Việt nam gra!

Last Saturday, there was a Vietnamese picnic on Pole Mokotowskie, a large park in central Warsaw. [English, with photos of the park, here.] It was part of a whole week of Vietnam-centred cultural activity here in the capital. One of my ex-pupils, herself of Vietnamese origin, invited me there; she was organising stuff and being a general girl-Friday. :) A great time was had by all; to be seen there were paintings, music (I was allowed to twang on this rather beautiful zither), food (although the queues were so long that it ran out before I got anywhere near it), a well-made film about the Vietnamese in Warsaw, and a water-puppet show. Not to mention large numbers of Vietnamese people, including charming young ladies in traditional tight-collared gowns which looked uncomfortable, as most female fashion seems to be. (One has to suffer for beauty, apparently. :) ) [All links in Polish. A not very good translation program is here.]

Aside from being fun for all the above-mentioned reasons, I found this event heartening as a demonstration of a new (or at least unfamiliar) kind of Poland, one more reminiscent of other European countries – a multi-cultural Poland. People who know me have been bored at length by my continual moaning about the homogeneity of this country; a survey stated that Poland currently consists of 98% ethnic Poles and 96% Catholics, which is in great contrast to the situation of the majority of Polish history pre-1939. I have always maintained that cultural diversity is what makes a people strong, tolerant and better-educated; although as an Englishman, I am of course aware of the debates taking place since 7/21 July regarding the depth and direction of the integration of those other cultures. But this isn’t the place for that discussion now.

What I do want to say is that history has made today’s Poland strong in its own identity; after 250 years’ assault by its immediate neighbours, and now facing the subtler seductions of the European Union and Anglo-American culture in general, Poland has been proved by fire and come out as a clearly defined nation and culture. But I think that from this position of strength, it can afford to accept other nationalities, languages, religions and ethnicities into the concept of ‘Polishness’ (polskość). Further to my earlier post, I think it would be wonderful if the next Miss Poland had an Oriental charm to her, and if people had to make the extra effort to pronounce her surname. :)