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80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Piotr Cywiński about the memory of the Holocaust and the education of future generations

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They saved from Auschwitz did not come to just remember. They came here for us and the fact that today they speak the language of highly concerned people, it testifies a lot – he said in “Facts after Facts” on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the German extermination camp, the director of the Auschwitz Museum Piotr Cywiński. Asked how to talk about the Holocaust, that it would stay permanently in us, he said that education is fundamental, while “the second thing is to teach us ourselves, what is memory.” He emphasized that “learning history is not the same as learning to remember.”

On Monday they took place celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the German Auschwitz camp. The main celebrations took place in the tent in front of the historic main gate of the former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. About three thousand people participated, including over 50 former prisoners.

The director of the Auschwitz Museum Piotr Cywiński, who was a guest of “Facts after Facts” on TVN24, was asked what would remain in him of all the words that fell that day during the ceremony. – First of all, the words of the survivors. They are the most important. And we still had a chance to listen to them live among us, commenting, in the world in which we live, throwing their memory on what they see themselves around each other – he said.

– However, our world goes in very dangerous directions. The increase in populism, demagogy, various ideologies, hatred has completely enveloped in the political language, the Internet and social networks – he assessed.

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“They didn't come here to remember.” They came here for us and the fact that they speak the language of very worried people today, it shows a lot – he emphasized.

In his opinion, “We have strongly not enough in our educational systems, we have strengthened the immunity of young generations to demagogy, populism, and very easy slogans.”

Read: “Only a handful of us left”

The gathered was welcomed by Marian Turski, survivor from Auschwitz and a member of the International Oświęcim Council.Tvn24

“Learning history is not the same as learning to remember”

Cywiński was asked how to properly talk about the Holocaust, “that it would stay deep in us, permanently, that it would change people”. He emphasized that education is fundamental. “She somehow spread this knowledge there, at least in Europe,” he said. “However, the second thing is to teach us what is memory,” he added. As Cywiński said, “Memory is strength, memory is a help, it is something that should help us make wise decisions.”

– In this way let's think about memory and in this way let us remember, because learning history is not the same as learning to remember – he added.

“Memory is something very close to the concept of experience”

During the ceremony, the director of the Auschwitz Museum said that we are still teaching history, not memory. – our education programs must change because memory is not a matter of culture; It is a matter of identity – he pointed out.

Piotr Kraśko, host of the program, asked him if these words were directed not only to those who create education in Poland, but more broadly in the world.

– much wider. I went to schools in Switzerland, France As a very young man and I am convinced that this is something that must be thought out again. The fact that we know that Neron has burned Rome, it does not warn anyone from playing matches. This is a historical fact and it is historical knowledge. Memory is something completely different. This is something that lives here now, in the middle, in man, which allows him to make decisions – he said.

“Memory is something very close to the concept of experience in my opinion,” he added.

Source of the main photo: Tvn24



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