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A European Future
There is no question that Ukraine has many challenges left to overcome, most important being the cultural rift along west/east lines. It is also true, however, that the country has made enormous progress since declaring independence under 25 years ago. It successfully established itself as a sovereign nation, separate from Russia and the other Soviet states. The Orange Revolution demonstrated to the entire world that Ukraine is a democratic nation that can act against political corruption. And although Russian influence still permeates Ukrainian media and culture, efforts are being made to weaken the hold and join with the West.
In 2006, for example, a new law sated that 75% of all broadcasts in Ukraine must be in Ukrainian. There is also legislation decreeing that all foreign films be dubbed in Ukrainian, and that print advertisements appear in the national language (2).
Marina also voiced her belief that Ukraine will depend upon its own language in the coming years.
“In the future Ukraine has to have one language- Ukrainian,” she said, “to have its real patriotic idea and not to be East oriented.”
Use of a common language will be one of the final, key steps in Ukraine becoming a unified nation. In this the media will have to play a central role, especially the emerging medium of the internet. It has already become apparent the power television and other platforms have to shape national opinion, and as the younger, urban generation continues to move towards reliance on the internet, oligarch-controlled media will have to change their strategy in order to remain competitive.
Ukraine has suffered numerous setbacks, including the presidency of Yanukovych, on its way to developing full media freedom and national identity; however, is has always continued to move forward. Author Anders Aslund notes: Ukraine have completed the “great task” of rebuilding a shattered nation, and now “Ukrainians have set their eyes on Europe as a model, civilization, community, and market" (9). Ukraine is poised to emerge as the unified, European nation it has been growing towards since 1991.