VOX POPULI: Katyn massacre victims triumph in posterity

Beethoven's Third and Fifth symphonies are also called "Eroica" (Heroic) and "Schicksal" (Fate), respectively. Sandwiched between these majestic tours de force, his Symphony No. 4 was once described by German composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856) as "a slender Greek maiden between two Norse gods."

This image could also apply to Poland, except there is none of the romanticism implied by Schumann.

Someone once observed, "With two giants called the Soviet Union and Germany sleeping on both sides, Poland could be crushed if the giants toss and turn in bed." Poland was invaded by both the Soviet Union and Germany during World War II, and the consequences were indeed dire.

The international news section of the vernacular Asahi Shimbun on Thursday reported on a ceremony to memorialize the Katyn Forest massacre that occurred during that war.

In 1940, about 20,000 Polish officers and other prisoners of war held by the Soviet army were executed in the Katyn Forest and other places. At the time, the Soviets blamed Nazi Germany for the massacre. The truth remained veiled until the 1990s, when the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev finally acknowledged responsibility.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Forest massacre.

The memorial ceremony, held in Russia, was reportedly attended by Polish film director Andrzej Wajda, 84, whose father was among the victims. Wajda spent years preparing his 2007 film "Katyn," which has been shown around the world, including Japan. The powerful work amply conveys the director's determination to pass on a record of history to the next generation.

Wajda's sense of mission reminds me of the thinking of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), who believed that in human history, the oppressed patiently await their chance to triumph.

Victims and survivors alike of the Katyn Forest massacre were dehumanized by Soviet cruelty and falsehood. I presume the "triumph" sought by Wajda is that this fact of history will now be remembered in posterity.

In his message to viewers of "Katyn," Wajda bemoaned that "Sept. 17" no longer means anything to some young Polish people. That was the date in 1939 when Soviet troops invaded Poland.

All nations share the difficulty of passing history on to the next generation.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 9

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.