OPENING STATEMENT
“We have failed. We have failed in something.” This was the stark message from Dr Piotr M. A. Cywiński’s speech that opened the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum’s 2019 conference. The title of the conference, which ran from 1 – 4 July, was ‘Auschwitz – “Never Again!” – Really?’, illustrating a change of theme and direction compared to previous editions of the biennial meeting. The focus was not only on education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, but also on past and present genocides and crimes against humanity, and the objective of preventing such conflicts in the future.
Museum Director Dr Cywiński explained that this theme was inspired by recent events such as the genocide against the Rohingya in Myanmar. Reports of genocide and ‘ethnic cleansing’ came out of Myanmar from August 2017, only a month after the Museum’s previous conference commemorating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Auschwitz Museum. 72 years after the Nazi camps were liberated, however, the world remained silent – once again – in the face of contemporary genocide.
Cywiński stated that the UN made a declaration expressing ‘deep concern’ about reports regarding the violation of the Rohingya’s human rights: “not the events themselves, but only the reports,” he stressed. Otherwise, nothing else happened. In events hauntingly similar to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994, the world watched on passively as half a million people fled to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, and thousands more were murdered. With the recurrence of genocide and crimes against humanity since the Holocaust, and global indifference to the victims’ plight, Dr Cywiński commented that “there is a huge question mark against everything we have done so far,” in terms of education and means of prevention.
Cywiński also emphasised the rapid acceleration of change all over the world during the last few decades. He mentioned advancements and changes in technology; in religion and spirituality; in the relationship between an individual and their community; and in various forms of communication. “We can no longer rely on the [educational] methods created and fostered in the 1980s and 1990s,” stated Cywiński, “because the world has changed so much since then.” The adaptation of educational activities in such a rapidly changing world, therefore, is the biggest challenge facing educators in this field today.
Referring specifically to the Holocaust, Dr Cywiński questioned whether this subject should be consigned only to History lessons. “Perhaps this history has more to do with lessons in civic attitudes, politics, ethics, media studies and so on – things that relate to contemporary society,” he explained. “The concentration camps themselves are a thing of the past, of history, but the rest is not.” In addition to cases of genocide and human rights violations, Cywiński stressed the importance of learning about the history of the Holocaust in a world where populist movements continue to grow; where civilians, divided and in fear of the direction in which humanity is going, grasp onto the “catchy words and phrases and easy solutions” peddled by populist politicians. One need only look back at the events of the 20th century to see where such ideologies may lead.