One of the largest waves of emigration to come out of the Polish lands took place in the early 1890s. Its destination was Latin America, particularly Brazil. At the time, it was mainly rural people who went overseas in the hope of a better future, making an effort to cultivate the often hostile land. Their contribution to Brazilian culture is commemorated by the Siewer monument erected in Curitiba in 1925.

The Sower Monument
Located in the centre of the city (in Eufrásio Correia Square), the monument is the work of Jan Zak, a sculptor settled in Brazil. Placed on a high pedestal, the statue depicts a Polish peasant, barefoot and shirtless, walking through a field with a handful of grain in his hand. The immediate reason for the foundation of the monument was the intention to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Brazil's independence. This is indicated by the bronze plaque on the pedestal with text in Portuguese and Polish. At the top of the plaque is the Brazilian coat of arms and the Polish eagle, and below the plaque is the following inscription: "Brazil to commemorate the first centenary of its independence - Kolonja Polska". At the same time, the monument is a symbol of the thousands of anonymous Polish settlers who made the effort to cultivate the Brazilian land and their gratitude towards their new homeland.

Unveiling ceremony for the sculpture
The ceremony to unveil the sculpture took place on 15 February 1925 and brought together many representatives of the local authorities, including a representative of the President of the State of Paraná and the Prefect of Curitiba, as well as local Polish organisations and the Polish Consulate. A few days later, the ceremony was reported by the "Gazeta Polska w Brazylii", quoting the speech of the Prefect of Curitiba: "Expressing further his particular satisfaction that this extraordinary honour has almost fallen to Curitiba and that this monument will always constitute one of the most beautiful decorations of the city, he raised an exclamation in honour of our Rzpl. Poland. Now the orchestra played the Polish national anthem, with the officers saluting. This was perhaps one of the most beautiful sights of the ceremony, considering the beauty of the harmony of the two nations, which do not fight each other, but love and respect each other".

João Zaco Paraná, or Jan Żak
The author of the statue of the Sower - Jan Żak (1884-1961) - emigrated from Poland with his parents in 1896. The family of the future artist, born in Brzeżany, ended up in Brazil, where they settled in the newly established colony of Dorizon in the state of Paraná. Jan Żak showed an interest in art from an early age. In Curitiba, he attended the School of Arts and Industry and then, thanks to a scholarship from the Paraná authorities, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro. Later, he also studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. He returned to Brazil in 1921. - just when the committee to build the Polish monument in Curitiba was formed. The task of constructing it was given to Jan Żak, for whom this was the first realisation on such a large scale. The monument to the Sower brought the artist recognition and fame throughout Paraná and even in Rio de Janeiro, from where he soon began to receive offers of work.

In 1923. Jan Żak accepted Brazilian citizenship. As a token of his gratitude to the state in which he grew up, he began to use the nickname "João Zaco Paraná", under which he is still known in Brazil today. In 1940, he became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, where he worked for more than 20 years. In addition to the monument described above, he created numerous busts, statues and sculptural groups located in many cities in this country.

The sculptor died on 17 June 1961 and was buried in the Caju Cemetery in Rio de Janeiro.

"Brazilian fever "
Although Polish immigrants had appeared in Brazil before, the period of their greatest influx dates back to the turn of the 20th century. It was a labour-intensive emigration, created mostly by peasants who, faced with the overpopulation and backwardness of the Polish countryside, went overseas in search of a better life. During this period, the Brazilian direction was the second most popular after the United States. It is estimated that by the outbreak of World War I, some 115,000 emigrants from the Polish lands had arrived in Brazil (of which Ukrainians from Eastern Galicia accounted for a certain proportion). The policy of the authorities of the host countries, who were looking for settlers in Europe determined to develop the country's most sparsely populated areas, played a major role. Poles were mainly sent to the south of Brazil - to the states of Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná, where the climatic and geological conditions were quite different from those they knew from their homeland. There, they found primeval areas covered with forest, which they developed on their own, building wooden houses modelled on the ones they had lived in Poland. Over time, the largest concentration of Polish immigrants formed around Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná. A network of Polish settlements (known as the "New Polonia") was established there, including Abranches and Orleans, whose social life was organised around emerging associations and newspapers. As early as 1890, the oldest Polish organisation in Brazil, the Tadeusz Kosciuszko Polish Society, was established in Curitiba, and from 1892 the 'Polish Gazette in Brazil' was published there. It is interesting to note that in the years following the Second World War, a magazine called "Siewca" was also established for a short period of time, edited by the former typesetter of "Gazeta Polska", Józef Wolański. This small-format, low-circulation newspaper took its name from the monument chiseled by Jan Żak.