252 years after the birth of Robert Burns – voted in a 2009 poll the greatest Scot of all time – I attend two very different events on a snowy Kyiv evening to mark Burns night.
At the Gergel School in Pechersk, dozens of children of all ages in tartan-themed best clothes are celebrating in front of their proud parents with dance, poetry, songs and even a bold dramatisation of Tam O’Shanter. A band, including participants from the Isle of Skye, plays foot-tapping reels. The speed with which the children pick up dances such as the Gay Gordons, the Military Twostep and the Eightsome Reel leaves the adult participants (including me) standing. They seem to be tremendous language whizzes too: when I stand up to say a few words about education and English, 12 year-old Veronika Chernitska steps forward and interprets into Ukrainian for the parents with immense confidence and skill. Angela Gergel, head teacher, explains that the school regularly uses culture as an aid to language teaching. The results seem outstanding. I like the haggis, too.
Across town, the Pulse marketing agency is hosting a European Business Association networking evening with a “Scottish Night” theme, complete with a world champion piper flown in for the occasion from Scotland, a Macallan whisky-tasting stand and a raffle with numerous Scottish-themed prizes (notably a two-night stay at the Gleneagles Hotel Resort, including flights on Ukrainian International Airlines). The room is packed with over 300 business people, many in kilts, and in presentations and the prize draw we again commemorate Robert Burns, as well as publicising the forthcoming British Business Days in Ukraine. The evening culminates in renditions of “My Love is like a Red Red Rose” and other wistful Caledonian songs.
Following on from the recent St Andrew’s Night celebrations, it’s great to see Scottish soft power spreading its benign influence across Kyiv. If that helps Ukrainians of all ages understand more of what Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom are all about and encourage the learning of English, that’s terrific.