Andrychow – two cultures, two hearts but one little homeland
(Original)

Justyna Wróblicka
(Age 14, Poland)
Junior High School No 1 in Andrychow (Gimnazjum nr 1 Andrychowie)

I live in a little town of Andrychow located in the south of Poland. The first people to live here were settlers from Moravia, who came here in the 14th century. The town owes its development to settlers coming from different regions of Europe: Romania, Belgium, Saxony, Silesia as well as Jews and people from other regions of Poland. Gypsies settled in Andrychow as late as 1953. They were a family of five. At present there are 110 Gypsies including 28 children.

This community, which kept its own culture away from others, was rejected by the remaining inhabitants of Andrychow. Despite the fact that the inhabitants of Andrychow associate Gypsies with wistful music, fiery dance, a train of Gypsy wagons and flames of a campfire, the strangeness of their language, culture, race and mentality is a barrier not to be overcome. This isolation made the Gypsies of Andrychow a social group of low economic and social status. Uneducated, not understood by others and unemployed, they have to rely on welfare to survive.

But, as a Gypsy poet Bronoslawa Wajs-Papusza says in her poem 'I come to you'

I haven't come to you to get something to eat
I've come for you to believe me
I haven't come to you to get money from you
I've come so that you give it all away
(...) I've come so that you adopt everybody
So that you do not make a dark night
Out of a sunny day.

This project is a vision of a train of Gypsy wagons in Andrychow. A train of Gypsy wagons is a place where Gypsies are the hosts and a place to which they invite the inhabitants of Andrychow to present their culture, history and customs. A train of Gypsy wagons is also a place of work for Gypsies. It is a place where they can use their imagination and creative thinking in arts and music for example. Being artistically gifted, the Gypsies could set up painting, sculpture and cabinet making studios as well as a smithy. Blacksmithing has always been Gypsies' traditional trade. Because of the fact that blacksmith's artistic　products are in demand, Gypsies could sell their products, either directly or on the Internet, and earn their living. A train of Gypsy wagons is a place where Gypsies could present their customs, traditional dishes, poetry, fairy tales and stories sitting around a campfire and listening to music. Spending summer nights among friends and having barbecues is very popular in Andrychow. This is why I think a train of Gypsy wagons could be attractive to a lot of Andrychow inhabitants.

I imagine that the train of Gypsy wagons would be active all year round. Replicas of beautifully painted and decorated with carved dragons Gypsy wagons would be put in a circle and mark the magic space of influence of Gypsy culture. These wagons would at the same time be workshops and the place could also be used for various theme exhibitions.

I realize that putting my project into practice requires time, funds and overcoming some barriers. To do it, I am going to organize a group of volunteers including my Gypsy friends from my junior high school. This group would make presentations of particular items of the project to e.g. schools, culture centers and even state administration offices or factories where exhibitions of amateur works of art could be held. One of the reasons of such presentations would be to find sponsors and receive help from the local government. Instructors would be needed in the following stages of the project to help Gypsies organize their own workshops and shops to sell their products as well as to publicize this enterprise. However, in my opinion the instructors' activities should be discreet; it is the Gypsies who are to take decisions.

It is a long-term project and it makes both communities stay in contact with each other and learn about each other in different situations. It is meant to bring Gypsies recognition from Andrychow community and overcome culture barriers.

My town boasts a Group of Song and Dance 'Andrychow'. Its shows together with a Gypsy group would demonstrate that the two cultures could co-exist. Common singing could let steam off. Singing and music, to my mind, could be the first common platform of agreement between the two cultures.

A Polish poet Cyprian Kamil Norwid said in one of his poems:

'Go where you can hear people singing
People there are kind-hearted.
Believe me. Bad people
Never ever sing.'

I hope that my project can make both communities realize that they live in a town where people are kind-hearted and forget barriers and prejudice. Forgetting them will be a most positive change in my social environment.