberation, which for musicians also involves a rejection of the Russian language, this disinvisibilization, is achieved by highlighting contemporary Ukrainian creation. This period of new independence, without occupation by an outside country, has opened up new possibilities for Ukrainian society and the arts, despite the difficulties of war. The last decades have seen the creation of specific ensembles, legitimized by criteria such as national affiliation, repertoire or genre (Queens Orchestra ; Ukrainian Youth Orchestra, Nova Opera, Ukraine Freedom Orchestra, Mriya Orchestra or Ukrainian Muses Are Not Silent).

Finally, composers integrate these reflections into their creative processes and their works: explicit references to the Russian invasion are visible and asserted (contemporary creations of Yana Shliabansla, Anna Korsun, Maxim Kolomiiets and Roman Grygoriv & Illia Razumeiko to name a few or in another register the performances by the Dakhabrakha group).