Bagaż osobisty. Po Marcu: Commemorating Polish Emigrants' Stories After March '68 Events

This exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of the March '68 events in Poland by presenting the multi-faceted stories of post-March emigrants. It delves into their experiences of leaving Poland with 'travel documents' that stripped them of citizenship, and their subsequent lives in exile.

Dom Spotkań z Historią presents 'Bagaż osobisty. Po Marcu' (Personal Luggage. After March), an exhibition dedicated to the generation of emigrants who left Poland in the aftermath of the March '68 events. These individuals departed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, stripped of their citizenship by the Polish authorities under the guise of a 'travel document.' The exhibition, conceptualized by writer and reportage journalist Agata Tuszyńska, is a multi-vocal narrative built upon personal experiences, including feelings of rejection, loss of homeland, and separation from loved ones. It weaves together memories, excerpts from letters, documents, family photographs, and contemporary photos to recount their journeys to Sweden, France, Denmark, the USA, Canada, and Israel. The narrative focuses on a group of friends who had known each other since childhood in Warsaw, whose lives were irrevocably altered by the events of March '68. The exhibition explores themes of enduring pain associated with memories of Poland, the necessity versus desire for emigration, and the profound connections maintained despite vast distances. These emigrants formed a surrogate family, supporting each other through years of separation from relatives left behind. The exhibition content is enriched by historical context detailing the anti-Semitic campaign that began after the 1967 Six-Day War, which led to the expulsion of approximately 13,000 people of Jewish origin from Poland, significantly impacting Polish academia and culture.