print this page

UNESCO Holds Consultation on Teaching about the Holocaust and Genocide in Africa

12.09.2012

Representatives of education ministries from 14 countries took part in UNESCO's first ever consultation on Holocaust and genocide education in sub-Saharan Africa. The meeting was held in Cape Town, South Africa, on 10 and 11 September.

The regional consultation Why Teach about Genocide? The Example of the Holocaust, opened with a video message from the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova. Leading researchers and academics specializing in the Holocaust and other genocides in the 20th century also addressed the meeting.

In addition to governmental representatives, experts from Belgium, Rwanda, South Africa, Cambodia, the U.S., France, Germany, and Israel, among others, also attended.

The UNESCO Consultation looked at a wide range of subjects and approaches to Holocaust education including presentations concerning other genocides, the teaching of history in societies that have endured conflict and genocide, and different perspectives on teaching and learning about the Holocaust. Participants explored the possibility of designing educational programmes in their countries, with the aim of raising awareness about the recurrence of mass atrocities and genocide in different environments.

The countries that took part in the consultation included: Benin, Burundi, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Republic of Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.

During the event, delegates also met representatives of the South African Holocaust and Genocide Foundation, a unique institution in Africa, and visited the Cape Town Holocaust Centre.

UNESCO has been working with the Holocaust and the UN Outreach Programme and other major specialized institutions to promote educational resources that draw on the lessons of the past and help students better understand the ramifications of discrimination and mass violence. This work reflects the conviction that teaching the history of the Holocaust is fundamental to establishing respect for human rights, tolerance and to contribute to the prevention of genocide.

For more information: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/human-rights-education/single-view/news/why_teach_about_genocide_the_example_of_the_holocaust