‘The Journey of Heroines’ is an attempt to transcend the dominating male narrative about the Warsaw Uprising and World War II. By giving voice to women, the organisers of the exhibition aim to complement the account of events from 79 years ago with elements that are extremely important though often overlooked in the historical narrative.
‘Life at the time of the Uprising and under occupation meant struggle, sacrifice, but also mundane problems that were particularly painful for women. In such an extreme situation, in the absence of access to running water, to hygiene products, being able to take care of one’s basic needs, of hygiene, meant being able to maintain one’s dignity. This is something we understand very well, and thus support Ukrainian women facing similar challenges today. This is also why we decided to support the exhibition at the Warsaw Rising Museum in order to emphasise how much we appreciate such daily struggles and an unequal fight against an armed enemy but also against the painfully severe living conditions during the Uprising’, explained Dominika Kulczyk, Chair of the Kulczyk Foundation.
The issues covered by the exhibition will include topics that are usually absent from the official reports of the Uprising and yet very close to the women of the time. These include menstrual issues, such as amenorrhoea induced by stress or by intentional acts of the invaders, or ideas for alternative methods of maintaining one’s hygiene in adverse sanitary conditions. These will be presented in the form of testimonies of female participants of the Uprising. This is a particularly important area for the Kulczyk Foundation, as the organisation is actively involved in menstrual health education and the prevention of menstrual poverty.
‘We are extremely grateful to the Kulczyk Foundation for supporting the exhibition. We know that the Foundation’s activity in centred on women’s issues, and we are happy that we were able to build cooperation to show the great strength of women in the Uprising’, emphasized Jan Ołdakowski, Director of the Warsaw Rising Museum.
‘The Journey of Heroines’ exhibition will be available for visiting at the Warsaw Rising Museum until June 2024.
