Nemoguće je kreativnoj osobi oduzeti želju za stvaranjem. Od malih nogu Bronislava je skladala pjesme i neprestano ih ponavljala u sebi.

Na nekoliko fotografija koje još postoje, Papusza ima sretan nestašan osmijeh. Gledajući njen iskreni osmijeh, teško je zamisliti da je ova žena prošla kroz nedaće rata i genocida nad svojim narodom, a zatim i izbjeglištva. Ali ovo je teška istina.

Papusza nije pravo ime, vjerojatnije je pseudonim koji u prijevodu s romskog označava "lutku". Pravo ime joj je Bronislava Wajs, ali rijetko tko osim policije ju je tako zvao. Bila je snažna žena koja je vodila svoje romsko naselje u Poljskoj od 1949. Rođena je 1908. godine pa je proživjela nedaće ratova. Potječe iz obitelji glazbenika koji su propatili kroz Drugi svjetski rat, ali nikada nisu prestali uživati ​​u glazbi i nikada nisu prestali svirati svoje glazbene instrumente.

Poeziju je počela pisati 1950. godine, što nikad nije naišlo na odobravanje njezine obitelji jer se pisanje poezije nije smatralo ozbiljnim zanimanjem.  U to vrijeme struktura romskog logora bila je prilično patrijarhalna. Djevojkama nije bilo dopušteno učiti i ići u školu. Papusza se od djetinjstva bavila kućanskim poslovima i proricanjem sudbine ravnopravo kao što su to radili i odrasli.

Međutim, kreativnoj osobi nemoguće je oduzeti želju za stvaranjem. Od malih nogu Bronislava je skladala pjesme i neprestano ih ponavljala u sebi. S vremenom je bilo još pjesama, ali Papuszino pamćenje nije moglo zadržati svu poeziju u glavi.

Čvrsto je odlučila naučiti čitati i pisati. Dok je šetala gradom kako bi ljudima proricala sudbinu, čekala je učenike da izađu iz škole. Zatim je učenike zamolila da ju nauče slova, a ona će im zauzvrat proricati sudbinu. Međutim, slova se uopće nisu oblikovala u riječi. Bronislava je dala dvije kokoši, u zamjenu za satove pismenosti koje joj je davala jedna Židovka. Kad je Bronislavina obitelj saznala da je poklonila kokoši, strogo je kažnjena. Unutar obitelji običaj je bio da se stvari unose u kuću, a ne da se iznose iz nje. Kasnije je i pretučena kad su saznali da ima knjigu.

Ipak, želja za učenjem nije nestala. Kasnije je skupljala stare odbačene knjige, komadiće papira i ostatke olovaka. Na tim je papirićima zapisivala svoje pjesme. Nažalost, najčešće su tim komadićima papira članovi njezine obitelji kasnije zapalili vatru. Kad si dijete, ne možeš imati ništa osobno, sve pripada obitelji.

Onda je došao Drugi svjetski rat. Počeo je okrutni lov na Rome. Bronislava i njezina obitelj i prijatelji morali su se skrivati ​​na hladnoći u močvarama. Nisu svi preživjeli skrivanje u močvarama – mnogi su umrli od upale pluća ili se utopili. Međutim, ako se niste sakrili u močvarama, mogli su vas rastrgati psi, mogli su vas ustrijeliti iz vatrenog oružja ili baciti s litice.

Nakon rata, Poljska je postala komunistička zemlja. Vlasti su odlučile provesti popis Roma. Očekivalo se da će svako naselje imati kompetentnog predstavnika koji će se baviti izračunima i dokumentima. Bronislava je izabrana kao takva predstavnica za svoje naselje. Iako je bila savršena za tu ulogu, rodbina ju je mrzovoljno gledala jer žena u to vrijeme nije mogla biti pismena.

 

Jednom je Bronislava upoznala poljskog pisca i kritičara. Poslala mu je pismo sa svojim pjesmama, a on je, ne pitajući za dopuštenje, objavio njezine pjesme u novinama. Problem je bio što su pjesme objavljene ispod članka o prelasku Roma na sjedilački način života.

Lokalna romska zajednica bila je jako uvrijeđena Papuszom. Okrivljena je da se dopisivala s muškarcem, i da je odala romske tajne javnosti. Osuđena najvećom kaznom - protjerivanjem iz naselja.

