A humanist from Germany working to bring Europe closer to Ukraine.
I have known Frank Schruhl for a long time – as a very active and highly visible man about town, as well as one of the best-dressed men in Kyiv. At the same time, as is often the case, I had no idea what Frank was up to, or what he was investing his boundless energy in.
My appointment with Frank for this Word with… feature was a hastily arranged affair – what with the Easter holidays and the brewing political unrest derailing my work schedule – but Frank was full of understanding and accommodated me into his tight schedule.
After the usual pleasantries, I asked Frank about his work. With a twinkle in his eye and brimming with mirth, he answered: “You know, I am in the midst of organizing European Day May 19 in Kyiv. The snag is that we haven’t got the slightest clue, since our usual venue has already been taken over by rival camps as to where we would be able to pitch our tents for that day.” Then after a moment’s reflection, he added “Maybe side by side with them. After all, European Day here is all about promoting good neighborly policies.” Sure, he is not someone to be fazed by such slight inconveniences, and besides, Frank’s openness and his jovial exterior are his best assets.
Frank was born in East Berlin before the wall came down. “My father, being a doctor, often got posted in Africa and Asia. So, I spent my childhood in those faraway places. In that sense, even as a youngster, I knew that the world did not end at the German border.” He believes that his staunch support and commitment to Europe – countries without borders – stems from that early exposure to diverse countries and cultures.
Frank is quite dismissive about Euro-skeptics. “Europe is not about political union. It is about encouraging and helping other countries to integrate fundamental human values into their societies. It is about raising the standard of living in countries that are lagging behind in economic development. I certainly see Ukraine – though in economic development and civil-society building, the country still has a long way to go – as part of Europe, as a European nation.”
Frank’s love affair with Ukraine started in 1995. “At university, I studied information technology. Naturally, that led me to the communication field. In the 90s I was running an advertising and publishing company in Germany, with offices in Hungary and Russia. We also had an operation in Kyiv. But, during the 1998 financial crisis, I felt that my presence was needed here. I came over and I have, more or less, stayed here ever since.”
Frank has been the organizer and the force behind the European Day activities/festivities in Ukraine for five years running now. “You know, European Day is a public holiday in Ukraine now. Five years back, the Ukrainian public had very little understanding of Europe. Very few people had the means to travel abroad. Preconceived notions of Europe were the norm. I very much wanted to change that. And the logical thing to do was to bring over to Ukraine, even if only for a day, some of the prominent and tangible aspects of that cluster of nations called the European Union. Suddenly, the Ukrainian public had the opportunity to reach out and touch Europe – to walk into Greek or Spanish or German pavilions and taste the very diverse European cuisine; learn about language schools and educational possibilities; listen to live European bands. And it has only gotten better every year. Nowadays, not only member nations but also nations outside of the Union take part. And Ukrainian administrative branches too are getting more and more involved. What is planned for this year in Kyiv is more or less exactly what we had in Berlin as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the European Union.”
As I stated at the beginning, I had no notion of what or how Frank was engaging himself here in Kyiv – let alone that he had anything to do with the annual European Day festivities in Ukraine. But in less than an hour – the time that Frank could spare me for this chat – I learned that he is not only a full-fledged European, he is also a humanist and a man with a vision. He sincerely wants to see nations and communities around the globe strive and attain better standards of living and institute and assimilate fundamental human rights values into their societies as non-violable. Being an old-world humanist myself, I was more than pleased to come across a fellow human being with such honorable and laudable aspirations.
