45 minutes of patriotic lesson- concerts of Kołakowski

On 25-27 November, in the Polish schools of the Vilnius region, a number of concerts for adults and young people were performed by Andrzej Kołakowski- famous guitarist, poet and educationalist from Gdańsk, who came along with his wife, Anna, at the invitation of WHM  Chief on the occasion of the IX Scout Day.

45 minutes of patriotic lesson, seems not much, however, the seed was sown in the souls of teachers and students: the Jan Paweł II Progymnasium and the Joachim Lelewel Secondary School in Vilnius, the Ferdynand Ruszczyc Gymnasium in Rudomin and in the St Urszula Ledóchowska Secondary School in Czarny Bór. The heroic attitude of many Poles of the Vilnius region from the period of The January Uprising or from the history of World War II, from Home Army [Pl: Armia Krajowa] and The Cursed Soldiers, moves to tears and calls for the memory of all the residents of their Land of Vilnius. Historical Lectures by Dr. Andrzej Kołakowski and along with the songs accompanied by the guitar immensely moved the audience.

Concerts proved that we should not be afraid to remind the youth of today about the history of soldiers V. VI. AK Vilnius Brigade “of Polish bandits 1943-1952” – as they were called by the secret Police, or Moscow NKVD. Some may have for the first time heard about ‘Łupaszko’ soldiers-  Maj. Zygmunt Szendzielarz, 17 years old nurse Danuta Siedzikówna under a pseudonym ‘Inka’, 2nd Lt Feliks Selmanowicz under a pseudonym ‘Zagończyk’, 2nd Lt Antoni Burzyński under a pseudonym ‘Kmicic’, Lt Col Antoni Olechnowicz under a pseudonym ‘Pohorecki’ , and 2nd Lt Lucjan Minkiewicz under a pseudonym ‘Wiktor’.

The song “Rozstrzelana Armia’ [The Executed Army]   is dedicated to them, so that we remember.

Over the Polish Vilnius the sun went down,  An evening spins restless, And Ostrobramska mother welcomes
Her children returning from the war.
From the doors  of the Gate of Dawn to torture cells of Gdansk

That is how ends the uhlans’ adventure.
The reveille comes, horses  are neighing in the sky, Soldiers will rest on the meadows of heaven

The song ‘Przysięga’ [The Oath] performer by its author Andrzej Kołakowski from Gdańsk, during the IX Scout Day WMH in Lithuania became embedded in the memory and hearts of our youth.

Everyone who even once participated in the Relay of Independence [Pl: Sztafeta Niepodległości], could feel like ‘a little hero’ from the song, and realize that the atmosphere as a tribute to legionaries translates to ‘the scouts oath’ on the eagle and the cross [ref. to Polish Symbols], proudly carrying the white and red [ref. to Polish Flag].

But we swore

On the eagle and the cross

On two colors, these

The most sacred in Poland hues

On pure white, and the hot red blood, the freedom of the living and the eternal glory of the dead.

It’s hard to win, if it’s not believed in.

It’s hard to fight, since so many have fallen.

It’s hard to constantly match the strengths with the intentions,and the last bullet as wafer divide.

Vilnius residents are grateful to artist Andrzej Kołakowski, who in addition to his work, manages with the most honest passion and spirituality to save the memory of our heroes, and to give the living the power of hope. The artist from Gdańsk was continuously compared: it’s ‘our Polish Włodzimierz Wysocki’. Young people were returning after the concerts with the confidence that it is worth to live with dignity for the nation, and the roots, the Polish homeland, which ought not to be betrayed. St. Rafał Kalinowski was the patron of all the meetings, and in his honor the patriotic and religious concerts were held. The blessing with relicts, along with the regional thought that, ‘The country needs sweat, not blood’, ended the meeting.

                                                                                                                                 Rev. Scoutmaster Dariusz Stańczyk

Source: http://kurierwilenski.lt/2012/12/04/45-minut-lekcji-patriotycznej-koncerty-kolakowskiego/

Tłumaczenie Jacek Malatyński w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Jacek Malatyński the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.