11-year-old accordion player and his family keep their Polish roots alive in Sask.

This story is part of a series from CBC Saskatchewan, featuring four stories from the 18 pavilions that are part of Mosaic 2024. For more, visit our Mosaic home page. 

Kamil Smela is one busy 11-year-old, juggling hockey, football and baseball like many other kids in his class. But he figures there’s something that he does that no one else in his school can lay claim to — the ability to play the accordion.

“It’s not really that popular, and I know that nobody else would probably do it,” he said with a chuckle.

But Polish culture runs deep in his family, and he’s embraced it with the accordion and dance lessons, which he’s taken for years now. 

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11-year-old Kamil Smela is following in his family’s footsteps by learning the accordion and taking dancing lessons. His talent wowed people at Mosaic Regina’s Polish pavilion last year and Kamil will be there again this year.

His father, Daniel Smela, says his own mother was born and raised in Poland, but moved to Canada in the 1970s.

“Polish traditions have always been bred in me,” said Daniel, noting that he spoke Polish at home and went to Polish school, and also learned dancing himself.

That opened new worlds for him, and also led him to meeting his Belarusian wife while at a festival abroad. 

When Daniel began playing the accordion, his son started playing along, but he said his son’s talent soon outstripped his own. 

Last year, Kamil played at Regina’s Polish pavilion at the annual Mosaic festival, which he recalled was daunting.

“I was kind of scared at the start. I didn’t really want to play,” said Kamil. “And then I just started, and I guess I didn’t feel as bad because so many people were cheering me on. They said, ‘Good job,’ and I guess they were proud of me.”

They weren’t the only ones who felt the pride of seeing their culture reflected. 

Daniel Smela said he and the rest of his family are overjoyed to see Kamil and his sister continuing to embrace Polish traditions, with Daniel’s mom seeing that the traditions she taught him are still alive.

“She’s very proud that we’re still involved in the culture, that we’re helping lead that and share that, and making sure that other kids and other generations can continue to learn the folklore,” he said. 

“It’s important to be able to pass that on to generations, to not lose that.”