Ukraine without cosmetics and jewelry. Interview with the author of the project  » Hoschi  » Vladimir Kohan

Vladimir Kohan is a co -founder YouTube prosekt « huts »which tells about the little -known to the general public.

Together with the team, he travels the Ukrainian province and shows its aesthetics through the study of nature and architecture and through communication with local residents.

« The greatest treasure of Ukraine is Ukrainians: with their simplicity, with their sincerity, with their naivety, with their infantile, but with their genius and ability to adapt to any conditions and unite. This is why our Ukrainian state exists today, » says Vladimir Kohan.

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During a full -scale war « thickets » films the life of cities that found themselves at the epicenter of hostilities Are the frontal area located and continue to make expeditions in the rear regions.

« Very often, people do not even realize that they have the remains of a fortress in the village or some super -old cemetery, or some history. People are not interested in their own, what is on the side, » says Vladimir Kohan.

What does Ukraine look like without cosmetics and jewelry? What is the main phenomenon and the main problem of the Ukrainian village? How is it – grow in the village and is it worth shy?

All this « Ukrainian Truth » talked with Vladimir Kohan. Below are the main theses of conversations. See the full version of the interview on YouTube UP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI82Lnnujwa

About childhood in the village

The village gave me a lot of injuries, but also many advantages. It seems to me that my infantile super -romantics, the creative soul is very connected with the village.

Although I do not know how circumstances would have grown in the metropolis – in the center of Odessa or Kiev. I might have got other talents and have other opportunities.

In principle, my associations with childhood in the village are positive, despite all the complexity, despite all the terrible poverty of the 90s, despite all the limited, despite all the bans that were then.

But, of course, I had a sense of shame because I was from the village. Apparently, it appeared for the first time in 10-12 years – puberty, when you start to mature sexually when you begin to be interested in girls. Further, this feeling is exacerbated in 16-20 years, when you fall into a variety of formal and informal party, where the Ukrainian language is a great Zashvar, as well as your rural origin.

This is a terribly rock. The shame was great. Therefore, when I was asked where I was from, I always answered from Odessa.

If I was talking to the girls in Ukrainian or even saying that I was from the village in Khmelnytskyi, then it was a huge Red Flag for them (red flag – UP)After which they disappeared any sympathy for me. So partially lasted until 2022.

Now everything has changed. Now everyone is indifferent where you are, because first of all they are perceived as a person. Although, in my case, my medium, my social status, plays a role in my case.

About Podillya

I grew up in the village of Karyn in Khmelnytskyi. It is so archaic, ancient, prehistoric Podillyathe most true thickets. It is such a hybrid of forest, Carpathians, steppe.

In general, Podillya is supersaturated with history and myths. It is like a computer game: you go down, and here – an ancient mill of the XVIII century; He went around the corner, and there – a fortress; You look further – a church or an ancient Cossack cemetery. One village is clay houses, the other is completely stone. I love Podillya for that! That is, every 5-10 kilometers there everything changes so much that you are as follows: « Wow, how is it possible! ».

There are virtually no railways and large roads. It is to some extent a difficult country. And because of this, she now feels a partial decline.

At one time a great impact on development Podillyahis culture, architecture had Jews, so a significant decrease in the Jewish community in Podillya was a great loss for this region.

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About the modern tragedy of the Ukrainian village

The village always suffers the most. And it seems to me that now the greatest tragedy for the Ukrainian village, greater than the Holodomor and in previous wars, is happening: it is simply empty and devastating.

Nowadays in Ukrainian villages it is impossible to see men of conscript age: many dead, but many who simply migrated.

For example, in my village there were about 20-30 young families before the war, but half of them now left. It is Khmelnytskyi, where 600-800 kilometers to the front. So now my village is reminiscent of an elderly house.

Currently the YouTube Project « Hashshche » 5 years. However, the channel team began to go to its first expeditions in Ukrainian villages in 2007

About emotions during expeditions

We have been holding our expeditions since the late 2000s. I have always caused not so sad as melancholy nostalgia, a pleasant sadness, because I am a creative personality, a romantic. So after such travel, I was well written by poems, all sorts of texts.

Sometimes, when we got into the abandoned rural homes, I was even tears – something inside me swollen like a guitar string.

But then it happened when I realized that I went to these houses, and I did not snooter inside.

For example, we have recently been on Zhytomyr region. They went into the house, there are icons, photos, and I am like this: « Well, well, Okay, it’s cool, but maybe there is something impressive here? » And then it is: « Men’s, a feet! The impressive is human lives, the lives of people you see in these photos, whose towels you see on these walls. » And in me something swells inside, though not as it used to be …

About rural folklore

In our expeditions, we can ask people to sing something authentic for their community. But many of them begin to sing some « green rye » or « red rue », because they probably want to look modern. Can still sing something out of Raisa KirichenkoBecause they often heard it on the radio and think that it is folk art.

