A collection of oral history, photography and written stories examining the unique experience of Polish expats is to open in Worcester.
The project ‘From Exile to Freedom’ is created by Polish Expats Association in Birmingham and is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Tomasz Piotrowski, MIRA Project Coordinator for Worcestershire said “The exhibition portrays the new wave of Polish arrivals to the UK after the enlargement of the European Union in 2004.
“It also provides the historical context of previous Polish migrations to the British Isles with a special focus on the West Midlands region.”
The stories of young and old generations of Poles have been collected in order to present their experiences and socio-political context connected with their arrival to the new country.
The organisers have interviewed representatives of three different generations of emigrants: those who arrived to the Great Britain just after the Second World War, during the years of communist regime in Eastern Europe and those who arrived after 2004.
These stories give a unique insight into how the new community is being formed and the reasons of current and previous waves of Polish migrations to the UK.
‘From Exile to Freedom’ is written by the migrants themselves and is dedicated to them.
To gather these stories Polish Expats Association have been working with a group of young volunteers, who conducted interviews with members of the Polish community.
The project also portrays the process of community integration and sheds light on the rich and positive history of Polish presence in the UK.
The collected stories, photographic evidence and recorded interviews can be seen free of charge at the exhibition which is going to be shown at the Worcester Commandery from 15th Oct until 11th Nov or for more information visit www.fromexiletofreedom.org.uk
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