International Dialogue
Abstract
In this deeply personal and politically charged epistolary essay, Joanna Zabielska reflects on the intersecting forms of erasure occurring within European cultural institutions and at the continent’s militarized borders. Framed as a letter to two men—Firas and Ali—whom the author met during the humanitarian crisis at the Polish-Belarusian border, the piece recounts their experiences of pushbacks, violence, detention, and survival, contextualizing their stories within a broader critique of European migration regimes. Zabielska juxtaposes this with her account of institutional censorship in Austria, where the names of the two men were removed from her VR installation Über das Neue at Belvedere 21. Across these narrative layers, the essay examines how identities, testimonies, and lives are rendered invisible by political pressure, racism, and the rhetoric of “neutrality.” Drawing on Wisława Szymborska’s poem Conversation with a Stone, Zabielska highlights art’s ethical imperative to bear witness and resist silence. The text functions simultaneously as testimony, memorial, and act of solidarity with displaced people whose stories remain unheard.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Zabielska, Joanna
(2025)
"Introduction and Letter to Firas and Ali,"
International Dialogue: Vol. 15, Article 5.
DOI: https:doi.org/10.32873/uno.dc.ID.15.01.1222
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/id-journal/vol15/iss1/5
Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."
Included in
Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, International Relations Commons, Political Theory Commons