By Stefan Wisniowski | Kresy-Siberia Foundation President
The celebrations related to the 85th anniversary of the Soviet aggression against Poland and the World Day of the Siberian Deportee were concluded with a two-day conference "Generations Remember". The Kresy-Siberia Foundation has decided again to organize the event in cooperation with the Sybir Menorial Museum.
The Kresy-Siberia Foundation was established in 2008 in Warsaw and brings together Siberian deportees, their children and grandchildren. Its activities focus on popularizing the fates of victims of Soviet repression and deportation. The conference is an opportunity to meet descendants of Kresowianie and Siberian deportees from all over the world.
This year, on September 17, we had the 85th anniversary of the Red Army's attack on the Polish State. We know that this attack initiated the Soviet occupation, initiated the entire system of repression, including four major deportations. The effect of these deportations was, among other things, that hundreds of thousands of people could not return to their own homes. Their descendants live in different parts of the world. The Sybir Menorial Museum is their place, where they can come - said the Director of the Museum, Prof. Wojciech Sleszynski.
A total of seven sessions were held on the first day of the conference. Participants could listen to incredible, moving stories told by descendants of our compatriots who survived the ordeal of World War II. The conference organized by the Kresy-Siberia Foundation in cooperation with the Museum of Memory of Siberia was an extraordinary opportunity to meet people who live in different parts of the world, but whose history began in Poland.
Conference participants had the opportunity to take part in a screening of four moving films. In between screenings, it was also possible to visit the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Memory of Siberia.
The first of the films presented, "Forgotten Odyssey" directed by Aneta Naszynska and Jagna Wright, is a pioneering documentary showing the fate of Poles exiled deep into the USSR, which inspired the creation of the Kresy-Siberia Foundation. The next, "Katyn. Last Witness" directed by Piotr Szkopiak, is a historical thriller inspired by the director's personal experiences. The next, "The Officer's Wife" directed by Piotr Uzarowicz, is based on the director's discoveries regarding the fate of his family, related to the Katyn crime. The last of the films shown, "Once My Mother" directed by Sophia Turkiewicz, is the director's personal journey in search of the truth about her mother's past.
All the presented productions are connected by the deep emotional relationship of the creators to the presented stories. Their presentation perfectly fit the theme of the conference and caused a lot of emotion among the participants. The conference was an excellent opportunity to listen to interesting lectures, participate in discussions and watch carefully selected films. We hope to meet again next year!
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By Anna Pacewicz | Chair
By Anna Pacewicz | Chair
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