WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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There are many myths and stereotypes concerning Ukraine and Montenegro, which are perceived as truth by many people in the world, as well as by Ukrainians and Montenegrins themselves. Both of them have to work on dispelling falsehoods about themselves, so that people hear the history that will be written by Ukrainians and Montenegrins, and not believe in the history written for them by others. Ukraine and Montenegro, i.e. Ukrainians and Montenegrins, have similar problems, and the identity, language, nation, culture, and church of both are contested, the round table said, "Ukrainian myths about Montenegro, Montenegrin myths about Ukraine."
Ukraine has been exposed to brutal Russian attacks for a year now, due to the alleged threat to the Russian people in Ukraine.
Montenegro condemned Russia's aggression, and the citizens of Cetinje also showed their support, with a daily protest walk for the first hundred days, and then every 24th of the month. Institutionally, alongside the people of Ukraine, the Faculty of Montenegrin Language and Literature (FCJK) stood in Cetinje, on whose mast the Ukrainian flag flies.
As a sign of support, a round table was held at the Faculty on the topic of Ukrainian myths about Montenegro, Montenegrin myths about Ukraine, which was organized in cooperation with the Montenegrin PEN Center. Ukrainian historians and journalists residing in Montenegro also participated during the informal Days of Ukraine in Montenegro.
It was stated at the round table that Ukrainians often have to explain to the world that their country is not Russia, and that Montenegrins, who are denied a state and a nation, face a similar problem.
It was also pointed out that Ukrainian and Montenegrin culture and history are denied, suppressed and appropriated by Russia and Serbia, and that supporters of such policies consider Ukrainians and Montenegrins to be the product of ethno-engineering, and their languages invented.
Parallels can be drawn between Montenegro and Ukraine since the 10th and 11th centuries, when Ukraine had Prince Volodymyr I Svjetoslavich of Kiev, and Prince Vladimir of Dukla. Researchers of medieval literature noticed that in the Life of St. Vladimir Dukljanski, typological and motif similarities can be found with the biographies of the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, sons of Prince Volodymyr - pointed out assistant professor at FCJK Milan Marković.
He also reminded that the current rector of the University of Montenegro, Vladimir Božović, said back in 2015 that "aggressive media, falsifications in the education system and engineers of a new identity invented a new language and the name of a new language, and it is about the same political -technology prepared in Ukraine and Montenegro".
Marković also pointed out that the Metropolitan of the Belgrade Patriarchate in Montenegro, Joanikije, just twenty days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said that "the events in Ukraine are the result of ungodliness that was rooted", and that "Montenegro was designed to be a small Ukraine ".
Ukraine and Montenegro have similar problems. We often have to explain to the world that Ukraine is not Russia, but it is much more difficult for Montenegrins to explain that Montenegrins are not Serbs - said Olesj Donij, Ukrainian journalist and historian.
Both nations have a difficult and interesting history. When Montenegrins and Ukrainians wanted to be independent, we realized that we had the same problems. It's just that Montenegrins have more problems than Ukrainians. In Ukraine, 92 percent of citizens voted for independence in the referendum, in Montenegro 55.5 percent. Similarly, more Ukrainians declared themselves to speak the Ukrainian language than citizens of Montenegro declared themselves to speak Montenegrin, and a higher percentage of citizens in Ukraine declared themselves Ukrainians than Montenegrins in Montenegro.
The church also plays a big role, that is, we have the problem of the subordination of the church of another state (Serbian and Russian).
Bearing in mind that Serbia supports Russia, the danger of Serbian interests in Montenegro is increasing, said Donij.
Donij also emphasized that it should be explained to Ukrainian intellectuals that Montenegro is not only an independent state, but also a nation with its own Montenegrin language. Montenegrins need to explain this not only to the world but also to the citizens of Montenegro, said Donij.
Oleksij Mustafin, the author of the first book on the history of Montenegro in the Ukrainian language, pointed out that both Ukrainians and Montenegrins read the history written about them by Russians and Serbs.
The responsibility is now on the contemporary Montenegrins and Ukrainians to disprove the myths because no one else will, no one else has any interest. I wrote the book based on the logic that we have to correct mistakes ourselves. It is the first book on the history of Montenegro in the Ukrainian language. There is still a lot of work to do, to tell about the history of Montenegro and Ukraine in the Ukrainian language. I hope that Montenegrins will start a project to tell Ukrainian history in the Montenegrin language, but not as a translation from Russian or Serbian. It is important. Let's look to the future, let's not repeat mistakes - said Mustafin.
Historian Vukota Vukotić emphasized the cooperation between Montenegro and Ukraine in the field of education, stating that many priests and statesmen were educated at the Spiritual Academy in Kiev, and that incunabula, printed in Cetinje, are used there, from where, as he said, our struggle for language and church starts.
A people and a nation are not made up of territory and language, but rather what has its own unique historical path. Unfortunately, Russia and Serbia started from the Germanic idea - one language, one nation. This is not the case, examples are Ukraine and Montenegro, and we have to speak about it as loudly as possible - said Vukotić.
Stefan Todorović, an associate at FCJK, said that Russian propaganda and myths about Ukraine were grafted onto the already built infrastructure and scheme of multi-decade action of Serbian propaganda and Serbian myths in Montenegro, which includes synchronized political, media and religious activities of various organizations and individuals.
All the elements of the propaganda satanization of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people that come from Moscow are also found in Montenegro. These are stories about the alleged endangerment of the Russian population and Russian culture in Ukraine, stories about denazification and demilitarization, as well as stories about the non-existence and denial of the Ukrainian nation, culture and language - said Todorović.
He emphasized that in Montenegro as well, the alleged endangerment of Montenegrin citizens who identify themselves as Serbs served as an excuse for Serbia to interfere in the internal affairs of Montenegro.
The identical argument, the alleged threat to the citizens of Ukraine who declare themselves Russian, is used by Russia to interfere in the internal affairs of Ukraine, which has turned into an open criminal military aggression. Glory to Ukraine! That Montenegro is eternal - concluded Todorović.
Source - POBJEDA
