Lecture "Ukrainian Culture vs. Charles Darwin"

This lecture challenges the conventional Darwinian formula. Ukrainian history proves otherwise: nations survive not by adapting, but by resisting, reimagining themselves, and stubbornly remaining who they are, even when the world insists on the contrary.

From the 1920s to the 2020s, Ukraine has repeatedly passed through destruction and rebirth. Cultural figures executed in forests. The Ukrainian language pushed out of schools and state institutions. Writers, scientists, and artists — silenced, exiled, or erased from memory. Entire generations broken by famine, terror, and wars.

And yet, Ukrainian culture evolves not through submission, but through a stubborn refusal to disappear.

In this lecture, Oleksandr Khomenko explores the paradoxes of the "Ukrainian question" through key figures and turning points: why every attempt to destroy Ukrainian identity fails; how cultural continuity is maintained despite systematic violence; and why the creative instinct of Ukrainians becomes a survival mechanism stronger than any empire.

Created specifically for an international educational tour, this lecture is prepared in English for a global audience and for Ukrainians abroad living between different cultural contexts. It offers a vivid, emotional way to see Ukraine as a phenomenon: a culture that lives not through adaptation, but through unbreakable fidelity to itself.

The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session.

Oleksandr Khomenko is the co-founder and frontman of the creative collective "MUR." He is the screenwriter and director of the historical musicals "Ty [Romantyka]" and "Rebelia [1991]," as well as a co-author of the music albums "Vol. 1," "Zakhalialna Knyzhechka," and "Pax Romana." Additionally, "MUR" and Oleksandr Khomenko as its leader engage in educational work through public lectures and the publication of educational videos on social media concerning cultural and historical topics.