The Legacy of Hope

East Lothian pupils celebrate

Holocaust Memorial Day at Brunton Theatre

On 27^th January 2010, school pupils from all across East Lothian will be taking part in The Legacy of Hope at the Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh at 7pm.  The event, which is being held on the 65^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, will be an opportunity for all of us in East Lothian to remember, reflect and react. 

Keith Brown, Minister for Education and Skills, will open the event, and talk about what Scotland is doing about Holocaust education.  School pupils will then present readings from their creative writing, animations, drama and dance.  There will be personal testimonies from pupils who visited Auschwitz last year.

The event will culminate in Jean-Pierre Mugena talking about his legacy of hope.  Jean-Pierre, who is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, says:

‘It is an honour to participate in this important event.  As you know, 50 years after the Holocaust, genocide took place in Rwanda and we, the survivors of this genocide, still live with its legacy.  I am happy to share my story at the event but more importantly, I want to learn from other participants about their “legacy of hope”’.

Knox Academy drama teacher John Naples-Campbell, who has co-ordinated the event, says:

‘We do so much work on the Holocaust in East Lothian and this event is an opportunity to share and learn, to come together as a Council, instead of individual schools. 

‘Holocaust Memorial Day 2010 is an important day in our calendar – 65 years ago Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp was liberated by the Allied Forces, ending the Holocaust of World War II. 

‘We promised that this would never happen again.  However, we have since seen genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda and Dafour.  This year, pupils cross East Lothian Council have been working together to create a safer and better future by holding an event open to the public.  I am honoured to be working with so many talented staff and pupils and feel proud that so many people want to be involved.’

Keith Brown, Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning, said:

‘This anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau is particularly poignant as it reminds us that as one generation gets older, the importance of Holocaust education for our young people is even greater. 

‘Through Curriculum for Excellence there is a strong emphasis on responsible citizenship and Holocaust education enables young people to understand past atrocities and develop informed, ethical views with respect for others to help ensure history is not repeated.

‘To support this the Scottish Government has provided funding to the Holocaust Educational Trust, which enables young people representing schools across Scotland to visit Auschwitz.’

Knox Head Boy Alistair Brown says of his visit to Auschwitz last year:

‘I never meant to get involved in the visit to Auschwitz and I was worried and unsure about the whole thing.  When the day came to go to Auschwitz, I couldn’t take it in.  But since then I have thought about it every day, and linked what happened there to things happening in everyday life now.

‘It has made a real difference to the way I think about things. I am much more aware of racial intolerance – what starts with words ends with actions.’