Barbara Sykulska and Małgorzata Matyjaszczuk carried out the “A Memory from Polish Bosnia” project together with classes IB and IIIB. During workshops at the school, the young people learned the basics of the Serbo-Croatian language and looked on a map of Bosnia for the towns from which their families had come.
“Many students at our school have roots in Bosnia and learned their grandparents’ language at home,” says historian Barbara Sykulska. “The aim of the project was to rediscover their roots in Bosnia and pass knowledge about their families’ history on to the younger generation. The entire project was also supported and prepared with us by Gordana Durdev-Małkiewicz from the Institute of Slavic Philology. She taught us the language and spoke about the customs and history of Bosnia,” the teacher adds.
The project concluded with a school ceremony held on December 4 at the Second Secondary School, with the participation of the Association of Reemigrants from Bosnia, Their Descendants and Friends in Bolesławiec. The ceremony featured the exhibition “Two Homelands in One Heart,” presenting the history of Poles living in former Yugoslavia.
“I would particularly like to invite residents of Bolesławiec and the surrounding area to this exhibition,” says Barbara Sykulska. “It is moving when people find their ancestors in the collected photographs and press materials.”
The ceremony at the Second Secondary School was enhanced by a performance from the Bolesławiec Land Song and Dance Ensemble, which presented traditional dances from Bosnia. The Second Secondary School also hosted county head Dariusz Kwaśniewski. Dr Gordana Durdev-Małkiewicz spoke during the meeting about the importance of multiculturalism and its power in shaping the identity of the Bolesławiec region.
The exhibition “Two Homelands in One Heart” can be viewed at the Second Secondary School on Dolne Młyny Street in Bolesławiec until December 22, 2014.
