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T# mystery of memory

Interview with Jean Ziegler,

former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food,
Member of the UN Human Rights Council's Advisory Committee, and
author of the new bestselling book "La Haine de l'Occident" ("The
Hatred of the West"), Paris, 2008

Jean Ziegler is a man of developing countries of the memory. For instance, had said that in Paris the sur-
many facets. Although about all the injustices when something terrible hap- vivors of the Nazi concentra-
most of us know him for that they have had to pens to a people the shock is tion camps were received and
his outspoken and endure from the Western so violent that people's cons- treated by the Red Cross, but
forthright words denoun- world. It comes at a time cience cannot accept it, and nobody wanted to listen to
cing human rights when the dominator is their mind banishes it to the them. After November 1945,
violations and other being challenged by the very profound depths of their and the Nuremberg trial,
unfair treatment, either in dominated. And this is subconscious. Those who nobody in Europe or the rest
his capacity as former what is happening now, have lived through these of the world could possibly
UN Special Rapporteur according to Professor horrors are unable to talk have ignored the extermina-
on the Right to Food or Ziegler in his latest book, about it. Their children of the tion of more than 6 million
as a Member of the La Haine de rOccident, second generation know that Jewish people by the Nazis.
Advisory Committee of just published by the something terrible happened, And yet, the Shoah was
the Human Rights French publishers Albin but it remains a kind of almost forgotten for more
Council, we should not Michel. family secret. Its not until the than a generation. The univer-
forget that he is also a third generation that they are sal conscience kept it hidden.
celebrated social scien- We had the opportunity capable of talking about it and The fate of Raul Hilberg is
Emeritus of meeting Professor analysing it, and that is when
tist quite illuminating. Today, he
and
Professor of Sociology Ziegler on a wet and cold the memory becomes alive is considered as one of the
at the Universities of winter day in Geneva again. greatest historians of the
Geneva and Paris. Shoah, a researcher with a
Professor Ziegler has on Q: Professor Ziegler, you For instance, as Elie Wiesel worldwide reputation. Yet, he
more than one occasion say that we are living in shows, the Shoah took almost conducted most of his
pointed an accusing an epoch of the return of two generations before it research in a climate of total
finger at trends in our memories. Could you started to become really indifference. As early as 1955
societies. Most recently, explain this further? known in all the horrible, he finished his doctoral thesis,
he has looked at an issue tragic dimensions. In my "The Bureaucracy of Nazi
that many might find It is something rather curious; book I mention the experien- Germany", but he did not sue-
surprising: the revolt by one could call it the mystery ce of Marguerite Duras who
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