Page 4 - DIVA_No.24_2006

a Editorial

chosen-27 Januaiy-marks the day on wlffch the largest Nazi death
camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland) was liberated by the Soviet Aimy in
1945.

The decision by the GeneralAssembly of the United Nations to mark an annrial
International Holocaust Remembraiice Day liad a dual puipose: recalling aiti-
cles 3 and 18 of tlie Universal Declaration of Human Riglits, which state that
evei'yone has the i'ight to life, libeity aiid secuiity of person and the tight to
freedom of thought, conscience and religion, but also to reinind the world of
the tragedy of the Second World War.
"I was a refi'igee myself duiing the Second World War," a fi'iend told me. "My
best friend was saved in extremis fromAuschwitz by the white buses and Count Folke Bernadotte, who helped save
thorisands of people from Nazi concentration camps. Perhaps this is the reason why these people have dedicated
their lives to help others working iii the humanitai'ian field."

Recently, I had the possibility of visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau. I went there in the iniddle of a bitter winter with
temperatures below zero and deep snow. You don't have to imagine what it was like-a liviiig hell on Earth. I saw
photos: the victims shoes-tens of thousands of shoes; suitcases, with their owners' nax'nes marked on them; the hair
of women used for m aking clothing... There are no words to explain the emotion, the pain, not to say the disgust
for a cynical regime that put to death more than 6 million people.

Histoi'y is aii impoitant pai't of our lives-it could be the fatnily histoi'y, the local or regional or even the national his-
tory. Each one is different and yet there are always some riseful tings to be learned from those who have gone
before.

And yet, looking at modern European histoi'y you realize that it seems like nobody has learned from the lessons of
the past. The recent war in the fonnerYrigoslavia was another example where thousattds of innocent people were
massacred. hi other paits of the world, honors like t's are still happening.

The etemal question comes to my mind: "Why is it not possible for people to live together in peace and hartno-
ny?" The United Nations rose from the ashes of the Second World War. Guaranteeing human tights for all, regard-
less of race, sex, language or religion, is one of the fundamental mandates recorded in the {TN Chapter. Yet, socio-
logists aiid other scientists are waining us that xenophobia is on the increase in many counti'ies-some would call it
the "brownish tendencies of the past". Is it a culture shock, lack of knowledge of others or simply the fact that peo-
ple are afraid of those who are different from themselves? The questions are numerous, complex ... and yet so
impoitant. Our societies have grown into multicultiiral societies where there oright to be enough space for toleran-
ce and mutual respect for eacli other. We are all human beings, perhaps with different cultures and values, but no
culture is better thaii another.

By informing future generations of the lessons of the Holocaust, the United Nations hopes to raise awareness, and
help prevent and avoid any repetition of the ciime of genocide, such as those committed by the Nazi regime. So
what if these people with "brownish ideas" were sent off to spend a week or two inAuschwitz? Perhaps they would
come back with different ideas...

Marit