– Our school has organised commemorations of the National Remembrance Day of the “Cursed Soldiers” for the third time – says Barbara Sykulska, a history teacher at II Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Janusza Korczaka in Bolesławiec. – We are passionate about contemporary history. We wanted to present the stories of people who were persecuted and murdered by the communist regime.
Students from the humanities classes had the opportunity to watch a multimedia presentation depicting the fate of the Cursed Soldiers. An exhibition devoted to the heroes of the anti-communist underground was also prepared.
The celebrations concluded with the debate “Cursed Soldiers – Communists”. The students who represented the latter position for the purposes of the debate stressed that it had been difficult to defend a lost cause. – The debate was very inspiring. I think taking part in it was a good idea – says Dawid Muniak. – Defending the communists’ point of view was very difficult, but I like such challenges – Justyna Jurkowskasays with a smile.
Kamil Rościszewski took part in the debate because he is interested in history, especially contemporary history. In the opinion of Karolina Tokarska, this is a much better and more interesting way to learn about Poland’s past: – Thanks to such meetings, we learn history from a slightly different perspective. It is not textbook knowledge; the information is presented in a more interesting form, so it reaches young people more effectively.
– Previously, I took part in the debate as a spectator; this time I was one of its participants. I consider myself a fervent patriot and would never want to represent the communists – Kacper Jędrzejewskisays with a laugh. – Historical awareness among young people is poor; it was destroyed during the Polish People’s Republic. Only recently have people begun talking about Katyń, and the Cursed Soldiers are once again gaining recognition. But if the number of initiatives of this kind increases, knowledge of history will improve.
– Every year we launch this initiative. Learning is more interesting when knowledge is not imposed on us from above – says Anna Szweda, who defended the cause of the Cursed Soldiers. – It is worth remembering these people because they made a very significant contribution to Poland’s history. They fought so that life would be better for us today. And they did not do it because anyone forced them to.
As Barbara Sykulska assures us, the history project will certainly continue.
(information: ii)