U gradu je Papusza počela voditi normalan život, zaposlila se. Međutim, prestala je pisati poeziju. Teško je i tužno pisati pjesme o Romima kad ne živiš pored njih. Papusza je voljela proučavati kako žive Romi u različitim zemljama. Posebno joj se svidjela kreativnost kazališta "ROMEN" u Rusiji. Inspirirana je činjenicom da se Romi mogu izraziti u kreativnosti, a da pritom ne budu nomadi.

Papuszi je izgon iz obiteljskog naselja toliko teško pao, donio toliko tuge da je na kraju života završila u psihijatrijskoj bolnici. Tamo je umrla 1987. godine.

O papuszi trenutno postoji nekoliko dokumentaraca i kazališnih predstava posvećenih njezinom životu. U Poljskoj joj je podignut spomenik.

 

 

 

It is impossible to take away the desire to create from a creative person. From an early age, Bronislava composed poems and constantly repeated them to herself. 

In the few photographs that still exist, Papusza has a happy mischievous smile. Looking at her sincere smile, it is hard to imagine that this woman went through the hardships of the war and the genocide of her people, and then exile. But this is the hard truth.

Papusza is not a real name, more likely a pseudonym that stands for a “doll” if translated from Roma language. Her real name is Bronislava Wajs, but hardly anyone except for the police ever called her that. She was a strong woman who led her Roma settlement in Poland from 1949. She was born in 1908 so she lived through the hardships of the wars. She comes from a family of musicians who suffered through WWII but never stopped enjoying music and never abandoned their musical instruments.

She herself started to write poetry in 1950, which was never met with joy in her family, as at that time poetry for Roma girls was considered to be foolish and not a serious matter to do in life. In those days, the structure in the Roma camp was quite patriarchal. Girls were not allowed to study, and go to school. Papusza from childhood was engaged in housework and fortune-telling on an equal footing with adults.

However, it is impossible to take away the desire to create from a creative person. From an early age, Bronislava composed poems and constantly repeated them to herself. Over time, there were more poems, but Papusza's memory could not keep all the poetry in her head. 

She was determined to learn to read and write. During her walks in the city for fortune telling, she waited for students to come out of school. She then asked schoolchildren to teach her letters in exchange for fortune-telling. However, the letters did not form into words at all. Therefore, Bronislava exchanged two chickens in exchange for literacy lessons from a Jewish woman. When Bronislava's family found out that she had given away the chickens, she was severely punished. Within the family, it was customary to bring things into the house, rather than take them out of it. Later, the girl was also beaten when she was found with a book.

Nevertheless, the desire to learn did not go away. Later on she was picking up old discarded books, scraps of paper and stubs of pencils. On these scraps of paper she wrote down her poems. Unfortunately, most often these scraps of paper were later used to light a fire by members of her family. When you are a child, you cannot have anything personal - everything belongs to the family.

Then World War II came. The atrocious hunt for the Roma began. Bronislava and her family and friends had to hide in the cold in the swamps. Not everyone survived waiting in the swamps - many died of pneumonia or drowned. However, if you did not hide in the swamps, then you could be torn to pieces by dogs, shot with guns or thrown off a cliff.

After the war, Poland became a communist country. The authorities decided to conduct a census of the Roma. Each settlement was expected to have a competent representative who would deal with calculations and documents. Bronislava was chosen as such a representative for her settlement. Even though she was perfect for the role, she was still frowned upon by her relatives, because a woman could not be literate at that time. 

Once Bronislava met a Polish writer and critic. She sent a letter with her poems to him, and he, without asking permission, published her poems in a newspaper. The problem was that the poems were published under an article about Roma being transferred to a sedentary lifestyle.

Local Roma community was very offended by Pupusha. Firstly, she was blamed for correspondence with a man, and secondly, for having given out the secrets of the Roma to the public. She was sentenced to the highest measure - expelled from the settlement.

In the city, Papusza began to lead a normal life, got a job. However, she stopped writing poetry. It's hard and sad to write poems about Roma when you don't live next to them.

Papusza loved to study how Roma live in different countries. She especially liked the creativity of the theater "ROMEN" in Russia. She was inspired by the fact that Roma can express themselves in creativity and at the same time not be nomads.

Expulsion from her family settlement was so hard for Papusza, brought so much sadness that at the end of her life she ended up in a psychiatric hospital. She died there in 1987.

At the moment, Papusza has several documentaries and theater performances dedicated to her life, and a monument of her in Poland.