Involving the community in creating events is always exciting and rewarding. You can never predict the ideas participants will bring to make a project shine, and the results can often surprise you. This was precisely what happened during the preparation of our The Secret of Success exhibition when Ukrainian author Anna Molman suggested writing a fairy tale for the event. Her story, Secret of Success, tied together all the artwork created by other participants into one captivating adventure and gave the name to the entire exhibition.
Like many other Ukrainians in North Ayrshire, Anna came to Scotland, fleeing the war in her homeland. Her first goal was to find a job and contribute to the well-being of the sheltering community. However, she understood that her ten novels, written in Ukraine, couldn’t yet be part of that contribution. To reach a UK audience, she needed to improve her English to the level required of a UK author and translate her fiction first. That’s why she found work as an interpreter, helping fellow Ukrainians find employment while working toward her dream of writing for English-speaking readers.
Anna was one of the first to offer help in creating the exhibition but had some doubts. She thought we might not consider her fairy tale for this event, focusing on artwork. However, this is a cultural project, where all kinds of arts are welcome. The Museum’s Community Engagement & Development Officer Jennifer Pless, supported Anna’s idea and provided her with all the necessary details for the story. And that’s how the Secret of Success fairy tale was born and written down in both English and Ukrainian.
Once upon a time, in the realm of feelings and emotions, lived Love and Friendship. They looked after people and enjoyed helping humanity grow in number and develop civilisation. Their portfolios contained various cases—big and small, majestic and simple—each equally dear and important to Love and Friendship.
One day, Friendship visited Love in her tiny, cosy house filled with wonderful flowers. Giving Love another exotic plant for her greenhouse, he said, “I came for your advice if you don’t mind.”
“Of course!” Love studied his gift with a happy expression in her eyes. She adored plants. She adored every living entity as she was Love. “You know that I’m always glad to help.”
“I’m looking after a multicultural group of people now,” Friendship started. “They all live in a small town and have many good ideas and projects to implement, but they also have doubts, fearing their cultural differences could prevent them from understanding each other. I found some interesting information. They say there was a sailor who saw every sea in the world and worked with different people during his journeys. His diary contains the secret of succeeding in every task and mission. The diary was divided into pages, and different people now protect each part placed somewhere along his last route from Glasgow to Odessa. I don’t know which part of the diary contains the secret. What would you advise me?”
“To pack your luggage, of course!” Love exclaimed enthusiastically. “I’ll go with you! I’m fond of secrets, especially good ones.”
“Oh, thank you! I hoped you would say that. I know where to look for the parts of the diary. We have to start from Glasgow. They create the best ships there, and we will definitely need one.”
They packed their luggage, bought the lightest and safest yacht in the world, filled its sail with Inspiration and Cooperation, and started their magical journey…
Do the intrepid adventurers find their Secret of Success? You’ll need to visit the exhibition and listen to the audio versions of Anna Molman’s fairy tale to find the answer. The event will be on display in the Scottish Maritime Museum from the 3rd – 31st of October 2024.
The audio of Anna’s fairy tale is also available at this link in both English and Ukrainian. The Secret of Success
