EDITORIAL by Kinia Adamczyk EDITORIAL by Kinia AdamczykEDITORIAL by Kinia
It’s not our fault.
Words that we should ban from our mind, even if there is truth in the statement.
I’ve been living in Poland for the last seven months, and I’ve managed to clash with Polish authorities twice already. The result? I’ve discovered injustice, machismo and many imperfections in the infrastructure. I’ve lost many dreamy illusions about this country, which came from spending about a dozen summers eating organic berries in the company of loving grandparents, tanning on the glistening shores of the Baltic sea, going to the theatre in Warsaw and exploring the wild Bieszczady mountains on horseback.
I’ve lost my idealistic view of Poland, but I believe that's good. (Even though I'm a bit of a romantic...)
On the contrary: Poland is in a very dynamic period of its history. It is the only country of Central and Eastern Europe that has not gone into recession since 1989. Not everyone liked the way Leszek Balcerowicz transformed Poland's Soviet-style economy, or the way successive Finance Ministers kept the country on course, but the numbers don't lie. Together with the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia, Poland ranks in the top tier of the new EU states and doing better than most of the old. Poland's GDP will slow down from 5% to 3% but, as noted in the Financial Times (Feb. 28), these four states "have their external and fiscal positions under control and believe they can contain emerging difficulties in banking." Foreign observers and expats in Poland are intrigued.
Even though Poland has taken a big leap forward economically, culturally and politically since 1989, like every country, it faces its set of problems to tackle. Where do ours come from? How important is our geopolitical situation in this regard? Do these problems stem from the fact we are a young, not entirely consolidated democracy? Not all thinkers, writers and scholars agree on the answers to the question. CR aims to represent their different views.
I don’t have all the answers to these questions myself, but I’m convinced we won't find them in a passive reflection on the past. I believe we have to take responsibility for ourselves. Of course, Poles have been victims of invasions and occupations. But it is our responsibility to deal with quarrelsome behaviour that undermines our unity. The liberum veto* and our old class distinctions still influence our mentality today.
I personally see this liberum veto mentality at work when our Prime Minister and President disagree in public. Are they unaware that the international media is reporting this, and that this behaviour has a decidedly negative impact on Poland's position in international relations? As a citizen of both Canada and Poland, influenced by the respective traditions of each country, I would prefer for them to disagree behind the scenes, but to show a will to work together in public. Not only that, I would love for them to find concrete solutions for their differences. Our inability to agree to disagree is the reason why our political scene remains polarized. The split during the early fragile years when Solidarity took power is still apparent between those mired in the past, and those who look ahead. For me, this is a sign of political immaturity. This problem is no exclusive to Poland, but it is definitely present here.
CR presents one view of this in an interview with historian Georges Mink delving deeper into the issues of lustration and decommunization.
And we pay tribute to Bronislaw Geremek, the great Polish statesman so respected both at home and abroad.
CR also reports on the positive views, as expressed in Gdańsk at the 25th anniversary celebration of Lech Wałęsa’s Nobel Peace Prize award. Many important figures visited Poland for the occasion, including Nicolas Sarkozy (although many think that the first reason for his visit was the Dalai Lama’s presence). Whether you like the man or not, he can deliver a good speech. La Pologne est un grand d’Europe. Elle a des droits, mes aussi des responsabilités. Il nous faut une Pologne engagée comme dans les années 80, he affirmed. Rather pompously.
I happen to agree with Sarkozy on this one. I’ve noticed that our (Polish) role-models are getting older. Who will set the moral, political and cultural standards after them? I know that I don’t feel represented within Poland’s political elite, as a 23-year-old woman of cosmopolitan background. My photo-reportage, The Importance of Being Lech Wałęsa, highlights some of the views expressed at the Dec. 6th Gdańsk conference where the values of the Solidarity movement were revisited and perhaps even relived for two days. It challenged the international participants invited for the occasion to think about how to work for peace. In solidarity.
the cosmopolitan review is a work in progress. Contributors are varied: some are professional writers, while others are learning the art or writing. Some are young, others less so. Some are idealistic, others more bitter. However, they all provide a certain perspective, a voice, a platform for discussion. Some contributors fight with stereotypes while others make us realize that “the more things change, the more they remain the same.” Are some stereotypes (about Poles) true, or at least based on an element of truth? If yes, how can we learn from them and improve our individual behaviors?
Here at CR, we are open to the world. We hear from the author of Sensing My Childhood: Crossing the Oder, who came back to Poland after 20 years in Germany. He is amazed to find how quickly the country is evolving, stunned by its dynamism, but not blind to its faults. We bring you Polish stories from Tanzania and from the Pennsylvania coal district, poetry from New York and art from Vancouver, a review of Witold Rybczynski's latest book reflecting on his Polish past, and a British translator's review of Sztuczki and his unexpected love affair with Polish cinema.
As Poles take responsibility for their history by knowing it and integrating it into the mainstream of their professional lives, they could, like in 1989, contribute again to bringing peace and stability to Europe, and who knows, perhaps to the world. Will they take on the challenge?
If you agree with us, let us know. If you don’t, let us know why. At CR, we love constructive criticism. We’ll be happy to hear from you.
Kinia Adamczyk
Founding editor at CR*More on the liberum veto from encyclopedia Britannica
(The author would like to acknowledge the important contribution of Irene Tomaszewski to this editorial.)
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