The Silencing of Memory

The politicalisation of many historical events in recent years has contributed to the polarisation of society. For those whose actions are often used as propaganda, the co-opting of their movements takes away from the bravery they displayed in harrowing circumstances.

It was a velveteen rose which took centre-stage for one man on 1^st August.

Laced with red and white ribbons and residing quietly in the hand of Uprising Survivor 96-year-old Bohdan Dembiński, this small flower was a far cry from some of the other ceremonies to mark 75 years since the beginning of the Warsaw Uprising which took place the same day.

Predominantly in Warsaw, but also across Poland, services to commemorate the 63-day resistance by the Home Army against Nazi Germany occur every year – but the country felt particularly electric on this anniversary. Parades and ceremonies throughout the week culminated in the entire city of Warsaw stopping in its tracks at 5pm – or ‘Godzina W’ – to mark the exact outbreak of the rising. Crowds mainly accumulate in the centre around the Palace of Culture, the air thick with smoke and chanting.