Activities for the General Public
In connection with International Forum on the Holocaust, the Living History project organised a number of activities for the Swedish public. Programmes were arranged in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Umeå. Activities in Stockholm took place between 15-31 January.
The aim was to convey the contents of the conference to a broad section of the general public and to highlight issues related to Holocaust education, remembrance and research throughout the country. The programme also served as a finale for the Living History project, whose activities will be wound up and incorporated into the work of the Committee of the Forum for Living History.
In order to provide diversity and to enable certain organisations to participate and be seen during the conference, the Living History project arranged the activities in cooperation with a number of different cultural and survivors' organisations. Another key objective was to ensure that the programme extended to all parts of the country. The Living History project contacted local arrangers, societies and adult education associations in Umeå, Malmö and Gothenburg, asking them to cooperate with the project to organise programmes in the respective city. The result was a comprehensive programme of lectures and cultural and theatrical events.
Films
Cinemas in Stockholm showed films focusing on the Holocaust, nazism and resistance work. Films such as Shoah, American History X, The Architecture of Doom and Bent were shown in cooperation with Cinemateket and Folkets Bio. Lectures on related subjects were held in connection with the showings. The aim was to use the films as a starting point for discussion on questions related to the Holocaust. One seminar, organised in cooperation with the Swedish Federation for Gay and Lesbian Rights (RFSL), discussed the rise of Neo-Nazi violence against homosexuals today. The discourse was delivered by the Swedish researcher and journalist, Anna-Lena Lodenius.
"Bent" (Swedish Film Institute, pictured above, left) was one of the films shown to the public in Stockholm. Following the showing, a lecture was held by Anna-Lena Lodenius on the rise of violence of homosexuals.
Art
An exhibition of works by international artists was held during the conference in Stockholm. The artists, who included Ronald Jones, Helene Binet and Seth Kramer, used a variety of forms of expression to convey their interpretations of the Holocaust in an exhibition entitled Inscriptions. After the conference the exhibition was moved to Galleri Enkehuset in Stockholm for public viewing. In connection with the exhibition an international panel took part in a seminar which dealt with the way in which the Holocaust is portrayed in films, works of art, architecture and monuments. The seminar was arranged in cooperation with the Department of Art and Music at Lund University, the Swedish Council for Research in the Humanities and Social Science and the Programme for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Uppsala University.
The Genocide of the Roma
The situation of the Roma during the Holocaust was also highlighted with the showing of the film Night of the Gypsies which contains testimonies by gypsies, and at a seminar arranged in cooperation with the National Roma Union. Invited speakers included Professor Ian Hancock from the University of Texas, journalist Irka Cederberg and Stefano Kuzhicov, Chairman of the National Roma Union. The seminar was moderated by Hans Caldaras, a debator and a singer of Roma music. Later the same day a memorial evening for the Roma victims of the Holocaust was held at the Stockholm Cultural Centre. The memorial evening included music, poetry and speeches.
Professor Ian Hancock (pictured above, left) from the University of Texas gave a lecture on the persecution of the Roma through the ages at the Stockholm Cultural Centre. He also spoke at the closing session of the conference.
Memorial Ceremony at the Stockholm Synagogue
A memorial ceremony was held at the Jewish Synagogue in Stockholm. The ceremony included musical performances and speeches by, among others, Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Lena Hjelm Wallén, survivors of the Holocaust and representatives of second¥ and third-generation survivors.
Confronting Those Who Deny the Holocaust and Neo-Nazis
In cooperation with the Swedish Committee against Anti-Semitism, the Living History project organised a seminar about Neo-Nazis and those who deny the Holocaust. The seminar focused on questions such as: how does a person who denies what happened reason and argue about the Holocaust, what role does the denial of the Holocaust play in Neo-Nazi ideology, what do Neo-Nazi groups look like today, and how can we as individuals, authorities and organisations confront them?
Participants in the seminar included the Klippan Parents' Group (Sweden), Björn Fries, City Commissioner, Karlskrona (Sweden), Heléne Lööw, historian at Stockholm University and Stéphane Bruchfeld, historian of ideas at Uppsala University.
Is it Possible to Learn from History?
It is said that those who lack a knowledge of history are condemned to repeat it. It is also said that the Holocaust is such a unique occurrence that no lessons can be learnt from it. What can we do and is it really possible to learn from history? This question was asked at a seminar entitled Is History an Idiot's Tale? The Lessons or lack thereof, of Holocaust History. Participants in the seminar included, among others, Swedish author and journalist Maria-Pia Boëthius, Kim Salomon, Professor at the Department of History at Lund University, Matthias Heyl, Doctor of Historical Didactics from Germany and Stephen Smith, Director of the Beth Shalom Holocaust Memorial Centre in the UK. The seminar was moderated by Ph. Dr. Paul A. Levine from Uppsala University.
A Cultural Evening with the Work of Primo Levi
To speak the unspeakable was the title of an evening with the texts of Primo Levi, the writer who survived Auschwitz and fought to bring the world's attention to the Holocaust. The event included discourses by French writer Myriam Anissimov and Swedish writer Birgitta Trotzig as well as readings by the actors Erland Josephsson, Krister Henriksson and Agneta Ekmanner. Song, dance and musical performances based on the works of, among others, Viktor Unman were also given. The event was arranged by Forum - Contemporary Scene for Culture and Swedish Pen in cooperation with the Living History project.