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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 23 November 2018
Dutch king visits renewed Anne Frank House museum

By MIKE CORDER know how powerful the in-
Associated Press fluence of this museum is,”
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Dutch he said. “A visit ... really has
King Willem-Alexander vis- a huge impact on young
ited the Anne Frank House people and encourages
museum Thursday after a them to fight discrimina-
two-year reboot to give the tion, anti-Semitism, racism
building a new entrance in their own communities.”
hall, redesigned exhibition The museum got a new
spaces and a new way of entrance and changes to
telling the story of the teen- rooms including the dark-
age Jewish diarist. ened space that displays
The aim of renewing the the iconic books that made
landmark museum was to up Anne’s diary, which was
“provide more information published by her father af-
about the historical context ter the war and went on to
and background of the become a symbol of hope
story we represent, which and resilience. The diary
is the story of Anne Frank,” has been translated into
executive director Ronald more than 70 languages.
Leopold said Wednesday The building housing the
night at a press preview of secret annex was turned
the renewed museum. into a museum in 1960. The
What hasn’t changed is Dutch King Willem-Alexander looks at Anne Frank's diary displayed in the new Diary Room at the museum, which remained
renovated Anne Frank House Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018.
the museum’s moving cen- Associated Press open throughout the reno-
terpiece: the Spartan se- vations, also has revamped
cret annex, reached via “Of course we did not 60 years after she and her communities in Europe are the way it tells the story of
a door concealed behind change the hiding place sister both perished in the increasingly concerned the Frank family, and by
a bookcase, where Anne itself — the annex — which Bergen-Belsen concentra- about their security and extension the Nazi persecu-
wrote her world-famous di- is the most authentic place tion camp after contract- pessimistic about their fu- tion of Jews.
ary as she, her family and where Anne Frank was in ing typhus. ture.” Leopold said the mu- “What we tried to do is ...
four other Jews hid for two hiding and where she wrote On Wednesday, the head seum, which receives 1.2 use the family history as kind
years from Nazis during the diary,” Leopold said. of the European Jewish million visitors annually, has of a window onto a larger
World War II until they were The museum believes that Congress, Moshe Kantor, an important role to play in history,” said Tom Brink, the
arrested and deported to telling Anne’s story re- warned at a conference combatting anti-Semitism. museum’s head of publica-
concentration camps. mains relevant more than in Vienna that “Jewish “We run a museum and we tions and presentations.q

Black singers have historic week on country music charts

By MESFIN FEKADU charts, respectively, this
Associated Press week. “It feels great to be
NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmie able to be some sort of fig-
Allen has made history as ure that younger kids that
the first black artist to have look like me can look up
his debut single reach No. and say, ‘You know what,
1 on country radio, and it Jimmie did it so maybe I
happened on the same can do it, too,’” he said. “It
week Kane Brown, who is really helps motivate some-
black and white, has the one else that might want to
top country and pop al- do it to see more people
bum in the U.S. who look like them in what-
Allen said he cried when he ever career field they’re
got the news his song, “Best in.” The 32-year-old Allen
Shot,” hit the top spot on — who moved from Dela-
Billboard’s country airplay ware to Nashville at age 21
chart, which tracks radio — said he’s happy to diver-
success. “First I screamed, sify contemporary country
like, ‘Thank, God. Finally! Fi- music while also paying
nally, man.’ Then after that tribute to other black art-
I’m filled with gratitude and ists in the genre, from Char-
motivated to work even ley Pride to Darius Rucker.
harder,” Allen said in an in- Pride and Brown have had
terview with The Associated No. 1 country radio hits, but
Press on Wednesday morn- This combination photo shows country singers Kane Brown and Jimmie Allen at the 52nd annual not with their debut songs.
ing. “I realized just because CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Rucker’s first country single
you get here doesn’t mean Associated Press did hit the No. 1 spot, but
you get to stay here, so I and cried for like 20 minutes ficed.” Allen co-wrote “Best Brown’s sophomore album, his official debut song was
just try to wake up and be when I found out my song Shot” and it appears on his “Experiment,” debuted at with Hootie & the Blowfish,
thankful every day. I’m not went No. 1 because I think debut album, “Mercury No. 1 on Billboard’s 200 al- thus making Allen’s recent
going to lie, I broke down about everything I sacri- Lane,” released last month. bums and country albums feat historic. q