Don't Mess with Texas

A collaboration project with Michal Jedrzejowski. We set off to Texas in 2009, 155 years after the first part of the Silesian exile. We came to Panna Maria, the first Polish parish on the American mainland. We visited homes, schools, churches and bars. We were looking for Moczygba, Labus, and Janysk. We found Texans: jeans, cowboy boots, Republican views and the all-pervasive "Don't Mess with Texas". We learned their stories, and heard tales on old and new homeland. Each one is a multigenerational saga interwoven with sorrow, but also a sense of joy and fulfillment. Among our heroes there are farmers, businessmen, clergymen, musicians, and writers. Who are the descendants of the Silesian pioneers today? We couldn't find an answer. We didn't need one.