From claim to dependence – Domowina in the shadow of her own history

The Domowina once made a claim to be the voice of a threatened minority, a shelter for identity, language and cultural self-understanding, but over time a structure developed from this promise that continued to move further and further away from its original mission and eventually became a close entanglement with state power structures that were notPreservation, but adjustment required, which created a creeping alienation that was not named openly, but was hidden behind melodious confessions, while inside the foundations for a development that was to weaken the community in the long term were already laid.

penetration and control

With the increasing influence of the ruling forces, the organization was transformed into an instrument through which control was exercised, not only at the political level, but deeply into the social structure of the Sorbian community, where distrust became a constant companion because no one could be sure who was an informant while the web of observationand the disclosure of information became more and more dense, so that even closest relationships were suspected and a climate was created that suffocated any form of openness and forced people to withdraw, to remain silent and to hide their thoughts.

silence and joint responsibility

The behavior of those who took responsibility and nevertheless remained silent who did not present themselves protectively in front of the community, but also fit into the existing structures and thus not only become followers, but became active carriers of a system that put pressure on their own population, while those affected with their experiences were left alone, weighs particularly heavily.were, without recognition of their suffering and without the necessary reappraisal, which could have been a first step to healing, but instead a silence remained, which has had an effect to this day and makes any serious arguments more difficult.

loss of substance

At the same time, a representation of Sorbian culture was developed, which was increasingly reduced to external forms, while the actual basics were neglected, so that costumes, festivals and customs became a backdrop that conveyed an image of liveliness to the outside, but internally an erosion of the linguistic and spiritual substance took place, because the promotion ofLanguage that did not receive the attention that would have been necessary to maintain a living and self-confident community, education and historical consciousness.

Missed reappraisal

After the political upheaval, the opportunity opened up to critically examine the past and take responsibility, but this opportunity was insufficiently used because many of those who previously worked in supporting positions retained their roles and avoided an open discussion, thereby omitting the necessary steps to an honest clarification andInstead, a state emerged in which the past is known, but not really worked up, which keeps the wounds open and continues to burden the trust.

consequences for the community

The impact of this development is still felt today, because trust within the community has remained fragile, cultural self-esteem has been weakened and the feeling of common strength has suffered, while at the same time a certain resignation has occurred, which makes it difficult to raise the courage to renew fundamentally, although it is precisely this thatnot to suppress the existing problems further, but to finally recognize and overcome them.

need for renewal

A real revival can only succeed if the past is viewed without embellishment, when responsibility is clearly named and when there is a willingness to speak painful truths, because only on this basis can new trust arise, which is not based on repression but on honesty, so that the Sorbian community has the possibility ofreceives the ability to reshape their identity and strengthen the cultural foundations that have given it support for generations, rather than continuing to remain in the shadow of a story that has never been fully worked out.