Sunday 4 January 2015

Holocaust Memorial Day - Learning the lessons of the past


Aberdeen City's Holocaust Memorial Day event will be held this year on 25th January 2015 in the ACT (formerly the Arts Centre) King Street, Aberdeen starting at 2.30pm.

The Lord Provost of Aberdeen is expected to attend and Leo McKeever, who is a member of the Aberdeen City Youth Council and a former Albyn School student will be speaking about his experience visiting Auschwitz.

It is hoped to show the film, "Sometimes in April" which depicts the story of Rwanda's genocide, not only as it occurred in 1994 but also as the country was still experiencing healing and justice in 2004,  followed by a discussion around the theme of keeping the memory alive.

Other events will also take place locally and information about these events will be provided as it becomes available.

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on 27 January each year. It’s a time for everyone to pause to remember the millions of people who have been murdered or whose lives have been changed beyond recognition during the HolocaustNazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. 

HMD is a time when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and to recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own, it’s a steady process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented. We’re fortunate here in the UK; we are not at risk of genocide. However, discrimination has not ended, nor has the use of the language of hatred or exclusion. There is still much to do to create a safer future and HMD is an opportunity to start this process.

See more on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website