Ministry of Culture not considering cancellation of People's Artist and Merited Artist titles
The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine is not considering the issue of canceling the system of awarding honorary titles such as "People’s Artist of Ukraine" and "Merited Artist of Ukraine," but it will join the processing of this issue if there is a request from society.
"The Ministry is not considering the issue of canceling the system of state awards, in particular the awarding of honorary titles ‘People’s Artist of Ukraine’ and ‘Merited Artist of Ukraine.’ However, in case of a request from society regarding the need to review the system of state awards, the ministry will join the processing of the aforementioned issue," the Ministry of Culture said in response to an inquiry from the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
The department also reminded that the procedure for the functioning of the state award system is defined by the law "On State Awards of Ukraine," and specifically, the awarding is carried out by a decree of the president.
In this regard, the Ministry of Culture is not the administrator of information regarding the number of awarded honorary titles of "People’s Artist of Ukraine" and "Merited Artist of Ukraine."
As reported, on March 19, the Lviv Regional Puppet Theater stated that the system of honorary titles has Soviet origins and, in their opinion, does not correspond to modern approaches to evaluating art. The theater also called for a broader discussion on the expediency of preserving honorary titles in Ukraine. Additionally, they urged the Ministry of Culture to "hear the voice of the professional community" and consider the possibility of canceling the system of Soviet honorary titles at the state level.
