„Nasze cienie idą równolegle” – A Feature by Centrum Europy and BELSAT
To mark the 85th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre, a journalist from Centrum Europy and BELSAT visited the Katyn Museum in Warsaw. Guided by Svietlana Kurs – a Belarusian writer known by her pen name Eva Viežnaviec and a long-standing member of the Museum’s staff – he explored the exhibition and its many layers of meaning. The result is a compelling feature on a memory shared not only by Poles and Belarusians, but also by many other nations that experienced decades of Soviet domination and repression.
What does the Katyn Museum look like through the eyes of a Belarusian writer and museum professional? What significance does the memory of the Katyn Massacre hold for Belarusians, whose own history was also marked by Soviet terror? And why does an empty plaque still await inscription in the Katyn Epitaph?
We invite you to read “Nasze cienie idą równolegle” (in English: Our Shadows Walk Side by Side), a moving account that guides readers through the Museum while revealing its significance from the perspective of Belarusian historical memory. This is an extraordinary story about remembrance, truth and responsibility towards history. It reflects on the thousands of personal belongings recovered from the mass graves, now preserved in the Museum’s reliquary-like displays as poignant reminders of individual lives cut short. It also highlights the so-called Belarusian Katyn List, whose victims are still awaiting full recognition and commemoration. Above all, it explores the intertwined experiences of Poles and Belarusians, whose histories were shaped by the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century.
