RC#66: A democratic birthday party

published in Eastern Economist #461, December 5, 2002

I was pretty busy Friday night, thinking that I’d go off to Baraban as usual to frolic with friends. But about 20 to seven, Ilko called me at work and said, “Be there or be square, bud. We have a party tonight!”

            I’d completely forgotten Democratic Initiatives was celebrating their 10th anniversary. Enough time has gone by for quite a few people and organizations to be turning 10 in Ukraine, I thought. And these guys have some serious milestones to their credit.

            Like the first exit poll at an election in Ukraine. That was during the last election to the Verkhovna Rada, back in 1998. There’ve been two more elections since then, and DI’s been busy little bees. (The only national elections before that were four years earlier, when the technology and legislation weren’t in place to handle exit polls.)

            I got to the Hotel Kyiv just as things were really getting into swing. A band was playing, flowers everywhere, and a couple of hundred people scarfing food. I heard someone complain that they felt underdressed. Looking at my own fairly tired sweater and wrinkled trousers, I shrugged. If they’re underdressed, I’m Joe Hobo, I thought. Do I care?

            A happy Ilko was already making his speech.

            “I never planned to be president of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation,” he said, “but here we are, 10 years later.”

            Glasses clinked right and left although no one had actually made a toast yet. That honor went to Les, a playwright and a deputy since before Ukraine even became independent. Les is one of the people who helped the Foundation get going. A fine, square-jawed lad from Kyivska oblast who’s real name is Leonid, oddly enough. (Usually Les is short for Oles, which is less short for Oleksandr in Ukrainian. Sasha is the Russian variant.)

            “DI was formed after the honeymoon of achieving independence was over in Ukraine,” said Les, raising his glass. “Its initiatives have been both democratic and…interesting. Here’s the first toast!”

            Les later introduced me to Serhiy, one of the first people EE worked with, too, back in 1994 – before my time – when he began to operate a small news agency called UNIAR. Serhiy’s drifted on to bigger and better things since then.

            The head of SOCIS Ukraine, Gallup’s partner, presented Ilko with a handsome wall clock and kidded him that things at Democratic Initiatives always run on time. “Even if we do the polling and surveys together,” he said. “the initiative is really always from DI.”

            Bouncing in the door came Mykola, a man with a plan, if I ever saw one. “I love you guys, I think you’re great,” he told Yevhen from the Committee of Voters of Ukraine. “But my committee’s upset with what’s going on with the press in the regions. We’re ready tackle this with any other organization that’s ready to deal with press freedom issues in the oblasts.”

            “No politics, Kolya, this is a PARTY!” said someone, pressing a shot glass into his hand.

            “Yeah, yeah. I’m only going to do 25 grams tonight anyway. I’ve gotta play tennis tomorrow morning.”

            “Tennis?” Outside, it was getting mighty cold and I couldn’t imagine any indoor courts being particularly well heated.

            “Yeah, we’ve got a tournament going among the deputies… just a friendly thing.”

            Just then a bubbly brunette with orange streaks in her hair came up. Inna runs the Europe XXI Foundation, another NGO. Somebody had hauled out a camera, and soon a bunch of partygoers gathered around to pose. Inna towered a head taller than Mykola. I thought they looked kinda cute.

            Liubko, one of those diehard Canadians working on a UN clean-up project, was getting into the band, glass in hand. The boys were playing some rock ’n’ roll classics. “You know, this country has great talent,” he said to me, “particularly the musicians.” He was right. The guys even had the accents down, and all the nuances.

            Somebody’s girlfriend wandered over, another Canadian.

            “They really don’t have much of a vegetarian culture here,” she complained, looking at a sea of canapés with smothered in kovbasa, salo and liver paté.

            Personally, I wasn’t having too hard a time of it. I rather liked the paté.

            “But it’s getting better,” said Liubko, consolingly. “And there’s definitely a drinking culture,” he said sweeping his hand at a table-full of Nemiroff, champagnske and wine bottles.

            “You know?” Ksenia piped in, who freelances as a translator, “I was in the Karpaty with some Scottish friends this summer, both of them vegetarians, and we all went out for dinner with a bunch of the locals I know. Afterwards, Rachel said she was amazed that no one at the table had ordered a single meat dish the entire evening.”

            “You’re kidding! What did they order?”

            “Well, we had borscht, salads, varenyky, banosh, and a bunch of different mushroom dishes,” said Ksenia. “I have to admit, I didn’t even notice it until Rachel pointed it out.”

            About an hour later, I noticed Mykola doing his fifth 25 grams with yet another partier… He was definitely unwinding, and I had the feeling his game would be pretty loose the next morning.

            Just then Vlad from the Freedom of Choice Coalition came by and Inna offered him a drink. “Naah, just give me a juice. Advent’s already started.” Everybody rolled their eyes and Inna got him the juice.

            That was my cue to go home before I was too soused to find my way. Happy Birthday, DI! •