The history of the pacification of the villages in the eastern lands of the former Republic of Poland and the deportation of several thousand of their inhabitants to Siberia presented in the broadcast is little known. The memory of it is maintained only by descendants of participants of those tragic events that took place during the January Uprising. In addition to them, historians also took part in the broadcast: Professor Wiesław Caban from Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce and Tomasz Danilecki, PhD from the Sybir Memorial Museum in Białystok.

Dozens of people, including a group of residents of these towns, as well as the members of the Białystok Association of Siberian Deportees with its President Jolanta Hryniewicka, came to the preview presentation of the reportage.

Professor Wojciech Śleszyński, Director of the Sybir Memorial Museum, emphasized the importance of the authenticity of this story:

“The radio broadcast is moving primarily because the next generation tells the story of its ancestors. Thanks to the voices of the heroes, we can move 162 years back to the villages located near the city of Białystok, pacified by the tsarist authorities only because they helped Polish insurgents.”

Marcin Tomkiel, who is the editor-in-chief of Polish Radio Białystok, drew attention to the role of a public radio, which is the discovery of regional history, education and keeping in the memory of the next generations.

The authors and the historical consultant, Tomasz Danilecki PhD from the Sybir Memorial Museum, took part in the discussion that started after the presentation of the reportage. The invited guests were particularly interested in the fate of deportees and information about their return.

The premiere of the reportage will take place on January 26th, 2025 at 6:05 p.m. on Polish Radio Białystok.

The reportage will be published on January 27th, 2025 on the websites: https://swiatsybiru.pl/en/ and https://www.radio.bialystok.pl/.