“Anne Frank - A History for Today” Exhibition Opened in Istanbul

The exhibition "Anne Frank - A History for Today" opened at Kadir Has University in Istanbul.

The opening ceremony and press conference took place on 21 March 2012.

The exhibition and the ceremony were prepared in collaboration with the Anne Frank House, ARI Movement, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation with the support of the Matra Fund of the Dutch Consulate General in Istanbul. The opening took place on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Among the speakers were  ARI Movement Board Chairman Mr. Ural Aküzüm, Dutch Consul General H.E. Onno Kervers, Prof. Hasan Bulent Kahraman, Vice Rector of  Kadir Has University, Ambassador Ertan Tezgor from Turkish Foreign Ministry and Head of the Turkish ITF delegation, and General Director of Anne Frank House, Mr. Ronald Leopold.

This year, the exhibition "Anne Frank - A History for Today" will travel throughout Istanbul, visiting several venues. Anne Frank's engaging story touches people all around the world, providing an issue to ponder upon and discuss about themes such as prejudice, discrimination and human rights. Translated into Turkish, the exhibition will initially be displayed at Kadir Has University, Cibali Campus, between 21 March - 6 April 2012.

The international travelling exhibition Anne Frank - A History for Today places the story of Anne Frank against the backdrop of the Second World War and the Holocaust. The heart of the exhibition consists of quotations from Anne Frank's diary and the Frank family's photographs. This is accompanied by other personal narratives about the consequences of discrimination and persecution.

The exhibition is especially directed at young people and is enhanced by several educational materials which are translated in Turkish and will be used in guide training, teacher education seminars and university students. Turkish youngsters serve as guides to the exhibition. A two-day training prepares them for this responsibility. They learn about the content and the background of the exhibition, the best way to present the information to their peers and how to make contemporary topics discussable. After trainings they are called as ambassadors of Anne Frank and they were given their certificates at the end of opening ceremony.