The schizophrenia is at its worst at events held at either Andy Warhol museum, whether in Pittsburgh or in Medzilaborce, where little girls dressed in national costume do the ancient folk dances in front of the avant garde works of Warhol. Clearly there is a problem.

The most significant function of the Rusyn-language press is to convey information to the Rusyn community in its native language. However, recently it has begun to widen its scope, take more risks and search for a middle ground between the folk culture and Warhol.

Surprisingly modern themes such as drugs, sex and complex, emotional politics have begun to pop up regularly in the Rusyn-language press in Europe. And aside from the significance this has for Rusyn culture, it also clearly demonstrates the breadth of the Rusyn language.

Here, it must be said that even in its present form, shattered into two literary standards and several dialects used in print, Rusyn can clearly function on many levels and express a range of thought and emotion similar to more well-established languages. The most recent addition to the Rusyn-language press, Yugoslavia’s MAK, together with the excerpts from the book of Rusyn erotica Bytangüs’ki Spüvankŷ published last year in Ukraine’s Rusyns’ka Bysjida fly in the faces of critics who call the Rusyn dialects useful around the house, but worthless for serious discussion.

Add to that the numerous examples of reciprocity among the various literary standards and non-standardized dialects, such as the fact that Slovakia’s Rusyn publishes materials in whichever version of Rusyn they are submitted. For these reasons, one can confidently call Rusyn a language in its own right, even if it may not conform to general standards.

Reaching out to young people

The Rusyn-language press is not only proving the worth of its language, but also striving to include young people – one of the major goals the World Congress of Rusyns set for itself last October in Prague. While Rusyns’ka Bysjida’s tactic of publishing erotica on its front page could be construed as an attempt to reach out to Rusyn youths, MAK is clearly not only trying to reach out to young people, but is excelling.

Promising signs are also coming from Slovakia as well. Narodnŷ Novynkŷ has published a quarterly supplement called Rusalka (The Nymph) since October 2000 geared to the younger audience. Though only two-pages and not particularly exciting, the newly formed Association of Rusyn Youth of Slovakia is planning to expand it into its official publication. A revamped Rusalka will be a welcome addition to the Rusyn-language press not only in Slovakia but all over the world.

One major way the Rusyn media is reaching out to young people is via the internet. Although theoretically Rusyn-language websites are accessible to anyone with an internet connection, the majority of users come from the younger generation. The Rusyn Society of North America’s Hlasnjik is available on the internet, as are Rusyn-language publications from Hungary, Slovakia and Yugoslavia. The Carpatho-Rusyn Society’s English-language magazine The New Rusyn Times also has a modest presence on the internet.

The most impressive Rusyn media website is actually not related to a publication. The Ruska Internet Radio Stanjica (Rusyn Internet Radio Station, RIRS) marked its second anniversary in April 2003. RIRS is the world’s first exclusively Rusyn-language radio station, though it exists only on the internet. Along with folk and traditional music, RIRS also broadcasts news reports culled from Novi Sad’s Ruske Slovo, Radio-Television Novi Sad and Slovakia’s Radio Prešov each weekend.

In the first issue of MAK, one of the most internet-savvy of all Rusyns, Gavrijil Koljesar, said that the significance of the internet to the Rusyns is the fact that it has made Rusyn-language materials available to anyone with an internet connection anywhere in the world. The internet in this way has become a major part of the lives of young Rusyns living abroad who want to maintain contact with their roots. This is therefore one of the Rusyns’ – and other small and dispersed groups’ – greatest weapons against the process of assimilation.

Breaking new ground

The Rusyn-language press is breaking new ground both in form and content. This series intends to explore how the press is taking the lead in challenging perceptions of Rusyn culture by exploring its fringes and delving into taboos. A middle ground does exist between the Rusyn folk culture and the cult of Andy Warhol, and it is full of political satire, erotica, films and pop music. The press is laying the groundwork, it is now up to Rusyns around the world to grab the baton and run!

bp@rusynmedia.org
December 20, 2002

Links

Dzvoni

Hlasnjik

Narodnŷ Novynkŷ

New Rusyn Times

Novi MAK

Ruska Internet Radio Stanjica

Ruske Slovo

Rusyn

Vsederžavnŷj Rusynskŷj Visnyk

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