THE TIME OF THE IMMIGRANTS
I started reading the latest edition of “Czas Kultury” (4/2008) without making any attempts to conceptualize its main subject suggested by the editors as “the time of the immigrants.” I began with the review section. What I found particularly interesting there was Pożegnanie z Herodotem (A Farewell to Herodotus) by Wojciech Dohnal, which is a look at Dałem głos ubogim. Rozmowy z młodzieżą (I Gave Voice to the Poor. Conversations with the Youth) – the record of Ryszard Kapuściński’s conversations with Italian high school and college students that took place during the writer’s last journey.
Dohnal emphasizes how much this book differs from other Kapuściński’s works. The publication is very unusual in that it was published posthumously by the author’s friends, which has unintentionally made it a kind of a great spiritual testament. Intuitively, by choosing this review as my starting point, I scored a bullseye. That’s because talking about Kapuściński seems to be in accord with other issues touched upon in the magazine. After having read the whole issue one might conclude that the time of the immigrants is, in fact, the time of the Aliens. And what very much determines Kapuściński’s writings is the acquaintance with the Aliens. His manner of traveling is a contradiction of the modern tourism of collecting nice landscapes. The writer’s profound penetration of foreign culture is always associated with a great deal of respect he had for other people. It is this unique ability to interact with the Alien and not necessarily the exoticism of places presented that make his books so popular abroad. Moreover, this exceptional skill is probably the most yearned for one in the times of global migration.
Kapuściński’s creative activity enables the reader to understand the contemporary world and to open up to the Alien. It also proves that literature still wields the causative power. When one takes Dałem głos ubogim. Rozmowy z młodzieżą they may read the preface written by the writer’s wife, Alina Kapuścińska. She recalls that the journalist’s first and last voyages were journeys across Italy. It is the country regarded as the cradle of European culture, as well as the place of origin of Renaissance humanism, which fundamental maxim was:
Homo sum humani nil a me alienum puto. (I am a man, I hold that nothing human is alien to me. )
Another review published in “Czas Kultury” (Demokracja liberalna: naprawa czy wymiania? / Liberal Democracy: to Repair or to Replace?) was written by Waldemar Kuligowski. He encourages us to read Ciesz się późny wnuku! Kolonializm, globalizacja i demokracja radykalna (Merrymake Future Grandchild! Colonialism, Globalization and Radical Democracy) by Jan Sowa and mentions the conference “Zderzenie kultur: konstrukcjonizm społeczny i ekologia kultur” (“Culture Clash: Social Constructionism and the Ecology of Cultures”) which was held in Poznań. During this event Mary C. Bateson – the daughter of a renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead – presented the results of her research on the differences in acceptable values across different cultures and nations that should not be disregarded in international relations, which she had conducted in Iran. Kuligowski refers to the conference not only on account of the current and important issues it deals with, but also because of low attendance at the meeting. “Since the formula of a conference is not acceptable, I would recommend reading a book that brings up matters very similar to those discussed by Mary C. Bateson.” Coming back to Kapuściński after a digression, I would like to quote Kathinka Dittrich van Weringh’s article titled Transkultura? (Transculture? ) in which the author deliberates about the notion of multiculturality and transculturality for the sake of another conference – “Transkultura: sztuka i płynna rzeczywistość XXI wieku” (“Transculture: Art and Fluid Reality of 21st Century.”) It was organized by Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Modern Art in Cracow as a contribution to the European Intercultural Dialogue. Kathinka Dittrich van Weringh’s remark intertwines with Kuligowski’s conception, “Endless academic lectures will never replace works of art that influence human senses, as well as the human mind.” Whereas Wojciech Dohnal observes that the last highly didactical book of Kapuściński summons the youth “to make the world better and just.” Better means opened up to the Alien and his individual exceptionality. Along with Dohnal we should keep our fingers crossed for the success of this mission. Even if it will be accomplished by our future grandchildren.
Van Weringh in her article on the Cracow conference says: “Europe is like an unfinished masterpiece which still requires a lot of effort from the artists.” Mariusz Guzek and Piotr Zwierzchowski – the authors of a film commentary Emigrant potrzebny od zaraz (Emigrant Needed ASAP) point out the same idea. They notice that movies generally lack positive aspects of emigration which functions as something basically wrong and associated with misfortune, fear of the strange and the unfamiliar. “It is worth remembering that the culture clash does not have to lead to suffering; it may turn out to be very enlightening and enriching for both the participants of this process and whole cultures. Maybe some movies conveying such a message will become more important in the approaching years?”
Finally, I would like to recommend interviews published in “Czas Kultury.” In one of them titled Artyści, nomadzi, imigranci (Artists, Nomads, Immigrants) Waldemar Kuligowski talks with Magdalena Ujma and Anna Smolak, who are the curators of a project called “Transkultura” (“Transculture”) which is based on the assumption that the transition of cultures is dynamic and forces one to look at the Europeans – including the Polish – from the outside. The edition starts with the article by Ariadna Khishiktueva Poznań, mój nowy, obcy dom (Poznań – My New, Foreign Home) in which the author candidly introduces such an external perspective to allow the reader to notice certain vague and marginal things that seem obvious in everyday life.
Another interesting interview is the one with Artur Daniel Liskowacki by Jerzy Borowczyk and Michał Larek (Zdrada jest próbą mistrza / Betrayal Tests a Master. ) The writer’s thorough contemplations do not correlate that much with the main motif of the magazine, but there are some interesting references to the tough issue of childhood. Winded paths of faulty memory make it hard to grasp the early days and the effort of doing so involves a long journey of self-discovery.
The latest and extremely cohesive edition of “Czas Kultury” is undoubtedly worth perusing. The publication is devoted to a contemporary problem of living on the cross line of cultures, which requires redefining the core values triggering our behavior. The discussion of this issue makes a very valid point: the journalists' wishful attitudes imply that making acquaintance with the Aliens still remains a challenge.
Agnieszka Wróbel
Translated by Katarzyna Cisak
Discussed journals: Czas Kultury