Active NCU Alumni

Piotr Śmieszek

Graduated in management and marketing 1995

Involved in public diplomacy projects related to Indonesia and Southeast Asia

In 1995, he graduated from the Faculty of Economics and Management. He continued his studies for three years as part of the Doctoral Program, but dropped out after the birth of his first son, for purely economic reasons. Already during his studies, he started looking for an idea to run his own business.

- At that time, a Bydgoszcz man revealed to me his Turkish way of life, opening the magic gates to the East for me, he recalls. - Oriental and textile Turkey for several years absorbed me not only professionally, but also emotionally and cognitively - I drove the length and breadth of it. After Turkey came Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, then Egypt, and finally it was time for the dish of a lifetime - Indonesia.

He settled in the Javanese cultural capital of Yogyakarta. He has found a way of life there - together with his wife Arun Śmieszek from Celebes (Sulawesi) he runs a tourist company Lombok Tour & Travel - Vacations in Indonesia. He also shares his fascination and knowledge of the culture, history and nature of his second homeland by writing articles and columns for the press and popular portals related to Southeast Asia, including natemat.pl. He himself also runs the Indonezja od A do Z (‘Indonesia from A to Z’) portal.

He has also published several books about Indonesia:

• Archipelag Znikających Wysp (‘Archipelago of the Disappearing Islands’) (together with Sergey Prokurat) - a collection of reports on a dozen of the most important islands of the great archipelago of the Republic of Indonesia.
• Bali i Lombok (‘Bali and Lombok’) - a guide to two Indonesian islands

For years he has also been working with the Polish Embassy in Jakarta on various projects in the field of public diplomacy. The cooperation has resulted in publications by Piotr and Arun Śmieszek:

• ‘Negara Polandia untuk pemula’ (2021) - or ‘Poland for beginners’ (edition with a foreword by Ambassador B. Stoczyńska); the publication was issued in Indonesian and is intended to introduce Indonesians to Poland, its traditions, famous figures, etc.
• ‘Bahasa Polandia untuk pemula’ (2023), or ‘Polish Language for Beginners’ (edition with a foreword by Ambassador B. Stoczyńska); the purpose of the publication, published in Indonesian, is to introduce Indonesians to the basics of learning Polish.
• ‘Polonia - Ludwik Michalski and the story of Polonia in Medan’ (2024) - the book introduces the reader to the life and activities of the baron who lived and worked in Indonesia in the 19th century.

Piotr Śmieszek is also involved in the projects of the ‘ASEAN Think Tank’, a think tank on Southeast Asian issues, whose audience includes Polish speakers interested in the politics, economy and culture of the region. He founded it with his wife and Bartek Wąsik, who lives in Singapore and Jakarta - an academic, educator and entrepreneur - and other Polish friends in this part of Asia. The think tank's latest idea is KAPEWU - Southeast Asia Quarterly - the first magazine in Poland dedicated to this region of the world, edited by Poles living there. It is interesting to note that the author of the graphic design of the cover is Prof. Michal Rygielski from the Department of Graphics at the NCU, who also designed the covers of two other publications by P. Śmieszek, and had an exhibition of his work in Jakarta in 2019.

- We hope that from the third issue of KAPEWU will already be available in good bookstores in Poland, says P. Śmieszek. - Apart from the website www.ttasean.com and the Youtube channel about Asia, publishing a quarterly magazine is the most important challenge for us now.

According to Maciej Tumulc, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Jakarta, Piotr Śmieszek is one of the most socially engaged Polish nationals living and residing in Indonesia. He has become known as a highly creative, deadline-driven and - above all - extremely knowledgeable about the region, especially Indonesia, and involved in Polish cultural and educational affairs. As one of the members of the ‘Suara Polonia Indonesia’ association, he has been supporting the organization of Polish events in Central Java for several years. In 2024, thanks to its activities, the institution was able to present on its social media an adaptation of the ‘Dąbrowski Mazurek’ performed by local artist Jeagril Paha, who performed the piece on the traditional Indonesian instrument sasando.

Peter Śmieszek has three children: Bruno, Helena and Elijah.

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