Poland in South Africa

The National Reading campaign has been organized by the President of the Republic of Poland since 2012. It was initiated by the joint reading of "Pan Tadeusz" by Adam Mickiewicz. In 2013, Aleksander Fredro's works were read all over Poland, and the following editions were read successively: "The Trilogy" by Henryk Sienkiewicz and "The Doll" by Bolesław Prus; in 2016 - "Quo vadis" by Henryk Sienkiewicz, and in 2017 the theme of the National Reading was "Wedding" by Stanisław Wyspiański. In connection with the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence, in 2018 the Presidential Couple invited the Polish nation to read "The Spring to come" by Stefan Żeromski as well as "Anthology of Independence" - a specially selected collection of works for this occasion, poems created over the centuries, which are included in the canon of Polish patriotic literature. In 2019 the short story "Katerynka" by Bolesław Prus was the theme of the National Reading Campaign.

Juliusz Słowacki's "Balladyna" was selected for the ninth edition of the National Reading. On this occasion, the President sent a special message, encouraging people to participate in the action:

 - I believe that in this special time for all of us, when we are overcoming the epidemic together, reading the classics of Polish literature together will unite us even more, bringing a lot of satisfaction from the readers and reuniting our belief in the importance of the works of our greatest writers.

"Balladyna" is an outstanding work of Polish Romanticism, which was created in exile during discussions on the causes of the recent defeat of the uprising and debates on the common history and future fate of the nation. The poet combined realism and fantasy in this work, focusing on the analysis of the characters' attitudes and deeds. The story of two sisters - Balladyna and Alina - set against the backdrop of fairy tales has become very popular. It had a great influence on music, painting and sculpture, and its numerous productions, realized over the years by outstanding directors and actors of Polish scenes, enjoyed great interest.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, both National Reading campaign and the opening of the 2020/2021 school year were carried out in the safest form and with all precautions.

The Polish School at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria officially inaugurated the 2020/2021 school year on September 5, 2020. The Polish institution invites children to study in grades I-III (early school education) and IV-VIII (Polish and knowledge about Poland). The Polish School implements a supplementary curriculum in line with the guidelines of the Ministry of National Education in Poland, provides free textbooks and issues Polish certificates, and also accepts children with various levels of language proficiency. The tuition takes place one weekend a month and is free of charge. Contact: Lidia Moń, head of the Polish School, phone: 0722263949, www.pretoria.orpeg.pl