Zabuzhko has spoken out about the scandal surrounding Martynovska from 'MasterChef'
The writer posted about this on her Facebook page.
What Oksana Zabuzhko said
Commenting on the situation, Oksana Zabuzhko stated that the problem is much broader than a single scandal surrounding a television broadcast. The writer drew a parallel with Panas Myrny’s novel *Do Oxen Low When the Manger Is Full?* and the character of Chypka Varenychenko. She recalled that Ukrainian classics as far back as the 19th century addressed the theme of childhood cruelty as one of the warning signs in the formation of personality. According to Zabuzhko, it is precisely such literary characters that should form part of our shared cultural memory.
“For me, the whole point of studying Mirnyi at school was that one thing stuck with me firmly and forever: ‘he tormented a cat — 20 years later he became a gangster’,” she wrote.
Why the writer mentioned Russification
Zabuzhko noted that Ukrainian society often remembers characters from Russian literature better than its own classical heroes. In her view, when one’s own cultural symbols and examples cease to be recognisable, society loses important points of reference. It is precisely this phenomenon that the writer called a manifestation of Russification — even when people speak Ukrainian. She emphasised that Ukrainian classics are important not only as part of the school curriculum, but as a way of passing on experience and values between generations.
What is known about the controversial statement by the ‘MasterChef’ judge
The scandal surrounding Olga Martynovska arose following her interview with Masha Efrosinina. During the conversation, the chef recalled childhood stories about treating cats, including remarks that she allegedly “threw cats over the roof” and “tied firecrackers to their tails”. This excerpt quickly spread across social media and drew criticism from users. Part of the audience was outraged not only by the words themselves, but also by the tone in which the story was told. Later, Yefrosinina explained that it was an unfortunate exaggeration rather than a description of actual events, and stated that neither she nor Martynovska condone cruelty to animals. The clip was removed from the episode.
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