29 - 31/07/2021
At the Forum, we will ask ourselves how to start afresh in post-pandemic Europe and in the face of a crisis of confidence in European integration institutions. We will consider whether the successful historical experiences of international reconciliation, such as the Poles and Germans’ path after the Second World War, can serve as inspiration for the resolution of current and future conflicts in the world. We will look at the post-war history of Wrocław and the Polish Western Territories, seeking historical patterns of how great human communities started over again.
During the 1st edition we have entered the online world, opening up a platform for debate on today’s major challenges and dilemmas. We have invited the greatest minds of our time, intellectuals and social leaders from Poland and worldwide.
Edith Stein’s house at ul. Nowowiejska 38 in Wrocław is a unique place on the map of the capital of Lower Silesia. In the years 1910-1933, it was inhabited by Edith Stein – later Teresa Benedict of the Cross, proclaimed co-patron of Europe by John Paul II after her death.
Welcoming the guests
The Nagorno-Karabakh war, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the situation in Belarus… The end or the renewal of the European Union project? Migration crisis, climate crisis, economic crisis, recovery plan. How to start again after the pandemic? All these topics will be discussed.
Moderated by: Paulina Bednarz-Łuczewska
Speakers: Simone Zoppellaro, Nikolaj Iwanow, Łukasz Adamski Andreja Valič Zver
“Otherness” should not be associated with fear. Ziad, Valentina, Rinku and Gregor prove it in the film “Beyond Very Own Limits”. Each of them works day by day to build local society on the most essential level and break barriers of exclusion while discovering personal independence. Wroclaw, the place they call home today, as the fifth character on the screen, is their friend and enemy at the same time.
Film protagonists have met with the most crucial choice: whether to act or wait for the acceptance. A Scottish journalist who helps expatriates find their way in the nuances of Polish reality, a teacher from Ukraine who leads an international jazz band, a sociologist from Syria, who meets people during charity actions, and an enthusiast of Indian culture and its connection with Polish traditions – all of them chose to act. Despite their difficulties and longings, they were able to find their true selves – even in a foreign land.
Directed by: Olena Astakhova, Aleksandra Dziula
Edith Stein’s house at ul. Nowowiejska 38 in Wrocław is a unique place on the map of the capital of Lower Silesia. In the years 1910-1933, it was inhabited by Edith Stein – later Teresa Benedict of the Cross, proclaimed co-patron of Europe by John Paul II after her death.
Presentation of the international educational project “In Between? In Search of Local Stories on the Borderlands of Europe”. The project aims to deepen the knowledge of the historical processes of the Old Continent in the 20th century. Participants are introduced to the tools and methods of researching and documenting the past. They take part in workshops, meet with witnesses to history, document spoken reports and audio-visual materials on the history and identity of European border communities. The project is implemented by the European Network Remembrance and Solidarity.
Our special guest Professor Jie-Hyun Lim from the University of Seoul will talk about his research on the global remembrance of war victims. In the course of the meeting, we will try to answer the question of how human communities cope with having to start over after the cataclysms of war. Can remembrance be cured? Or is it the trigger for a new conflict? Can experiences of reconciliation (such as the Polish-German reconciliation) be transferred to other cultures and times?
Moderated by: Wojciech Kucharski
Speaker: Jie-Hyun Lim (on screen)
Our guests, researchers in post-war Polish western territories, will present the uniqueness of the post-war history of the territories incorporated into Poland as a result of the Second World War. They will reflect on the extent to which the experience of the second half of the 1940s can inspire solutions to contemporary problems.
Moderated by: prof. Jakub Tyszkiewicz
Speakers: Andrew Demshuk, Adam Makowski, Joanna Nowosielska-Sobel, Robert Żurek
Study tour
Presentation of museum investments in free Poland. The Museum of Polish History is currently being built on the Warsaw Citadel. During the presentation, director Robert Kostro will present the assumptions of the main exhibition and the functioning of the museum.
Różewicz’s Drawer – opening of the exhibition.
The last day of the Remembrance and Future Forum is dedicated to Tadeusz Różewicz, an outstanding Polish poet, a resident of Wrocław, whose life and work were marked by the experience of war and starting anew. In the city centre there will be an exhibition entitled Różewicz’s Drawer, which will hopefully capture the imagination of passers-by and give an outline of the poet’s biography, personality and work. 24-hour availability
Richard Demarco the eminent art curator, the soul of the Edinburgh Festival worked for many post-war decades to heal the wounds of the Second World War in Europe. For Demarco, the only remedy with which the peoples of Europe can make a new start after the trauma of war is art: its beauty and goodness. According to Demarco, the universal language of art, embedded in the tradition of European civilisation, can serve agreement better than any political action. Because, even if we, divided by war, cannot talk to each other, we can always contemplate beauty together. Demarco has made many contributions to Polish culture. In the 1960s and 1970s, he managed to bring to the West and promote many Polish artists such as Tadeusz Różewicz, Tadeusz Kantor and Józef Szajna. For his activities he was twice decorated by the Polish Ministers of Culture already in free Poland. For his commitment to promoting European culture, he was awarded the title of European Citizen by the European Council.
Speakers: Richard Demarco (on screen), Marek Mutor, Krzysztof Noworyta
Summary of the entire event
During the finale of this year’s Forum, we invite you to a jazz concert by Jan Pawlak (vibraphone) and Piotr Damasiewicz (trumpet), who will take us into a world of improvised, melancholic and energetic sounds inspired by their travels around the world. An important element for the musicians is the acoustics in which they find themselves, which is why they like to present their works in unusual spaces, creating a unique story full of colours and emotions. In 2019, the musicians recorded material, resulting in The Stream Of Moody album.
The choice of theme for last year’s Forum was not accidental. It was linked to the organisation of the Wrocław celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the Solidarity Trade Union’s creation, which were organised by the Depot History Centre.
We invite you to listen to Remembrance and Future Forum lectures:
ul. Grabiszyńska 184,
53-235 Wrocław
Day 01:
4:30 pm
4:30 pm
Day 03:
During the Remembrance and Future Forum, we talk about the most critical challenges and dilemmas of today, issues which are important from the point of view of Wrocław, Poland and the whole of Europe. We invite the most interesting minds of our time, leading intellectuals and social leaders from Poland and worldwide, to take part in this multi-voice discussion.
During the Remembrance and Future Forum, we talk about the most critical challenges and dilemmas of today, issues which are important from the point of view of Wrocław, Poland and the whole of Europe. We invite the most interesting minds of our time, leading intellectuals and social leaders from Poland and worldwide, to take part in this multi-voice discussion.