Memory Office: K. Z. Šafranavičius
Kęstutis Zenonas Šafranavičius, chairman of the Lithuanian Tartar Community of Kaunas County, tells about his family, where two religions of Islam and Catholicism lived together. Kęstutis shares his childhood memories in Kaunas and presents his activity in the community and in the Tartar Military History Club. The interview presents today’s world of history-sensitive Lithuanian Tartar.
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"My father came to Kaunas after he returned from prison. He was a political prisoner and in 1942 was deported to Germany by the Nazis. Three times he tried to escape the imprisonment place. However, only on the third attempt was he successful. Father tried to return to Lithuania, but was arrested by the Soviet Union Border Troops and imprisoned for 10 years. This is how he ended up in Arkhangelsk Oblast. There he participated in uprisings and again was sentenced for 25 years in prison of Odessa, but another man went there instead of him. Later, Stalin died and all the people (or at least the majority of them) were released. This is how he came to Kaunas in 1954."
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"There were two religions in our family: Islam and Catholicism. We celebrated all religious holidays. Together with our mother we were driving to Raižiai in Alytus County, to a mosque, which was operating throughout the Soviet time. During all religious holidays at home there were traditional and Tatar dishes: festive cake and dumplings. They were specific – prepared without pork. Also, we celebrated Christmas and Easter. Nowadays, even though Tatars are Muslims, they celebrate Catholic holidays because of the respect for their neighbors."
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"We were living at Gričiupio Street, where the current KTU student campus is located. Previously, it was a village on the outskirts of the city, however now it is almost the city centre. It was an international neighbourhood. My best friends were German-born children. Also, there lived many Russians and some Poles. Of course, there were Lithuanians, too. There was a zoo nearby, around 300–400 meters away. It was very interesting to go there through the fence, of course, without a ticket. Once, together with my friends, among whom I was the youngest, we decided to hunt ducks with bows at the zoo. I was waiting on the hill while my friends were at the bottom. They returned very quickly because someone was chasing them. We came back home without our bows. Probably I was very scared because even today I remember that fear."
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"We have been organizing the Romualdas Makaveckas' chess tournament for 11 years now. This tournament became international, as chess players from Denmark, Israel and Poland are participating."
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"A very important yet forgotten fact is that a 20-year-old Tatar named Aleksandras Tuhan-Baranauskas participated in the June Uprising in 1941. He raised the Lithuanian flag at the Kaunas yacht club and was shot down by a Soviet soldier."
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"If we were to take a look at the statistical data about the Kaunas ethnic composition before the war, we would find very few Lithuanians there. Among those, who established the city of Kaunas, there are almost no Lithuanian names – all are German or Jewish. I managed to find one Armenian as well... The city should investigate its historical truth more thoroughly."
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"The Tatar descent is very dear to me. I respected my mother, father and relatives very much. Some of them have passed away already. We have loads of Tatar strength. I do not know how many nations can say that they still respect Vytautas the Great that much. Almost all Tatar families have paintings of Vytautas the Great hanging on the walls of their homes. He is an individual who gave the opportunity to our ancestors to come, to settle and to live here. I get a little bit angry when I hear someone saying that the Tatar nation is an ordinary, maybe an alien nation. The patriotism of Lithuanian Tatars is truly great."
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KĘSTUTIS ZENONAS ŠAFRANAVIČIUS
Kęstutis was born in Kaunas in 1960. His mother Felicija Bagdonavičiūtė moved from Bazorai village (Alytus county) to Kaunas in 1949. Maternal grandparents – Abrahamas Bagdonavičius and Felicija Makulavičiūtė Bagdonavičienė – are buried in the Muslim cemetery in Bazoras village. His mother is a professed Islam and read Arabic characters. Her brother Danas Makulavičius was an Imam of the Raižiai Mosque (Alytus county). Father Petras Šafranavičius, originating from Žasliai (Kaišiadoriai county), was a prisoner of the state. He came to Kaunas from Arkhangelsk Oblast in 1954. Paternal grandparents – Petras Šafranavičius and Kazimiera Sinkevičiūtė Šafranavičienė. Kęstutis' father considered himself Lithuanian. Family's ancestors were warriors and representatives of clergies.
Kęstutis is the head of General Juzefas Beliakas Lithuanian Tartar Military History Club, the virtual Lithuanian Tartar History and Culture Museum and GK gallery. He became the chairman of the Lithuanian Tartar Community of Kaunas County in 2007. This secular community collects information about their ancestors' contribution to the history of warfare. According to the lists, it is united by 150 individuals.
Date of the interview: 06/12/2017
For more details: Tatars of Kaunas. Lithuanian Tatar Community of Kaunas County
Lithuanian Tatar History and Culture Museum