Guest Speaker was Professor Antonia Bifulco, joint author of “Identity Awoken in Second-Generation British Poles in the UK” - Bifulco, A., & Smojkis, M. (2023). Professor Bifulco’s gave a talk that covered emerging themes on second generation Poles born in the UK. They grew up in communities exposed to the Polish language and culture and as a community held a low profile and received little recognition. And yet it is a unique and fascinating group which has retained its identity despite integration and has forged its own resilience.
Mazury, led by Zosia Lesiecka and her husband Lucjan Santos Witkowski, is part of the Polish YMCA in London, which was founded in 1949. Today, Mazury's membership includes 120 dancers, singers and musicians, spanning 3 groups and starting from the age of 7. Mazury's dance repertoire is made up of both regional and national Polish dances. In June 2024, Mazury celebrates its 75th anniversary at The New Wimbledon theatre.
Antonia Bifulco is second generation with a Polish father and English mother. She has explored and published on her family history in line with her academic interests as a Professor of psychology and an expert on trauma and resilience. She has become increasingly aware of how her own generation are of interest in the study of ethnic groups in the UK.
Guest Performers were 'Fiołki', Mazury Dance Company's choir established in 2020 as a small group of singers by Jadwiga Słomka, Musical Director, during the Covid pandemic. The choir boasts a varied repertoire that includes: patriotic, folk and scout songs as well as popular 20th century and classical pieces.
PAST EVENTS and REVIEWS
On Saturday 10 February 2024, Kresy Family Polish WWII History Group and the former Ognisko Rodzin Osadników Kresowych commemorated the 84th anniversary of the deportations to Siberia and the USSR which began on 10 February 1940 at Łowiczanka Restaurant, POSK (Polish Cultural and Social Club) London.