Cultural Integrity: The Unveiling of Truths Hidden in Mass Graves

Culture is only genuine when it is founded on noble values. This means that nations should only unite on moral principles, allowing cultures to endure over time despite external pressures. There may be various cultural trends and stages of 'proper' cultural formation within a country. A nation cannot claim to have achieved genuine cultural status if it has not fully reckoned with its criminal past. For example, cultures that have committed atrocities against others are fundamentally flawed. They must either undergo revision and rebranding to become genuine cultures or continue to prosecute others for being genuine by burying inconvenient truths in mass graves.

I was fortunate to grow up and become acquainted with Polish culture through its highest values and to understand Poland's historical landscape through available history and literature during my upbringing. Poland's quest for cultural preservation has not been easy, as eloquently described in Norman Davies' history book, "God’s Playground." One of the most common signs of a country trying to hide the truth is the presence of mass graves where inconvenient truths are buried. I use Poland as an example because it's the culture I know best due to my exposure to it, but I don't intend to overshadow other cultures. Polish culture has still a lot of work in front of it to continue its heritage under the cultural definition, it is an ongoing historical process.

The recent celebration of Russia's victory in World War II is a prime example of regime ideology that countries such Russia continues to propagate, despite the strong desire among Russian people for democratic transition to rebuild cultural heritage in the region and within the Russian people. Poland's relations with Russia have certainly been rocky, marked by not just one, but many historical wars. The most recent painful memory for the Polish nation is the mass grave in Katyn.

According to IPN, Instytut Pami?ci Narodowej, (English: Institute of National Remembrance), Katyn is a symbol of the criminal policy of the Soviet system against the Polish nation. The present study aims to demonstrate the basic facts of the Katyn massacre – the execution of almost 22,000 people: Polish prisoners of war in Katyn, Kharkov, Kalinin (Tver), and other Polish prisoners (soldiers and civilians), which took place in the spring of 1940 in various locations in the Soviet Ukraine and Belarus republics based on the decision of the Soviet authorities.

Another example, the Volhynia Massacre Victims Database, initiated by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) in 2019, serves as a vital tool in preserving the memory of those killed by Ukrainian nationalist groups during the Volhynia Massacre of 1943-45. The project has cataloged over 28,000 records of victims, including Poles and others from various nationalities, and continues to expand. It not only maps crime sites but also seeks to identify individuals who were often left unburied or forgotten. However, the project is marred by a complex geopolitical situation. IPN President Karol Nawrocki has criticized Ukraine's ongoing obstruction of exhumation efforts, pointing out that while the Ukrainian government has permitted the exhumation of Wehrmacht soldiers (Unified armed forces of Nazi Germany), it has systematically blocked Polish requests for similar efforts regarding Volhynia victims. Despite nine formal requests from IPN since 2020, the Ukrainian side has either failed to respond or denied the requests, citing various reasons. Nawrocki called out Ukrainian authorities for treating Poland as a secondary partner in this matter, while cooperating with Germany on exhumations. He emphasized that Ukraine’s refusal to grant approval is a key obstacle, and only the consent of President Zelenskyy could restart the exhumation process in Volhynia. While the issue remains unresolved, the IPN has vowed to continue pushing for exhumations, with plans to renew requests in February 2025. This ongoing struggle underscores the broader tension in Polish-Ukrainian relations, particularly regarding the legacy of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and its role in the massacre, with differing historical narratives between the two nations.

The core of the activities performed by the IPN is not seeking revenge but rather acknowledgment and a genuine apology for the tragedy created by the regime and the suffering inflicted on the entire Polish nation. The mandate of the institute is not to make Poles look better than other nations but to continue gathering documents and prosecuting criminals, even those of Polish background, which is an important part of national healing. Every country has good and corrupted people. What culture needs to do is to provide justice for those who stood for collective noble values and prosecute those who obstructed them. Revenge would basically mean that the oppressor, whether internal or external, was fundamentally successful at erasing the culture. This becomes particularly tragic and apparent in the recent events in Palestine, where the current government of Israel, a country that endured one of the most horrific attacks on its culture through the Holocaust, is now committing genocide against another nation. This poses an additional threat to Jewish culture's ability to endure. This brings us to another inconvenient truth about German nationalism. Nobody doubts the value and cultural heritage of the German people, but has Germany genuinely approached and apologized for the crimes it committed? What truth about German nationalism is buried in Holocaust?

For the record, I want to confess that my grandmother was born in Germany to German heritage...safety first... I often hear from young Germans that they are tired of people asking them about the Holocaust because it was not them, not even their parents, but their grandparents or maybe their friends who did it. The problem is that nobody really wants to take responsibility, and they just want people to forget. The issue with that approach is that it's simply impossible to forget because that would mean that the crime indeed succeeded in erasing the culture. So we find ourselves in conflict over and over again, passing the "hot potato."

Another example, In Canada, there exists a profound cultural struggle, encapsulated by the term "cultural genocide" often used to describe the historical injustices against Indigenous peoples. However, what many may fail to realize, as a Pole would know, is that it's not merely a matter of cultural erasure but a genocide, evident in the presence of mass graves containing real human remains, predominantly those of children. The institutional setup further underscores the gravity of the situation. This denial of truth poses a significant threat to Canada's ability to form a genuine culture, particularly when it refuses to acknowledge the language necessary for communal healing. The buried truth doesn't erase Indigenous culture, which endures through those who uphold its values, but rather exposes a truth about Canadian culture, or rather its absence. Canada stands as a prime example of a nation with a relatively short history that has yet to fully formulate a genuine cultural trend, as it continues to deny its historical account. I focus on Canada as a Canadian citizen because I believe in its potential to cultivate an extraordinary culture based on noble values, once it recognizes that perpetuating generations in repetitive pursuits, like pushing a hockey puck back and forth, does not constitute culture. It's time for Canada to embark on the real process of reconciliation and I am proud to see many Canadians working towards it.

Even more problematic is full accountability for the history of Africa and colonialism. Africa's healing process absolutely requires historical acknowledgment and genuine apology, but are countries with a history of colonialism ready to rebrand themselves and pivot their cultural intelligence towards a brighter future, recognizing liberty as a moral duty to themselves and others? Justice and liberty are not on opposite ends of the spectrum; they are two sides of the same coin. One cannot be liberated and unjust at the same time; liberty and justice inseparable are twins. The more just you are, the freer you are, and the same goes for cultures, their values, and their historical accounts. People should not be afraid of what they will uncover buried in the mass grave but be afraid of what will happen if they don't.

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