Language itself should be a neutral issue; but it never is in the real world. Dimitri Bakanov is a London-based Ukrainian comedian. He is also a native Russian speaker, having lost the full fluency of his Ukrainian when he moved away with his family at the age of 11. When languages are tangled with identity, life throws in a big warfare on top of the existing nationalist tensions, things get complicated.
Dimitri talks about his accent (when he speaks English) that can fool other foreigners but remains nonetheless foreign in the ears of the Brits. Having come to the UK as a young child, he is no longer able to “do” an East European accent naturally. But he would not have even if he could, as explained in this episode.
The fairly anglicised accent of Dimitri’s also reflects a more westernised life style/value system, as he remarks on certain cultural differences between him and some other immigrants from Ukraine. The use of language becomes a more evident issue after the second Russian invasion of in 2022, as his native tongue is considered the language of the aggressor, the use of which is deemed unpatriotic by many of his compatriots.
Dimitri explains in this episode his curious and complex relationship with the land he was born in and left as a child and shares his thoughts why as a comedian, he does not mind having an irreverent persona on stage when talking about the war in Ukraine.
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Follow Dimitri in Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
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Intro
Anglicised pronunciation of Dimitri’s name
A Russian-speaking Ukrainian
An accent that non-native English speakers believe to be British but actual British people know it’s foreign
Incapable of doing “an East European” accent; timing of learning English
When native English speakers not knowing their language (eg your vs you’re) and foreign English learners getting too pedantic
Wouldn’t do a great East European accent even if he could
How comfortable Dimitri feels claiming the “Ukrainian comedian in the UK” label?
Cultural differences/clashes with some other Ukrainian immigrants
Do comedians “have to” explain their accents? Dimitri’s take
Strong Ukrainian accent when Dimitri speaks Russian
Impacts of Russian invasion on Dimitri’s comedy career and choices he made on stage
Not wishing to lecture the western audience the war support
Divided reactions from Ukrainian audience with the irreverent jokes
How Media fishes for someone to be on TV in the case of an invasion
Dimitri’s complex relationship with Ukraine
Dimitri’s complex relationship with the Ukrainian language
How the timeline of the Russian invasion is defined in western Media
Summary and caveats
Life goes on in Ukraine despite the war
Dimitri’s social media
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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
