Grande Educador

On August 8, within the framework of the Year of Science in Belarus, an exhibition "Grande Educador" timed to the 215th birthday of Ignat Domeyko, a native of Belarus, scientist, reformer and national hero of Chile, has opened in the library.

Ignat Domeyko (1802–1889) is an outstanding geologist and mineralogist, geographer and ethnologist, tireless traveler, rector of the University of Chile and member of many scientific societies, one of the most famous graduates of the University of Vilna.

The exposition includes reference books, encyclopedias, scientific-popular and scientific publications about the outstanding figures of Belarusian science, culture and art, among which Ignat Domeyko’s biography is distinguished by incredible events, acquaintances, travels, adventures and significant discoveries. It is difficult to find a more eventful life than that of Ignat Domeyko.

The exposition opens with the reference edition 250 Belarusian Personalities in Dialogues of Cultures (Belarusian: 250 асоб з Беларусі ў дыялогах культур) (2008), prepared on the initiative of the National Commission of the Republic of Belarus for UNESCO. The book about the outstanding persons born within the modern borders of Belarus is compiled by employees of the Grodno State University named after Janka Kupala and the Institute of Linguistics and Literature named after Janka Kupala and Jakub Kolas of the NAS of Belarus. The parallel text is in Belarusian and English.

On July 31, at the celebration of the 215th anniversary of the birth of Ignat Domeyko, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Information of the Republic of Belarus donated to the National Library of Belarus the book of the great-granddaughter of our outstanding countryman Paz Domeyko Lea-Plaza Ignat Domeyko: from Miadzviadka to Santiago de Chile (1802–1889) (Belarusian: Ігнат Дамейка: з Мядзведкі – у Санцьяга-дэ-Чылі (1802–1889), translated from Spanish into Belarusian and published in 2017. Ignat Domeyko’s direct descendants from the U.S., Australia and Chile left their autographs on the inside back of the cover.

In the scientific and popular publication Belarusians Abroad (Belarusian, Russian: Беларускае замежжа = Белорусское зарубежье) (2010), compiled by N. Golubeva, the team of authors attempted to recreate the history of Belarusian emigration, having gathered together the currently available information about natives of Belarus who had left their homeland in different periods and settled around the world, on different continents and in different countries.

Biographical articles about the famous scientist featured in One Hundred Figures in the History of Belarus (Belarusian: Сто асоб беларускай гісторыі) by Anatoly Myasnikov, Fates in History (Belarusian: Лёсы ў гісторыі) by Vitovt Charopka, and the encyclopedic reference The Thinkers and Educators of Belarus (Belarusian: Мысліцелі і асветнікі Беларусі) will be of interest to readers.

Natives of the regions where Ignat Domeyko lived and worked are especially proud of their glorified compatriot. Their honor is reflected in the publications The Brest Region: Legends, Events, People (Russian: Брестчина: легенды, события, люди) by Ilya Kurkov, The Korelichi District and its Famous People (Belarusian: Зямля карэліцкая і яе славутыя людзі) by Svetlana Koshur and her another book Return to the Motherland (Belarusian: Вяртанне на Радзіму), including a description of the Chile branch of the Domeyko family tree prepared by Ignacio Salazar Domeyko and Zdzisław Jan Ryn.

In 1969, Adam Maldis, one of the Belarusian discoverers of Ignat Domeyko, dedicated to him a fascinating essay in the book A Journey to the ХІХ century (Belarusian: Падарожжа ў ХІХ стагоддзе).

Valery Ermolenko, the PhD in Geography, is the author of a no less fascinating story for schoolchildren. His book The Pioneers of Distant Shores. The Natives of Belarus in Geographical Discoveries (Russian: Первопроходцы дальних берегов. Уроженцы Беларуси в географических открытиях) includes a lot of vivid and colorful illustrations. The publication is based on literary works and archival data.

The exhibition presents the fundamental research published by the Jagiellonian University in Krakow: Ignat Domeyko, a Citizen of the World (Polish: Ignacy Domeyko – obywatel swiata) and Ignat Domeiko: The Life and Work (Spanish: Ignacio Domeyko: la vida y la obra). The editor of the first book and author of the second is the former Polish ambassador to Chile, now professor of the Jagiellonian University Zdzisław Jan Ryn. Also the exposition includes one more fundamental work: Ignat Domeyko: Lithuania. France. Chile (Polish: Ignacy Domeyko: Litwa. Francja. Chile) by the Professor, PhD in History Zbigniew Wójcik.

