BLITZ INTERVIEW: Olha Mukha - philosopher, culture diplomat, curator and communicator - all for Ukraine.

"I never thought I was capable of hate. It appears that I am," the Lviv native says. Quoting Lesia Ukrainka: "To keep from crying, I laughed."

(photo credits: Oksana Kupets)

Where are you from? And where are you now? Doing what?

I'm from one of the most beautiful, inspiring, creative, and tastiest cities in the world—Lviv, the cultural capital of western Ukraine. Since 2018, I've been based in London, juggling multiple roles in cultural diplomacy and working as a senior strategist in strategic communications.

I also chair the Information and Educational Department at the "Territory of Terror" museum, curating exhibitions dedicated to sensitive topics that shed light on Ukraine's complex history. I'm honored to be a proud member of PEN Ukraine and a Member of the Executive Boards of the Global Ukrainian Scouts Organisation PLAST and the Women Writers Committee of PEN International.

What kind of studies and work did you do previously? Where?

My academic journey includes a PhD in Philosophy and an LLM focusing on constitutional law and human rights. I've worn multiple hats—from university professor to co-founding and Programme-directing the Ukrainian Association of Culturologists in Lviv and the UNESCO City of Literature Office, which I used to chair.

Later, I was a university professor at Lviv University and the Pedagogical University of Kyiv, teaching culture management, legal aspects within the culture market, and philosophical disciplines for over 15 years. I have curated a number of academic projects and exhibition formats and also consulted on the rebranding and development strategies of various cultural institutions.

As chairwoman and co-founder of the Lviv City of Literature UNESCO Office, my job was to represent Ukrainian literature abroad. It was a highly creative role - those years resulted in creating of "Basia" - a character with a literature-filled head that actually ended up becoming a mascot for Lviv as a City of Literature. I compiled and co-authored the illustrated literary-encyclopaedic guidebook "Lviv - City of Inspiration. Literature". Later, I served as Honorary Ambassador of Lviv (2020-2022)—a mission that will stay with me forever.

Between 2018 and 2023, I managed congresses, committees, and new centers for PEN International—from India and the Philippines to Mexico. Meanwhile, I hosted the #gentleukrainization podcast for Ukrainian radio in London and served as a Member of the CHYTOMO Expert Council.

How has the war in Ukraine changed your life? Changed you personally?

The war has made me...angry. I am very calm and eternally optimistic; I never thought I was capable of hate. It appears that I am.

My little daughter and I left Lviv on one of the last flights, visiting family for the holidays. We had just arrived from the airport, showered, and fallen asleep when a few hours later, I got a call from my Asian friend who had already woken up and watched the news - "it’s started.” Afterward, it was a week of 24/7 calls, actions, rallies, organizing, buying, and transferring—no single note in my diary. The first one was on March 1st: Dialogues on War, live. Episode 1 with Andrii Kurkov and Philippe Sands. It was the first of 43 episodes of DIALOGUES ON WAR—a series of conversations with the most prominent Ukrainian and international intellectuals. We gathered the voices of experts such as Francis Fukuyama, Margaret Atwood, Arundhati Roy, Olga Tokarczuk, Serhii Plohii, Edith Eger, and over 80 others. Later, we decided to publish them as a book—already published in Ukrainian and soon to be published in English by the Harvard University Research Institute.

(Packing bilingual book for kids in Ukraine, at Books Aid International, UK)

I've lost a number of friends—I'm not sure if we by now celebrate birthdays more often than we mourn losses. Among them - one of the heroines of the “Dialogues,” Viktoria Amelina, a dear friend and brilliant novelist and human being. This war took my uncle in 2015. It divided my family—we haven't spoken to those in Russia since the first missiles hit our grounds. But they never contacted us either.

What has surprised you most about Ukrainians these past couple of years? Good or bad?

Incredible resilience and ability to maintain a sense of humanity amidst unimaginable pain and adversity.

The last time I visited Mars Field in Lviv, I decided to go there at 7 a.m. to avoid meeting people. As I walked down along the field of graves, bringing flowers, candles, and books to Viktoria, Zhenia, Andrew, Yuri, another Andrew... I looked at those beautiful faces—all in their prime, talented, brave, and dignified. I recognized more people I knew but hadn't heard had already fallen—just not only public figures but also classmates, former co-workers, and neighbors.

Each row was visited by someone: widows, parents, children—they came there before school or work, to start their day with their closest and beloved. I had never witnessed such grief and pain concentrated in one beautiful place. And all of them left at 8 a.m. —to continue carrying out their roles. This is what surprised me. The amount of pain carried inside while being able to love, to joke, to work—and work efficiently and responsibly, despite all the blackouts, air raids, and missile strikes.

Do you know what made me cry most recently? The train from Kherson when announced, "We deeply apologize that we are 14 minutes late due to a massive ballistic missile shelling. But we appreciate your time and will try to make up for it." And they did.

I wish my London tube line could be like that.

(Talking Ukraine with Her Majesty the Queen, reception at St James Palace, 2024)

What are your plans?

I think the most popular answer from Ukrainians is "to survive." But I am aware of the privilege of living in the UK. However, since the full-scale invasion, I have probably spent more time in Ukraine than in the UK, and I will keep this pattern up as long as needed.

So my plans are to do more and scale it up. Recently I worked on the topic of the non-violent resistance of Ukrainians. Completed the "Unseen Force" exhibition, which reveals the incredible creativity and courage of Ukrainians in temporarily occupied territories. Reminding that Ukraine is not about the territories only, it's about its people. From the Yellow Ribbon movement to artistic interventions like Antik Danov's "I pretend" project, Ukrainians have shown remarkable ingenuity in resisting occupation. Who knew we had so many creative ways to say "No" to the invasion? I only learned about the "Angry Mavka" while researching it. It's like discovering a secret superpower we've had all along! Another big inspiration.

I try to share all those stories through diverse means: Diaries, art, installations, VR, labyrinth, and solidarity activities. These varied approaches allow me to reach different audiences and create immersive experiences that convey the complexity of Ukrainian resistance

(Opening speech at the UNSEEN FORCE Exhibition in Dnipro, December 2024)

The exhibition is touring around Ukraine: Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and the next opening is in Odesa. We were just contacted by a European Parliament representative who is interested in hosting it and considering other countries. Also, my plans involve completing a book on non-violent resistance and continuing to work on projects highlighting Ukraine's cultural resistance and resilience.

How do you see the war ending and Ukraine returning to a normal life?

What is "normal"? What can be "normal" after Bucha, Mariupol, and Izyum? I think we have lost our normality, for good and bad. The world will never be as before.

I envision the war ending with Ukraine's victory, followed by a period of intense cultural and social rebuilding. I'm particularly interested in exploring how cultural diplomacy can play a role in post-war reconstruction and reconciliation.

But this victory demands the fall of Russia as an empire, otherwise that would be only a pause—for a few years or more. But the world needs to understand that this war for our very existence has continued for hundreds of years, it's not even since 2014. I know the West is scared of this big fall as they were scared of the fall of the Soviet Union, but this is the only way, I'm afraid.

Tell us one thing you don’t think people abroad know about Ukraine—but they really should?

Laughing is our coping mechanism. I wear a hoodie with a quote from prominent Ukrainian poet Lesia Ukrainka: "To keep from crying, I laughed." Each of us has a whole stockpile of memes: for a counteroffensive, for nuclear war, for "casual" ballistics, and for intercontinental "nuts." Memes and mockery accompany every significant event.

Yes, we are brave, creative, hedonistic, cheerful warriors.

Want to win a Ukrainian's heart? Make them laugh. Oh, wait…