Celebrating Mina Witkojc

May 28, 2024

Celebrating Mina Witkojc

This Doodle celebrates Sorbian writer, journalist, and poet Mina Witkojc, who is widely considered one of the most important poets and activist for the Lower Sorbian language and culture.

About the Doodle

Celebrating Mina Witkojc

On this day in 1893, Witkojc was born in Burg, Germany.

She grew up there, worked in Berlin as a day laborer for several years, and became interested in her Sorbian identity when she met a group of Czech and Upper Sorbian intellectuals. She moved to Bautzen, a town with a higher population of Sorbs, shortly after.

In that town of Saxony, Witkojc worked as a journalist and became the chief editor of the Lower Sorbian newspaper, Serbski Casnik and through her work on the Wendish book calendar, Pratyja she worked to promote the Wendish and Sorbian people in a positive light. She also translated poems from other Slavic languages and wrote her own poetry, which often used images of nature to show her deep love for her culture and homeland.

Witkojc was forced to leave Serbski Casnik when the national socialist government banned the Sorbian languages and banned her from writing altogether. Years later, she was expelled from Lusatia through residence bans and later arrested for putting up Sorbian-language posters.

She returned to Burg in 1954 and continued to write, maintaining pride in her identity despite the systemic attempts of suppression of her culture She published poems and stories in Nowy Casnik and released a poetry book called K swětłu a słyńcu (To the Light, to the Sun). Witkojc was honored with the Ćišinski Prize in 1964, and two schools and a library carry her name in Burg. A street in Cottbus is named after her, and the Mina Witkojc Award is given to Sorbian language activists.

Happy birthday Mina Witkojc, you’ll always be remembered for your moving prose and love for your heritage.

Blue illustration of the letter G with a green pen.
About Mina Witkojc

About the Celebrating Mina Witkojc Doodle

This Doodle celebrates Sorbian journalist and poet Mina Witkojc, one of the most important writers and activists for the Lower Sorbian language and culture. This artwork was created by guest artist, Siggiko, and it shows Mina writing under a tree, amongst her beloved cats. It also features her bicycle, which she would often ride to get from Cottbus to Bautzen.

Making the Doodle

About the Guest Artist

Animated image of a white person with blonde hair. The person has glasses and a hat on and is holding a pen.

This Doodle was illustrated by Cottbus-based guest artist Siggiko. Below, they share their thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Where this Doodle appeared

The Doodle Celebrating Mina Witkojc launched May 28, 2024

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