Our journalist was invited to the high school to give talks. Teachers and students from the first- and second-year classes attended the meeting.
– It was a great pleasure to visit the second high school – says Grażyna Hanaf. – The principal, Mirosław Sakowski, the teachers and the students welcomed me very warmly. Women from the school inspectorate, who were assessing the school that day, also came to my talk. Both the exhibition and what I said during the presentation appealed greatly to both women – the author, pleased with their assessment, adds. The school also has an exhibition of photographs from Morocco presenting the book “Joachim”.
The central theme of the two talks was tolerance and acceptance. “Joachim” tells the story of a teenage boy who says he is gay. He comes to Bolesławiec for the holidays against his will. In our town, he discovers that liking and understanding himself is more difficult than the coming out he made in Wrocław.
– Presenting a book about one’s own town is a very interesting experience – says the writer. – The listeners know the events and places I wrote about, took part in Gliniada, know Blues nad Bobrem and have their own opinions and ideas about their town. I always listen to the room, and I am interested in the young people’s reaction to what I tell them. Most often, they comment aloud on the fact that the protagonist is gay, then fall silent when I tell them about him. They are interested in the story of Angelika, the blachara, and react to it vividly – Hanaf adds.
During the talks, our journalist also spoke about tolerance, which concerns not only people of a different sexual orientation, but also those who, for some reason, feel different, unwanted or rejected. In Gliniada, about which Hanaf writes, people with intellectual disabilities, Monar residents and all the book’s protagonists march in the parade, and each of them wants to be loved, respected and accepted as they are.
The actress would like to thank everyone for liking the “Joachim” fan page. On Grażyna Hanaf’s website, you can find all the information and reviews of the book “Joachim”.
(information: ii)