DOHA: Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), in collaboration with the Polish embassy, hosted a public event ‘The Fall of the Iron Curtain: A Polish Perspective’, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.
It was held on the university’s Education City campus.
Dr Gerd Nonneman, Dean, GU-Q, launched the event and welcomed participants, followed by an introduction by Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Suprowicz, to a photo exhibit and film screening, both of which focused on Poland’s dramatic political transition and national solidarity.
Professor Andrzej Rychard, Director, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Sciences, discussed the Europe-wide impact of the fall of communism in his lecture ‘The Fall of the Iron Curtain: Poland’s 25 Years of Transformation in a Regional Context’.
Continuing the conversation, Dr Oded Stark, Research Scholar, GU-Q, said: “The post-war world order agreed upon in the course of the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam conferences confined lives of millions of Europeans to living on the wrong side of the ‘Iron Curtain’.
“It took two generations to do justice to their grandfathers’ aspirations,” said Suprowicz.
The exhibition ‘1989 – the End of the System’ was held in the atrium of the Georgetown building throughout the day, and presented the ‘relay race’ from communism to democracy which began in 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe.
Information boards showcased text comprising memoirs, documents, articles from the official and non-official press, as well as photographs and posters.
The documentary 1989, directed by Michal Bielawski, showed the political transition of the country in a short period — between the end of 1988 and the beginning of 1990. It was produced under the auspices of the Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski.
The event also included a question-answer session, and concluded with a reception in the atrium. The Peninsula
