The Ukraine Aid Staff of the Polish CIOFF Section decided to try to provide financial support to institutions, non-governmental organizations and teams that have so far cared for the material and non-material cultural heritage of the Ukrainian nation. Many of the Polish groups, as well as the organizers of international festivals in Poland, have been cooperating with artists from Ukraine for several dozen years. It is difficult to talk about the phenomenon in such a brutal time of the war, but I observe with the greatest appreciation all the activities undertaken by Song and Dance Ensembles throughout Poland. Not only in large cities, such as Lublin, Kraków, Poznań or Warsaw, but also in small towns. Responses and actions were almost immediate. The "Raciborzanie" team organized transport and accommodation for the teams: Barwinok from Winnica, Słowianoczka from Kiev and Galicka Wiesiełka from Iwanofrankowska - says Piotr Szewczyk, coordinator of the PS CIOFF Ukraine Aid Staff.

 

Support peace. Fundraising.
"Support Peace" is a collection of financial aid for the Ukrainian community - especially that related to popularization, research and cultivation of folk culture. Importantly - not only Ukrainian, but also Polish, because in Ukraine the tradition of Polish song and dance groups is rich and alive. War determines in us an unconditional reflex to help.
- At the Congress Center of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, seven bands from Lublin and the surrounding area danced on one stage. Several hundred artists in total. All income from the concert, over 13 thousand. PLN was allocated to the collection of the Polish Section of CIOFF - explains Bożena Baranowska, director of the "Lublin" Song and Dance Ensemble for them. Wanda Kaniorowa.
However, these are not the only real gestures of support. According to Piotr Kulka - the head of the "Wielkopolanie" Folkloristic Group in Poznań, regular collections are organized, and, additionally, workshops for Ukrainian children staying in Poland in the field of Greater Poland culture. From April 4 to 10, the group hosted a choreographer from Ukraine, Natalye Bondarchuk, who conducted workshops for the group and the inhabitants of the city and the surrounding area. Similar activities were undertaken by the Song and Dance Ensemble of the AGH University of Science and Technology "Krakus" and the Song and Dance Ensemble "Jawor" of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin.
Poland has danced for Ukraine literally in every corner of it. Examples of support could be inflected for all cases. From cooking soup for volunteers in Myślenice, through transports of medicines, clothes, and food organized in Nowy Sącz or Szamotuły.

 

There are thousands of us and we love folklore.
The Polish Section of the International Council of Associations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Art CIOFF has decided that, as part of the actions taken at the national level, it will launch a special fundraiser, which will then go to targeted aid to people injured in the war in Ukraine and those staying in Poland. There are thousands of us and we love folklore, the organizers comment and they make us realize that in Poland, there are estimated to be at least 10 thousand associated with the movement of song and dance groups and regional groups every day. professional and professional artists (dancers, musicians, singers, researchers). It is a powerful environment that can really help your friends from Ukraine. However, much broader support is necessary, which is why the Support Peace campaign is addressed to all those who are particularly close to folk culture and tradition.​