Rebuilding Ukraine’s future with music and memory

Sophia Ibrahim | 9th October 2025 | International, Kyiv, Uncategorised
e97bdda2-51b8-4f6d-99d8-358f0272d6ee

As Ukraine rebuilds from war, music is emerging as a vital force for healing, unity and national renewal.

As Europe turns its attention to the colossal task of rebuilding Ukraine, the emphasis has largely been placed on physical infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and housing. Yet the deeper challenge lies in restoring a fractured social fabric. For Ukraine’s long-term stability, arts and culture must be elevated from a luxury to a central component of reconstruction policy. Music offers a powerful case study of how culture can cultivate social cohesion, resilience and democratic values. In the corridors of Brussels and Kyiv, aid packages often prioritise tangible deliverables. But culture, and music in particular, should be seen as social infrastructure rather than decoration. Music bridges linguistic divides, heals trauma and reweaves the bonds between communities fractured by conflict. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education and Culture and UNESCO are well positioned to provide leadership in this area. Embedding culture into recovery plans would transform it from...

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



Business under pressure: What Ukraine’s resilience reveals about Britain’s new security risks

Anna Bryzhko | October 8, 2026

As Britain brings business leaders into Whitehall for briefings on Russian threats, Ukraine offers an extreme case study in how companies keep operating when power, logistics and digital

The legal war over Russia’s frozen billions 

Ella Beadman | October 7, 2026

Russia has opened a new legal front against the EU over its frozen sovereign reserves.

Kaliningrad Is Where Putin Is Testing Europe’s Defences

Azeem Ibrahim OBE | October 6, 2026

Europe may already be entering a new phase of confrontation with Russia, one in which the distinction between peace and conflict becomes increasingly difficult to identify.

We need to talk about Kemi

Mace | October 5, 2026

In contrast to last year's Tory conference, Kemi Badenoch is coming out guns blazing, not the least when it comes to defence, says Flora Watkins

From battlefield to export market: Ukraine wants to turn wartime technology into a global industry

Anna Bryzhko | October 1, 2026

Ukraine’s wartime technology sector is moving beyond the battlefield, as the government looks to turn advances in defence tech, AI and digital infrastructure into exports, investment and international

Britain’s growing role in Ukraine’s reconstruction: From wartime aid to business opportunities

Anna Bryzhko | September 29, 2026

As the UK commits further funding to Ukraine’s reconstruction, British companies are expanding their involvement in energy, finance and defence, creating new opportunities for long-term economic cooperation.

Markus Leutert, Corporate Affairs, PerkinElmer – “Focus on outcomes, rather than outputs”

Mace | September 29, 2026

Leutert's career has included moments close to politics, including time as a speechwriter, but he concluded that he can have more impact behind the scenes.

Leader in UK Public Affairs: Dr Michelle Howard, Senior Advisor for Defence and Space, Lexington Communications: “The future of public affairs is full of promise for the creative”

Mace | September 16, 2026

Lexington’s Michelle Howard explains how an unconventional career spanning opera, journalism, hydropower and defence led her into public affairs, why political instability rewards creativity and listening, and what

Burnham went to Kyiv. Now comes the harder journey to Washington

Andriy Dovbenko | September 16, 2026

The Prime Minister’s first foreign visit was a welcome act of solidarity. But for Ukraine, British friendship will be judged by whether it can help unlock the air

Why AfD’s election win in Saxony-Anhalt has upended the political consensus in Germany

James Jeffrey | September 14, 2026

After walking through Saxony, James Jeffrey is not surprised by the AfD’s dramatic election win in Germany.