An open lecture "Ecocide as a challenge of modernity and a manifestation of the existential crisis of mankind in German-language and Ukrainian dramaturgy" was given by Nataliia Yuhan, Professor of the Department of Literary Studies, Oriental Philology and Translation, acting Head of the Department of Romano-Germanic Philology at Taras Shevchenko Lugansk National University (Poltava, Ukraine), Intern of the Institute of German studies at Henry Heine Dusseldorf University (Dusseldorf, Germany). The lecture was held in the conference hall (room 1-0130) of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design on April 2, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. Teachers and applicants of the Department of Philology and Translation of the Institute of Law and Modern Technologies, as well as pedagogical staff of Taras Shevchenko Lugansk National University (Poltava, Ukraine), attended the lecture and joined the meeting remotely. The event was moderated by the Head of the Department of Philology and Translation, Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor Yelizaveta Isakova and Associate Professor of the Department of Philology and Translation, Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor Svetlana Dvorianchikova.

Nataliia Yuhan introduced the main questions of the lecture to the audience, revealed the essence of the concept of ecocide and features of its reflection in modern dramaturgy, told about the Anthropocene Theater in Berlin, that is an experimental and educational theater platform, characterized the climatic trilogy of the Austrian playwright Thomas Köck, the play about Chernobyl catastrophe "At the beginning and at the end of time" by Pavlo Aryeh and the works of modern Ukrainian playwrights about the horrors of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Ecocide is the mass destruction of animals and plants, poisoning of the atmosphere or water resources, as well as the committing other actions that can cause an ecological disaster. The anthropocene is now understood as a geological epoch in which the level of human activity plays a significant role in the Earth's ecosystem. Human activity in this geological era has become the main factor influencing the planet, in particular through ecological disasters and ecocide.

The audience was interested in the study of diverse works of foreign and Ukrainian authors, which are based on the plots of the anthropocene: showing large-scale catastrophes and their impact on people's lives, revealing the symbolism of species extinction as a metaphor of the loss of harmony, and reflection on the moral and ethical aspects of human activity. The lecturer invited the listeners to immerse themselves in this type of the modern theater, which is based on the principles of interactivity, scientific and aesthetic expressiveness.

At the end of the meeting, the lecturer invited the audience to reflect on the powerful literary and aesthetic potential of contemporary dramatic works that illustrate the scale and complexity of the problem of ecocide.

The lecture by Natalia Yugan informed the listeners with the latest trends in the development of world and Ukrainian literature, contemporary works, the search for artistic solutions to actual complex problems.

08.04.2025