Security remains tight at the Ukrainian embassy, with military-like guards opening the gates to let visitors into the building, which is decorated everywhere with sunflowers and pictures of sunflowers. Dressed in a colorful traditional embroidery, Ukrainian Ambassador Lyubov Abravitova said that she was not only the first female ambassador of her country to South Africa, but also the only female ambassador of Ukraine to Africa. “I have a huge collection of embroidery. I always wear them for important occasions,” she said. A vyshyvanka is a traditional hand-embroidered dress that a mother sews for her daughter when she turns 18, as a blessing and…
Security remains tight at the Ukrainian embassy, with military-like guards opening the gates to let visitors into the building, which is decorated everywhere with sunflowers and pictures of sunflowers.
Dressed in a colorful traditional embroidery, Ukrainian Ambassador Lyubov Abravitova said that she was not only the first female ambassador of her country to South Africa, but also the only female ambassador of Ukraine to Africa.
“I have a huge collection of embroidery. I always wear them for important occasions,” she said.
Vyshyvanka is a traditional hand-embroidered dress that a mother sews for her daughter at the age of 18 as a blessing and protection. “Some people call my work embroidery diplomacy,” she said.
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Abravitova was appointed ambassador in 2020 following the victory of President Uladzimir Zelensky in the 2019 elections.
“It was unprecedented in the history of Ukrainian diplomacy that the adviser was transferred to the ambassador,” she said.
Prior to that, Abravitova worked as a temporary chargé d’affaires of Ukraine in the SA, adviser of the embassy in Pretoria, adviser of the Middle East and Africa department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, press attaché of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and represented her country in Ottawa, Canada, Brussels in Belgium and Geneva in Switzerland.
“I wanted to represent my country”
“Diplomacy is about building bridges, not about breaking them,” she said.
Born and raised in Odessa, Ukraine, Abravitova earned a BA in International Relations from Odessa National University and an MA in Advanced Studies (European Security Issues) from the University of Geneva.
“I dreamed of becoming a diplomat since I was 16 years old. I wanted to represent my country,” she said. Abravitava noted that she was always interested in diplomatic protocols and ceremonies.
“I thought I could develop this bridge if I became a diplomat. That’s why I started to prepare by learning one Eastern language, Arabic, and English as a second foreign language,” she said.
She also speaks fluent French. “You either like new challenges, meeting new people and adapting to new countries, or you don’t,” she added.
While studying European security issues in 2015, Abravitava discovered a love for the African continent.
“It made me realize how poorly developed relations are between Ukraine and the African continent. They were right: once in Africa, forever in Africa,” she added.
After her studies, Abravitova was appointed adviser to the Middle East and Africa department, which made her responsible for relations in West Africa. Then she worked at the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of South Africa and is now responsible for 10 countries in the region.
South Africans are very friendly
Abravitava said that she loves people in South Africa.
“I believe that this is the greatest treasure of the country. People here are very kind, even though they have gone through so much pain in the past, and they are still trying to reconcile and live in a democratic country,” she said. She also enjoys traveling the country.
“I like the ocean and the bush. I want to go to the Karoo. I think it’s a very energetic place,” she said.
Abravitova is a single mother of two boys aged nine and five and a German shepherd named Pretoria.
“The children named the dog Pretoria. “People keep asking why we didn’t name her Jacaranda or Tshwane,” Abravitawa said.
She said she was learning Sepedi with her sons and added that she was given a Tshwana name.
“During a radio interview in Botswana, they asked what my name meant. My name means love, so they called me Lerato because it also means love in Tswana, so it was like a transcription.”
She is also learning Afrikaans and said she has a favorite word.
“I like the way you pronounce dis lekker. You can use it for everything from food to people. We pronounce R the same way as Afrikaans, so it’s very easy to learn. Dis baie lekker, she said.
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– marizkac@citizen.co.za
