At Collegium Civitas we don’t shy away from difficult subjects. That is why on 18 October at the Studio bar the Collegium Civitas Chair of Journalism organized the first of a series of events entitled Poles, Ukrainians, Volhynia. Questions covered during the debate included how the film by Wojciech Smarzowski would affect historical imagination, how it would be received in both the Ukraine and Poland and whether it would influence our bilateral relations. The guest speaker of the event was the director Wojciech Smarzowski.
The film and theatre director, script writer and cinematographer Wojciech Smarzowski was our special guest for the first event. The central theme was Polish-Ukrainian relations as seen within the troubled historical context of both countries. The starting point of the discussion was the reception of Wojciech Smarzowski’s latest film entitled Wołyń (Volhynia), which has invoked many emotions in Poland and the Ukraine.
The discussion itself was passionate. The subject of the Volhynian massacre arouses a multitude of emotions to this day for many reasons. It has, over a long period of time, constituted a taboo, and for many Poles as well as Ukrainians this is a completely new subject. As a result, the creator of the film, who dedicated a few years of his life to the project, deserves our appreciation for his courage and tenacity. A lot of Ukrainian citizens, including in particular Collegium Civitas students, participated in the event and confronted this difficult subject in a spirit of remarkable openness.
Although the several-hour-long debate could not exhaust such a difficult and extensive topic, the majority of the participants appeared to share the view that a common agreement needs to be built on the basis of historical truth and facts, while maintaining respect for differing evaluations where strong feelings and emotions are concerned.
From the perspective of post-war history one should not forget the official long-lasting taboo in Polish and Ukrainian education that has hugely influenced our perception of the topic. Such difficult subjects require the damping down of emotions—and this can take place after historians have clearly described the truth of the events in question and after this established historiography filters through to the social consciousness. To a large extent this is already happening thanks to Wojciech Smarzowski.
Many participants expressed the view that Wojciech Smarzowski’s film is the best Polish film of the decade.
Panel experts joining the director in the debate comprised Prof. Michał Komar (writer, columnist, Collegium Civitas lecturer and deputy director of the Chair of Journalism) and Dr Karolina Wigura (head of the politics section of the online weekly Kultura Liberalna). The audience included many Collegium Civitas lecturers, students and graduates. The moderator for the evening was Łukasz Głombicki, a journalism graduate from Collegium Civitas and the current online manager at National Geographic.
The Facebook profile Nowe media i dziennikarstwo Collegium Civitas (CC New Media and Journalism) featured live reporting of the event, which can still be accessed. Anybody interested in the first debate is warmly invited to visit the Facebook page and watch it here.
You are also invited to read a brief report on the event in the weekly Polityka (Politics).
REDAKCJA (From the Editors) is a series of events organized by students and graduates in Journalism and New Media at Collegium Civitas. Through participation in these events, students learn about best practises in the comprehension and description of the world around us, as well as discovering various aspects of the methodology of the modern journalist as well as the ethics and responsibility that accompanies every creator and participant in public debate. The creation of REDAKCJA constitutes the conviction of the organizers that the quality of journalism is one of the most important challenges of the media in the future. These events are characterized by being open to anybody wishing to express their views.