COURAGE

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Kurts Fridrihsons (1911-1991) bija latviešu gleznotājs, personība, kura bija izpelnījusies plašu atzinību un cieņu darbu mākslinieciskās kvalitātes un intelektuālās neatkarības dēļ. Pirms Otrā pasaules kara viņš neilgu laiku pavadīja Parīzē, kur iepazinās ar vairākiem māksliniekiem un literātiem, piemēram, rakstnieku Andrē Židu (André Gide) un gleznotāju Andrē Derēnu (André Derain). 1945. gada rudenī Fridrihsons un vairāki viņa draugi sāka satikties pirmdienās, izveidojot sava veida literāru salonu, kurā tika apspriesti dažādi mākslas un literatūras temati. Šīs tikšanās turpinājās apmēram līdz 1947. gada pavasarim. 1951.gada sākumā LPSR Valsts drošības ministrija arestēja 12 cilvēkus no mākslas, literatūras un teātra aprindām: Kurtu Fridrihsonu, Elzu Stērsti (1885-1976), Ievu Birgeri (1916-2002), Arnoldu Stubavu (1910-1958) un viņa sievu Irmu Irīnu Stubavu (1908-1999), Maiju Silmali (1924-1973) un viņas vīru Miervaldi Ozoliņu (1922-1999), Alfrēdu Sausni (1900-1994) un viņa sievu Eleonoru Sausni (1910-1969), Mirdzu Lībieti-Erss (1924-2008), Skaidrīti Sirsoni (1920-1998) un Gustavu Bērziņu (1910-?). Pirmajiem trīs piesprieda 25 gadus sevišķā režīma nometnē, pārējiem – no 7 līdz 10 gadiem. Visiem, izņemot M. Lībieti-Erss, kopīga apsūdzība bija dalība literārajos vakaros, kurus čekisti nodēvēja par “reakcionāru pretpadomju grupu”. Fridrihsonam piesprieda 25 gadus sevišķajā nometnē. Viņš atradās ieslodzījumā 1951.–1956. gadā nometnē Omskas apgabalā. K. Fridrihsona barakas biedri bija vairāki cilvēki no intelektuālajām un mākslinieciskajām aprindām, piemēram, krievs Nikolajs Gumiļovs, lietuvieši Antans Kučingis (Antanas Kučingis) un Vincs Steponavičs (Vincas Steponavičius). K. Fridrihsons izmantoja ikvienu iespēju, lai nezaudētu profesionālās iemaņas un saglabātu intelektuālo integritāti. Viņš lūdza, lai sieva atsūta viņam zīmuļus, otas, ūdenskrāsas, papīru. Viņš esot uzzīmējis ļoti daudz ieslodzījuma biedru portretu pastkartes formātā, lai viņi varētu tos aizsūtīt uz mājām tuviniekiem. K. Fridrihsons ieslodzījuma laikā radīja 3500 akvareļus. 1476 no tiem viņa mantinieki Gundega Repše un Jānis Spalviņš uzdāvināja Latvijas Okupācijas muzejam 2003. un 2006. gadā. Daļa no akvareļiem ataino Gulaga nometņu apkaimi, tomēr lielāko daļu ir rosinājuši iespaidi par literāriem darbiem, teātri, atmiņas par vietām, kuras Kurts Fridrihsons bija kādreiz apmeklējis (piemēram, Parīze), iedomātas Tuvo Austrumu un Skandināvijas ainavas, Ziemeļamerikas indiāņi u.c. Šo akvareļu tēmas un stilu pēc atgriešanās Latvijā mākslinieks turpināja izkopt akvareļos un flomāstera zīmējumos. Pēc mākslinieka atgriešanās Latvijā oficiālās mākslas pārvaldības institūcijas viņu sākumā ignorēja, pirmā izstāde notika tikai 1969. gadā. Tomēr K. Fridrihsons vienmēr atradās Latvijas intelektuālās dzīves centrā, viņam bija ievērojama neformālā ietekme kā mākslinieku aprindās, tā arī plašākā sabiedrībā.

Mario Fabekovac was born in Zagreb in 1975 and has lived all his life in Samobor. In 2001, he graduated from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb. Since 2003, he has been employed as an archivist at the Croatian State Archives (Political Parties and Associations Division of the CSA’s Department for the Preservation and Arrangement of Archival Records), where he is currently an archivist-specialist. In 2008 he arranged and incorporated the newly found material of the Matica hrvatska Collection.

The concept of cultural opposition was not known to him before the COURAGE project, but he assumes that it refers to "the action of people in the field of culture who through their basic activity and in their own way expressed some negative or critical attitudes towards the authorities or the complete socialist system" (Interview with Fabekovac, Mario). In that sense, he also sees the influence of intellectuals within Matica hrvatska.

Because of his popularity among the youth, he was not promoted to a parish priest but remained only an administrator of the parish of Vinné near the town of Michalovce. From 1980 to 1989, he was an administrator in Hýľov in the Košice-okolie District. In 1980, along with priest Július Chalupa, Anton Fabian established a recording studio in Hýľov where they used to record and distribute gospel albums. After 1989, he continued his studies in Lublin and Rome.

Following graduation from studies in the field of electronic data analysis, Jan Faktor worked as a programmer in Prague. Together with his wife, he moved to East Berlin in 1978 for personal reasons and found employment as a locksmith and kindergarten teacher, but also engaged heavily in the independent literary scene. Through his numerous experimental texts, Faktor enriched the group of authors belonging to the “Prenzlauer-Berg-Connection”.

Although the German language was foreign to him, he gradually gained his own perspective on its usage and challenged its artistic and political conventions as well as those of the independent literary scene. In 1983, he published his four part “Manifest of Trivial Poetry” (Manifest der Trivialpoesie) and one year later, together with Papenfuß and Stefan Döring, another manifest  “Zoro in Skorne”. He became a regular at apartment, studio and courtyard readings and he released his writings in Samizdat form.

Jan Faktor's texts often parodied techniques which are utilized linguistically to enhance meaning. These include repetition (for emphasis) and the usage of comparatives. Faktor's techniques are on display in his 23-page long poem "George's Worries about the Future" ("Georgs Sorgen um die Zukunft") from the volume "George's Attempts at a Poem and Other Positive Texts from the Poet's Garden of Horror" („Georgs Versuche an einem Gedicht und andere positive Texte aus dem Dichtergarten des Grauens“). Through the inclusion of meaningless albeit grammatically correct suprelatives ("the eight-hour working day becomes more eight hourly", etc.), the nonsense of the ideologically motivated and delusional degrees of comparison present in the official language of the GDR are laid bare. In other poems, the author constructs sentences without regard to German conventions for doing so thereby producing comical results.

In 1989, he became a member of the New Forum (Neuen Forum) and later an employee of the first GDR Civil Rights Movement weekly, The Others (Die Andere). Since the 1990s, Faktor has reflected retrospectively on the character of the independent literary scene of the GDR on multiple occasions in his own writings as well as in interviews.

Polish actor, comedian and by background – graphic artist. He was involved in the Solidarity movement from its beginnings. In the 1980s he thought against the socialist regime with his humour as a weapon. He produced numerous posters, comics, graphics and illustrations that were humorously discrediting the authorities. His works were commonly recognised and illegally distributed by the underground opposition. He also opposed the state propaganda during illegal performances of a stand-up nature.

Jacek Fedorowicz is a member of the Historic-Programme Council of the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk. He donated to the institution a wide collection of his graphics (along with stamps and patterns) and video recordings of his illegal performances.