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Critique

Affirmation

Nothing About Us Without Us: On the Current Situation of Migrant Cultural Workers in Poland

Economic migration from the east, the ongoing humanitarian crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border (since 2021), and Russia’s full-scale military campaign in Ukraine all mean that we can no longer gloss over the fact that Polish society is multicultural. Public cultural institutions need to adapt their efforts in order to open up to diverse audiences and people of all backgrounds, bringing new perspectives and experiences.

In recent years, marred as they were by multiple crises, thanks to the support of large international NGOs and an increase in the involvement of Western grantors, significant resources have been funnelled into Polish institutions in order to fund integration and aid activities. The availability of European funds dedicated to multiculturalism, decolonization, and social integration initiatives has also increased. Of course, financial resources are not all that is needed, but they are the starting point for initiating and carrying out programmes that include educational and training activities on multiculturalism, including for those who work in arts and culture.  

In the second half of 2024, Western public opinion has shifted its focus to other global crises. Unfortunately, this has been accompanied by the decline or even complete shutdown of the activities of large NGOs in Poland. The resources that contributed to integration efforts are now slowly running out. Their facilitators are experiencing activist burnout or no longer possess the resources required to get involved. Meanwhile, the government elected one year ago has so far failed to come up with any plans for the development of an adequate migration and integration policy. Some migrants and refugees, who already arrived in Poland earlier, have decided to stay in the country permanently, raising the need for a new approach to social integration. How should taxpayer-funded cultural institutions respond to all these challenges?

Cultural institutions in Poland are developing strategies to respond to new challenges by organizing inter-institutional, multi-sectoral, and (finally) cross-cultural initiatives. Migrants are often invited to participate in these activities and discussions. However, their involvement is frequently reduced to playing the part of mere subcontractors, and their knowledge, experience, and skills are instrumentalized, mainly to emphasize the ‘progressive’ character of the institution. As a result, real progress in the direction of subjective participation in culture is simply not taking place.

Such practices, while seemingly inclusive, actually appropriate the labour and lived experience of migrants. In such instances, they are often treated as ‘token’ participants—instead of true participation, there is ‘tokenization’. And if they are getting paid, they are typically employed on short-term contracts or, for example, as part of time-limited grant projects. When they object to these kinds of conditions, migrant workers are frequently seen as ‘ungrateful’ or ‘unprofessional’. A particular kind of exploitation, normalized in Polish arts and culture, is evident here. There is an expectation that people should be satisfied with the bare minimum, and any opposition is considered an act of ‘rebellion’ or ‘lack of loyalty’.

When it comes to the Polish culture sector, precarious labour is a destructive and oppressive problem. Although anyone who seeks employment in this area is likely to experience it, in the case of marginalized groups—migrants, people with disabilities, non-heteronormative people, and individuals lacking social, cultural, and economic capital—precarity is usually associated with further exclusion.

Tokenization, precarization, but also the impermanent nature of the attention given to them, make it impossible for migrants and refugees to experience a sense of stability, security, and autonomous participation in culture. All it takes is another crisis for attention to be diverted to yet another social group. This fosters artificial competition for international attention—not only in arts and culture, but also in the sphere of humanitarian and infrastructure aid. Communities and different ethnic groups compete for resources and support, while such rivalry is exacerbated by those in power, whose interest is to maintain the status quo.

One way to ensure effective functioning of established cultural institutions can be initiatives carried out by independent entities, such as community-based cultural centres (e.g., the Jasna 10 Centre in Warsaw). As Igor Stokfiszewski noted, in such institutions the notion of ‘audience’ or ‘public’ is replaced by the idea of ‘community’. Their activities are based on participation and collective involvement. This is evident in the functioning of para- and pata-institutions such as the ‘Sunflower’ Solidarity Community Centre or the Office of Post-Artistic Services, as well as other grassroots initiatives, associations, and alliances that bring together the public and the third and fourth sectors.

In an ideal world, cultural institutions would routinely collaborate with NGOs, local authorities, and informal collectives, leading to tangible outcomes. The result could be, for example, a jointly created cultural programme incorporating the needs of different communities. The key, however, is not to adopt a passive approach (e.g., only by sharing or inviting), but actively engage diverse initiatives through collaboration and participatory decision-making processes. The potential for harm becomes apparent when cultural institutions, from a position of power, expect people from marginalized groups (including migrants or precarious workers) to engage in creative labour for symbolic remuneration. This is not a sustainable solution, but simply provides a kind of cloak of legitimacy. While this process can allow certain groups to express their needs, challenges, and problems, it still does not lead to real systemic solutions.

Photo taken during a workshop session as part of the project ‘Partnership for Impact: An Agile Model of Cooperation Between Cultural Institutions and People with Migration Experience’, implemented by the Polish Migration Forum (2023)

In the Polish cultural landscape, many important points have already been made about democratization of institutions, solidarity, alliances, and collective cooperation, but unfortunately, although these public conversations and discussions are relevant and necessary, I often find them lacking sincerity. Concrete actions rarely follow, and the words uttered typically remain mere declarations. What is also missing is demands that are voiced by migrants themselves—people who come from different cultures and offer different perspectives. It would seem that this is something fundamental, even basic, and yet it is proving extremely difficult. We need real change! We require public institutions, community organizations, and grassroots initiatives that are led and created by migrants, refugees, and other underrepresented groups. Ensuring visibility is not enough, because no one wants to be seen exclusively through the distorted lens of their minority status. If we were fighting for representation before, then we are now fighting for adequate treatment and structural change.

P.S. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to support Olena Apchel, known for her work in the Polish and German theatre, currently fighting for our future with the Ukrainian army: You’ll never walk alone to war / You’ll never walk alone to war / ти не підеш на війну сам.

Photo by Patrycja Wojtas

Maria (Maro) Beburia is a cultural and NGO worker. Originally from Odesa (Ukraine), she has been living in Warsaw since 2014. A graduate of Cultural Studies at SWPS University, she studied at the Institute of Polish Culture at Warsaw University. Since 2017, she has been working with the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw. Since 2020 she has, together with Taras Gembik, been part of the BLYZKIST collective, whose work focuses on audience development, especially within the migrant and refugee community. She is also the co-founder of the ‘Sunflower’ Solidarity Community Centre. Since 2021, she has worked at Ocalenie Foundation.

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