First Lady attended opening of Polish pavilion at Venice Biennale

First Lady Anna Komorowska and Minister of Culture and National Heritage Małgorzata Omilanowska attended the opening of the Polish pavilion at the 56th edition of the Venice Biennale. This year Poland is represented by multimedia project "Halka/Haiti 18°48'05"N 72°23'01"W" by C.T. Jasper and Joanna Malinowska. The artists staged "Halka" opera in Cazale, Haiti, a village inhabited by the descendants of Polish soldiers who had fought for the independence of Haiti. Sent to Saint-Domingue by Napoleon in 1802 and 1803 to put down the slaves’ rebellion, the Poles—who had joined Napoleon to fight for the independence of their own country—united with the local insurgents. As a result, these soldiers were granted honorary legal status of blacks in the newly established republic. Still today, people from Cazale identify with their historical motherland and bear creolized last names of their Polish ancestors. "Halka" has been considered a "national opera" since 1858 and was praised for its depiction of Polish folk culture. Magdalena Moskalewicz is the exhibition's curator.