For the past 17 years, the Tallinn Music Week (TMW) festival and conference has provided a platform for artists from across the world to showcase not only their latest music but also their unique cultures and identities. Given recent headlines, it's no surprise that at this year's edition, the intermingling of politics and culture often took center stage.

"Opening up the news lately is a shock," said TMW Head Organizer Helen Sildna in her opening speech. Calling for more acts of "radical kindness" to help navigate these difficult times, Sildna added that perhaps now more than ever, "we need to make sure the values of democracy are held high."

Part of that means giving the spotlight at TMW to countries like Taiwan, Palestine and Ukraine, whose voices often get drowned out amid the noise.

"Some may wonder why Ukraine invests so much in culture while fighting a war," said Ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia Maksym Kononenko in his own opening speech. "But Ukraine is not just defending its territory, it is defending its voice. Ukrainian musicians now are not just surviving the war, they are defending something far greater than themselves – a culture, a voice, a future."

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Ambassador Kononenko left the stage to a standing ovation.

He had described Ukraine's prominence on the bill at TMW as "an act of solidarity – a moment for Estonia, for Europe, and the whole world to witness the resilience, depth and beauty of a culture that refuses to be silent."

Living in Estonia it can sometimes be easy to take awareness of Ukraine's struggle and the need to provide support for granted. But listening to the comments from those in the audience was a timely reminder of the need to keep sharing that message even further afield.

The next day, I speak to Iryna Lobanok, music program manager at the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Institute. She tells me that when Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022, festivals around the world began booking more Ukrainian musicians and artists, as the international community extended its sympathy.

 "At first, we were just screaming 'we are here,'" Lobanok says, adding that Ukrainian acts were getting booked to play at more festivals because "people felt sorry for us."

"That was okay, of course. But over time, I realized that we cannot just keep running on that," Lobanok explains. As the war continued, the approaches taken by the Ukrainian Institute and other cultural organisations to make sure Ukrainian voices were being heard, had to change.

Lobanok says it became about persuading people "not just to book us because we are 'poor Ukrainians,' but because we have worthy music. We exist and want to be loud about ourselves."

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In his opening address, Ambassador Kononenko had spoken, too, of the Ukrainian cultural scene experiencing a renaissance and "brimming with fresh energy." The "shadow of death" hanging over Ukraine has sparked a newfound fearlessness among its artists and musicians to create, he said.

Lobanok echoed that sentiment. The war has led Ukrainians to look at themselves and their own culture in a fresh new light, she tells me. Russia's full-scale invasion has led more and more Ukrainians to delve deeper into their own roots. One of the routes they've taken is through exploring their country's rich repertoire of folk music.

"You know, it's usually the ageing population who are most interested in that," Lobanok laughs. "But now, in Ukraine, it's really young people, who are 15 or 20 years old. They are super interested in folk music – it's like a phenomenon."

However, the increasing love of folk among Ukrainian youth is not just about the music itself. Growing up against the backdrop of war, young Ukrainians now have "so many questions" about what's going on, Lobanok says.

"They want to know 'why are we being attacked?' Why are we a threat to Russia?' And to answer those questions, you have to look deep, find out about our history and how we were oppressed."

The presence of Ukrainian acts with strong folk influences, like Maryana Klochko, and Hraybery at TMW, she adds, "is not just about showing Europeans and other people around the world what we have – it's also showing us, as Ukrainians, who we are."

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When it comes to showing people what Ukraine is all about, in places like Estonia, there's already plenty of prior understanding.

"We share a similar history of being under the U.S.S.R.," Lobanok says. "We feel really welcome here and understood. But the further west you go, the more we have to start explaining Ukrainian history [to people] from the very beginning."

She admits, particularly in the early days after the full-scale invasion, that the general lack of awareness about Ukraine in Western Europe surprised her. Over time, however, she's come to accept that and sees spreading Ukraine's message as a key part of her role.

At TMW, Lobanok participates in a panel discussion with speakers from Taiwan and Palestine, two other countries that, like Ukraine, are striving to assert their cultural identity and have their voices heard. "We share some things in common and we have some differences. But we all feel one another because we are in a really similar boat," Lobanok says.

Not that all event organizers are quite so sensitive to such issues.

Soon after the full-scale war began, Lobanok says during the panel, some decided to put Ukrainian and Russian bands on the same stage at festivals. Others invited Ukrainian and Russian speakers to talk on the same panels at conferences.

"It was like 'I'm just going to put you two [a Russian and a Ukrainian] on the panel. You will become friends, and the war will be over,'" she sighs. "But it's never like that."

"It feels condescending, like you're a toy in people's arms. Putting the aggressor and the victim on the same stage to discuss things is the same as putting a rapist and the person they raped on the same stage – it's not normal."

"Maybe they actually want to do a good thing," Lobanok says, pointing out that most people who organize events like that do not have bad intentions.

"But if you don't know whether [something like that] is okay, you can always consult with the Ukrainian Institute, music experts from Ukraine or other institutions from Ukraine. In all these discussions, it's really important to involve the institutions from Ukraine."

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While Ukraine's place at this year's Tallinn Music Week was even more prominent than before, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukrainian music and culture have been key features of both TMW and its sister festival Station Narva.

In May 2022, TMW even moved to Narva – the predominantly Russian-speaking city on Estonia's eastern border where "Europe Begins" – as an act of solidarity with Ukraine.

Iryna Lobanok attended on that occasion too. She admits to feeling uneasy at being in such close proximity to Russia so soon after the invasion began. Seeing a train carriage on the other side of the border fence with the phrase "Russian World" ("Russkiy Mir") written on it was particularly triggering.

"But I think it was a really bold move to do it," she says of bringing TMW to Estonia's border with Russia. "We came as close as possible [to Russia] and [decided] we're going to celebrate here and not be afraid of you. That's what I felt anyway."

***

Even in the increasingly tumultuous world we find ourselves in in 2025, music's capacity to provide a temporary moment of escape remains unrivalled. But, as Ambassador Kononenko points out from the stage at Tallinn Music Week, for Ukrainians, it can also be a way of "reminding us of who we are and what connects us."

"If we lose what binds us as a nation, if we allow the emotional ties between us to fade – the ones created through literature, painting, and music – we will have lost this war without a single shot being fired."

Ukraine's continued participation in cultural events like TMW is one small step toward ensuring those ties remain strong – and new ones are forged with the international community, through music.

"Of course, we also have to recognize that people get tired of the news," Iryna Lobanok of the Ukrainian Institute tells me. "Ukraine has been there for 3 years, and some people are tired of us not dealing with [the problem].

"[They ask] 'why couldn't you defeat Russia in 3 years?' It's very exhausting. But knowing our capacities and the Russian capacities, the fact that Russia hasn't defeated Ukraine is already something."

"You know, Ukraine got its independence in 1991," Lobanok says. "But that was only on paper. I think it's only now we're really starting to find our voice."

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