Young people seek ways to inherit memories from survivors of the A-bombings and the Holocaust
Aug. 24, 2015
by Yuji Yamamoto, Staff Writer
On August 7, Annie Dutoit, 44, the daughter of the world-renowned pianist Martha Argerich and an assistant professor in Holocaust studies at Arizona State University, met with five junior writers from the Chugoku Shimbun. Junior writers were among the group of high school and university students who took part in a study tour to Europe this past spring to learn about the Holocaust. Ms. Dutoit and the students discussed ways to inherit the tragic memories of the atomic bombings from the A-bomb survivors and build peace.
Ms. Dutoit was visiting Hiroshima to take part in her mother’s concert. She had made a request to link Hiroshima and the Holocaust and reflect on peace with young people in the A-bombed city. In a session organized by the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, she engaged in discussion with roughly 170 youth in the hall of the headquarters of the Chugoku Electric Power Company in Naka Ward.
Ms. Dutoit began the discussion after describing a project in which she visited the former Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland with a group of young people from Europe this past May. When asked by Maiko Hanaoka, 17, a second-year student in high school, about how to pass on the A-bomb and Holocaust survivors’ testimonies of their terrible experiences to the next generation, she replied that these accounts should be captured on video and by other means so that coming generations can grasp the sorrow of losing loved ones.
Responding to a question asked by Arata Kono, 18, a third-year student in high school, on “eliminating intolerance,” which can breed discrimination, Ms. Dutoit said that we should talk to people who hold different views from ourselves, accept our differences, and recast our sense of values, starting with our own surroundings. Questions from university students included the role of young people in building peace.
(Originally published on August 8, 2015)
On August 7, Annie Dutoit, 44, the daughter of the world-renowned pianist Martha Argerich and an assistant professor in Holocaust studies at Arizona State University, met with five junior writers from the Chugoku Shimbun. Junior writers were among the group of high school and university students who took part in a study tour to Europe this past spring to learn about the Holocaust. Ms. Dutoit and the students discussed ways to inherit the tragic memories of the atomic bombings from the A-bomb survivors and build peace.
Ms. Dutoit was visiting Hiroshima to take part in her mother’s concert. She had made a request to link Hiroshima and the Holocaust and reflect on peace with young people in the A-bombed city. In a session organized by the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, she engaged in discussion with roughly 170 youth in the hall of the headquarters of the Chugoku Electric Power Company in Naka Ward.
Ms. Dutoit began the discussion after describing a project in which she visited the former Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland with a group of young people from Europe this past May. When asked by Maiko Hanaoka, 17, a second-year student in high school, about how to pass on the A-bomb and Holocaust survivors’ testimonies of their terrible experiences to the next generation, she replied that these accounts should be captured on video and by other means so that coming generations can grasp the sorrow of losing loved ones.
Responding to a question asked by Arata Kono, 18, a third-year student in high school, on “eliminating intolerance,” which can breed discrimination, Ms. Dutoit said that we should talk to people who hold different views from ourselves, accept our differences, and recast our sense of values, starting with our own surroundings. Questions from university students included the role of young people in building peace.
(Originally published on August 8, 2015)