But during our further communication it turns out that there are songs that sing only in their village, and in the other – not. And this is a completely different story. Such art cannot be created under coercion or in accordance with a program of the Ministry of Culture. But, unfortunately, it gradually goes into oblivion with people who are its carriers.

Already, they are practically none, and soon it will not be at all.

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About Ukrainian

The greatest discovery during our expeditions personally for me was that Donetsk region, Slobozhanshchyna – Ukrainian -speaking. If you do not know what you are in Bakhmut, in the Kramatorsk or Pokrovsk region, then communicating with people, you will never understand that it is the East of Ukraine. You think that it is some kind of Vinnytsia, Cherkasy region, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr region …

That is, there are absolutely Ukrainian villages. And the awareness of this turned my consciousness. Because before that, on my great shame and shame, I thought differently.

Kohan: « I will never leave this land, despite all the difficulties, quarrels, disagreements, and sometimes despair and apathy. I am in love with her. It is, you know how when you love a person and you can’t always explain what specifically » for  »

As for the language, in my opinion, it is a very important tool. But for most Ukrainians in Kharkiv, Odessa, the Dnieper is still not clear. And they will find a million excuse, a million reasons to continue to communicate in Russian.

Here is an analogy. People usually see only how the ball hit the glass and breaks it. They blame the ball, but they do not see the trajectory of its flight or finger movement, which pressed the trigger. Or someone who charged the gun. Or the plant that made it and this ball. So the language is a factory that triggers the entire process. If he were not Russian, then these balls would not fly into our glass.

I am 100%convinced that all serious public affairs are still resolved in Russian. And it’s a shame.

About discord and different sections of society

At the beginning of 2022, the Ukrainians started very grasping because they united. But what do we see now? Ukrainian Ukrainian – Wolf. Everyone is ready to eat each other. Sometimes it seems to me that there is more hatred between Poroshenko and Zelensky than Putin.

By the way, I am very funny when our project in the comments begins to be called « dustbins », then « greenbots ». Although the one who looks carefully knows that we show everything that people say – different thoughts.

I am interested to explore different sections of society, so I can come to the village and sit down a glass with my uncle – we sometimes show it in video. So you get close to them, they understand you, open to you.

In expeditions, I do not speak literary language because it scares people in the village. If I am in Zhytomyr region, I use something from the dialect of this region. If my interlocutor speaks a surzhik, I can afford it too. If a person swears, then I understand that to become his own, you should also use obscene vocabulary. Only in this case we will tell us: « You guys, your own! »

People and their sincerity are the most valuable thing that is in travel. If you do not meet interesting people during the expedition, it becomes unsuccessful.

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About the most unsuccessful expedition

Such an expedition was our recent trip to Poltava region. Why? Many factors coincided.

First, I injured my knee before the trip, and it was difficult for me to go. This also affected my psychological state.

Secondly, we hung a lot of responsibility above us, because on this hike we took with us our audience, who made the largest prepans for our recent gathering. That is, I wanted to show something interesting to these people.

During the recent charitable collection, the Khashiv team suggested that their audience not only get the opportunity to go with them on the hike for the largest Donat, but also to choose the region where the next expedition should take place

Third, there was a frantic heat. Fourth, we got into villages that were not villages but co-operatives and, accordingly, there was nothing interesting.

Therefore, after this expedition, I had a certain precipitate that not everything was possible, that something was bad, and it still bites me. In general, it seems to me that this expedition was the hardest for all times of our hikes.

About non -standard people’s reactions

During our shooting after 2022 it was different. In the first year of a full -scale invasion of us, the police were summoned, and the SBU arrested us, and the shopping center came after us. People treated us with great alarm, especially in the frontal territories, in particular in the south: we were not thrown in the basement, then they were put on the floor.

But when we came to the Donbas, on the contrary: we went to Bakhmut a few hundred meters from Russian positions, there were shooting fights near us. But the only thing we heard from the military is to keep ourselves and not stand under fire.

Now we are trying to coordinate all our shootings with military administrations. After all, we understand what time is now: somewhere in the training bases of the military, somewhere – air defense. And you can not know it banal about it and come by accident, even with the camera.

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About the « hide »

We create content that influences the formation of Ukrainian identity. People are constantly thank us for the fact that because of the catharsis they live during watching our videos, they have a love for Ukraine, and they already go to these villages themselves.

In addition, our videos bring financial benefits to the military. There are a number of units that we constantly help.

On the other hand, the military support our project. They created a large part of our financial pillow. Imagine? These are the people from the forefront who look us and who give us. This is the greatest reward for us, the greatest value.

And their chevrons are in general! When you are on the line of combat collision, and they remove them from the sleeves and say, « Guys, thank you for what you do! » – This is the most valuable for me.

Civilians also always approach the streets, thank you. And it is at this moment that I catch myself in the thought: « Wow, apparently, we really do something important in this life. »

Sofia Wednesday, UP