In 1816, Ignat Domeyko was admitted to the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Vilna, where he also mastered the knowledge of topography, architecture, foreign languages, history and literature. Having defended a thesis he received a master’s degree in philosophy. At the university he struck up a friendship with Adam Mickiewicz, Jan Czeczot and Tomasz Zan. They were members of the secret student societies of Philomaths and Filarets, where much attention was paid to the awakening of national self-awareness, propagation of humanism and promotion of knowledge and science as the highest values of humankind. Domeyko joined of the Filomat Society under the secret name of “Żegota”. Later Adam Mickiewicz would call so one of the heroes of his poems Dziady and Pan Tadeusz. Ignat Domeyko was the poet’s indispensable assistant and adviser in creating his most significant poem Pan Tadeusz. Moreover, Domeyko rewrote and prepared this masterpiece for printing, and, in return, the author presented to him the first copy of the publication.

The Vilna period in the biography of the scientist and patriot is covered by the collection Philomaths and Filarets (Belarusian: Філаматы і філарэты) of the series Belarusian Book Collections (Беларускі кнігазбор) and the historical essay by the Professor, PhD in Geology and Mineralogy Vytautas Skuodis The Vilna University of Philomaths and Filarets, their Destinies (Lithuanian: Vilniaus universiteto filomatai ir filaretai, jų likimai: istorinė apybraiža).

The literary talent of Ignat Domeyko best manifests in the travel essays and memoirs. Written at different times, they were published in Wrocław in 1962–1963 as My Journeys: The Diary of an Exile (Polish: Moje podróże: pamiętniki wygnańca). In 2002, the translation of the book into the Belarusian language Мае падарожжы: дзённік выгнанца was released in the series Belarusian Book Collections.

The exposition also features two rare publications: In Memory of Adam Mickiewicz (Polish: Pamięci Adama Mickiewicza) (Petersburg, 1890) and The Diaries of Ignat Domeyko (1831–1838) (Polish: Pamiętniki Ignacego Domejki (1831–1838) (Krakow, 1908).

Having learned about the Araukanians, a non-obeyed Indian people in the south of Chile, the participant of the liberation uprising of 1831 dipped into the free people’s world of another continent in order to comprehend their culture, souls and thoughts. Then Ignat Domeyko wrote in one breath the Araukania and its inhabitants (Polish: Araukania i jej mieszkancy), a book based on the materials of his trip. For the first time the book, which later became world famous, was printed in Spanish in Santiago in 1845. The exposition presents its Polish edition of 1992.

The 200th anniversary of Ignat Domeyko, listed in the UNESCO calendar of events 2002–2003, was a significant event that stimulated the study and promotion of our glorified compatriot throughout the world. During this period a lot of new publications appeared. In 2003 some of them, including a unique book in Spanish Ignacio Domeyko: La vida de un emigrante, 1802–1889 by the great-granddaughter of Ignat Dameyko Paz Dameyko Lea-Plaza, were kindly presented to the National Library of Belarus by the Professor Zdzisław Jan Ryn.

Also the exhibition presents the publications from the collection of Zdzisław Jan Ryn in Spanish and Polish: Ignat Domeyko: A Citizen of Two Countries (Ignacio Domeyko: ciudadano de dos naciones), The Trail of Domeyko: Araucania and its Ingabitants – 150 Years Later, the bibliographic collection of Zdzisław Jan Ryn The Year of Ignat Domeuko, 2002 (Rok Ignacego Domeyki, 2002) and other publications.

The jubilee year 2002 was marked by a number of events dedicated to Ignat Domeyko, including scientific conferences. At the exhibition you can see the published proceedings of the international scientific and practical conference Ignat Domeyko, 1802–1889: His Life, Work and Contribution to Science (Lithuanian: Ignotas Domeika, 1802–1889: gyvenimas, darbai ir indėlis į mokslą: tarptautinės mokslinės konferencijos darbai) (Vilnius, Lithuania), VI Korelichi readings Ignat Domeyko, the great figure of the world civilization (Belarusian: Ігнат Дамейка – светач сусветнай цывілізацыі) (Mir, Belarus), the international scientific conference Contemporary problems of geology of Belarus, Lithuania and Poland (Russian: Современные проблемы геологии Беларуси, Литвы и Польши) (Minsk, Belarus).

The Belarusian researchers and historians Adam Maldis, Stanislav Sudnik, Tamara Dovnar, Yadviga Anoshko are promoting the XIX century scientist and public figure with their publications in scientific and literary magazines.

The exposition cannot hold all the numerous newspaper and magazine articles, but in the reading rooms of the National Library you can get acquainted with the publications devoted to Ignat Domeyko.

The exhibition is located in the exhibit space on the 3rd floor and will run until 31 December, 2017.