Hanna Jarzabek

Silesia (Poland) is the largest coal-mining region in Europe, where the closure of the mines is on the horizon. In February I received an assignment from “Equal Times” (Belgian online newspaper) to report on challenges of the so-called Just Transition in this region. I had to deliver 8 contextual photographs and interview few representatives of the mining unions. Once in the field, I realized the complexity of the subject and how important it is to do an in-depth investigation and dedicate more time to document the issue. With this in mind, apart from the interviews with unions’ representatives, I established contact with miners and went down into one of the shafts to photograph their work conditions. My objective now is to continue this line, documenting the situation and work conditions in the mines as well as the challenges and impact of Just Transition on miners and on the whole region.

I will complete this photographic material by a series of portraits, taken directly after the miners go up from the shaft. The idea here is to stress up the harshness of the profession and reinforce the human dimension of the project.

 

In parallel I will record miners’ testimonies in order to contextualize their present situation and spot their fears for the future. Looking back those fears are well founded. In the last 30 years, Poland has closed two-thirds of its mines, cutting employment in the sector from 300,000 to 80,000 people, according to mining unions. The impact has been diverse. While Katowice, the capital of the Silesian Voivodeship, today enjoys some development, in many other towns where mining was the main source of income, social conflicts and pockets of poverty arose. Some miners, loosing their job at the age of 45-50 and not being able to recycle professionally, committed suicide. I consider it is crucial to add this social dimension to the project and reflect on what should be changed and avoided in the ongoing transition.

The final format of the project will be presented online through a specially designed webpage with access to all the components of the project: photographs, texts, and testimonies. The audio testimonies will be edited into a series of podcasts of 5-6 minutes each. To preserve their authenticity, all podcasts will be in Polish and their English transcription will be available on the webpage. I believe it is important that people communicate in their mother tongue as it express part of their identity, maintaining also the local flavor.

I have carried out two previous works, funded from the European Journalism Centre, whose final format is a webpage (see below). I believe this format allows for the inclusion of a wide variety of materials, which afford a more complete view of the subject.

Examples of webpages created for previous work:

The webpage will be promoted through engagement platforms and social media networks. Furthermore, the dissemination of the project will include various actions, such as talks, colloquia and projections within the frame of photography festivals, among others. I will also propose the project to the media with which I have previously collaborated to ensure a broad international coverage.

Example of previous dissemination, the “Off The Map - Transnistria” project: https://transnistria.visura.co/news-pridnestrovie-transnistria-project

The Silesian mines are one of the last still operating in Europe. According to the requirements of the European Green Deal, which is committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, and plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030, these mines should close in the coming years. Therefore, it is one of the last moments to document them and to collect testimonies from the miners about their daily live, profession and how they perceive their future.

According to Just Transition, the decarbonization process must ensure the rights and guarantee the livelihoods of the affected workers. In Poland this transformation arouses both hope and fear and the miners, although they understand the need for change, fear for their future and that of their region. In addition, the consequences of the war in Ukraine introduce the issue of energy security into the picture, and may question some of the decisions that have been taken so far. Taking all this into account, I think it is a very important moment to carry out an in-depth investigation of the subject.

As I have covered this issue for an assignment, I do posses good knowledge of the subject, the region and the context. I also have very well developed contacts, which would greatly facilitate the completion of this work. In addition, I am Polish and I do not need a fixer or any other type of intermediary to be able to carry out this project. The benefits of all those advantages are several: from being able to develop a direct relationship with the protagonists of the project, to reducing the time and costs off work. The scholarship will be used to cover direct expenses related to production, such as: travel expenses, accommodation and per diems in the field. My working time (in the field and dedicated to post-production) will be covered by outlets and actions related with project’s dissemination.

 

Round trip Spain (where I live) - Poland = 300€

Vehicle location = 420€ (at the rate of 20€ per day) 

Lodging = 840€ (at the rate of 40€ per day)

Food = 525€ (at the rate of 25€ per day)

Taxes (15% to be paid in Spain at the reception of 2500€ grant) = 375€