One of the settlements created for Polish civilian refugees who left the USSR in 1942 with General Anders's Army was the Kondoa refugee camp for over 400 people. The refugees lived in 24 barracks made of clay. A primary school was established and scouting was active. A small hospital was established. The settlement functioned until 1948.
In the local Catholic cemetery, twelve Polish refugees are buried under a large baobab tree (with an engraved inscription: "1943 Poland"). The headstones with crosses are made of cement. The grave of Maria Golonka stands out with a vertical granite slab with an engraved inscription - perhaps this gravestone was put up later. Slightly distant from the others is the grave of Maria Lisowska.
A few years ago the original gravestones were temporarily encased in "sarcophagi" to protect them from further degradation, and the area containing the Polish burials, together with several graves of people of other nationalities, was surrounded on three sides by a low wall.
The protective 'sarcophagi' were removed in 2024, and at that time it became apparent that the condition of the gravestones was very poor - two of them had sunk into the ground, and two required reconstruction. All the gravestones were restored. The crosses were cleaned and metal enamel plaques were attached to them. The conservation and restoration work was directed by Professor Hubert Chudzio of the Institute of History and Archival Studies at the University of the Commission for National Education in Krakow, director of the Documentation Centre for Displaced Persons, Expulsions and Displaced Persons at the UKEN. The work was carried out as part of a task co-financed by the 'Sites of National Remembrance Abroad' programme of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Information about the Kondoa settlement and cemetery can be found in the publication "Zmarli Polacy w drodze do Ojczyzny. Polskie cmentarze w Afryce Wschodniej i Południowej 1942-1952" by Hubert Chudzio and Marcin Solarz, Kraków 2020 and on the website: https://polskiecmentarzewafryce.up.krakow.pl/.

Compiled by R. Piątek / MKiDN, VI 2025

Regina Piątek (MKiDN)