The meeting was dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the library.
A showman, collector, TV personality, civil servant, and musician, his role changes almost instantly depending on the situation. It's difficult for him to be ordinary, because he maintains versatility in any situation.
Yurii Liubarov, head of the Department for Culture and Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Mykolaiv City Council, experimented in the theater, devoted a large part of his life to Ukrainian show business, and worked on television for twenty-five years. Yurii Iosypovych recalls each of the above stages with special warmth in his voice. Behind all this are not just memories, but the fates of people, friends with whom he still maintains business and friendly relations today. But each period has its own time, priorities, plans, and moods.
"It's not that I regret those times. But I remember those periods with warmth. The people with whom fate brought me together. And we are still friends with them, they are my friends," recalls Yurii Liubarov.
With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, he radically changed his own vector of activity. After February 24, 2022, and this is what Mykolaiv writer Hanna Polovenko writes in her first book about, Yurii Liubarov completely immersed himself in volunteer activities in the Ukrainian Red Cross team.
"It was such a necessity. I have been teaching the topic "Volunteering in Ukraine" for a year in a row. I became interested in it after I immersed myself in it personally. I also became interested in the theoretical part. Why do people become volunteers, how does it happen, what volunteering is in general. And I say - volunteering is when a person feels the need to do something.
Especially in such difficult times. A person has three types of reactions to a difficult situation - fight, run or die. I didn't want to die, I didn't want to run away from the city and the country either. And all that remained was to fight. It is possible to enter into battle when you take up arms. Or you help other people. This is also a kind of battle," Yurii Liubarov shares his emotions.
Today, his songs help raise funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Yurii Iosypovych's works are performed during Charity Concerts, performed by theater and film actor Mykhailo Zhonin, accompanied by the band "Vidverti Rozmovy". To implement the project, he translated part of the Russian-language repertoire and wrote several new texts in Ukrainian.
"Because I like it. We have similar tonalities with him. And he understands what it is, in what style I write. I'm pleased that he sings these songs, that he likes it," the author emphasizes.
A common, special view of humor and life at one time united Yuriii Liubarov with Viacheslav Simchenko, director of the Mykolaiv Diesel Locomotive Repair Plant, who died prematurely due to coronavirus. This incredible duo created real miracles. Together they began the transformation of the children's town "Kazka", invented bizarre song motifs. Together they were ready to move mountains to improve their native Mykolaiv.
"Not only me, today the city and the country miss Slava. Because he was exactly the kind of person who didn't ask what he could do. He simply did it. Yes, a cheerful and kind person. And unfortunately, he died early. He was fifty years old when he passed away," Yurii Liubarov sighs sadly.
But the joy of Yurii Iosypovych's whole life is collecting. He began collecting artifacts directly related to Mykolaiv more than twenty years ago. Having tried once, he could never refuse to buy something again. And no distance was an obstacle for it. He searched for badges, documents and postcards, photographs and books at auctions all over the world. The time will come when Yurii Liubarov will demonstrate these objects to the general public. In the dreams of the head of the Department for Culture and Protection of Cultural Heritage is to create his own small museum.
"Maybe someday... a dream is something that you don't need to achieve. It's something you need to go for. And the dream is to create a museum of everyday life. Of Mykolaiv everyday life. What people used, what they ate, how they wrote. But everything that concerns Mykolaiv. Such a daily museum of the city. As there is a museum of one street, one house, one surname. Maybe someday it will come true . Let's see," - expresses hope Yurii Liubarov.
Yurii Liubarov can talk non-stop about theatrical experiments, communication with stars during numerous festivals, work on television and today's collaboration with Mykhailo Zhonin, his passion for antiques. For almost an hour and a half a cozy atmosphere of friendly communication reigned in the film lecture hall of the Central City Library named after M.L. Kropyvnytskyi. Long after the official part ended, people did not disperse, took pictures and listened to the showman, collector, television personality, civil servant and musician Yurii Liubarov.
