Holocaust Memorial Day will be marked in Swansea on Wednesday January 27.
The theme for this year’s event is Legacy of Hope and the aim is to remember the victims of the Holocaust and all genocides the world over.
The message of the day is that the Legacy of Hope asks us to carry a message of hope into the future and to build a fairer and more inclusive world.
Swansea Council is helping to organise events and it is hoped that these will promote good community relations and harmony in the City and County.
Cllr Alan Lloyd, Lord Mayor of Swansea, will be attending a Holocaust Memorial Day Assembly at Gowerton Comprehensive School before the main event in Swansea at the Grand Theatre followed by a National Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in Cardiff
He said: “Swansea Council, along with many other Local Authorities throughout the UK, has a responsibility to support and promote Holocaust Memorial Day.
“We must never forget what happened and why it should never be repeated.
“I’m delighted this year’s event has such a strong message of hope.”
The main event in Swansea will be at Swansea Grand Theatre on January 27 between 10am and 11.30am and the guest speaker will be Pam Evans, the founder of Peace Mala .
It will also include contributions from schools and the local community in the form of music and poetry.
Anyone who would like to attend this free event should book their place by calling Rebecca Gooch on 01792 636729 or emailing [email protected]
Other activities being organised in Swansea in the lead-up to the special day include a season of film showings at Swansea Central Library that cover Holocaust and genocide around the world. The showings will be on January 27, 28 and 29 and start at 1.30pm each day. The library will also be highlighting its books on the subject and each DVD will be available to rent after showings. Please contact the library for details of individual titles and certificates.
Two other events are taking place to mark Holocaust Memorial Day at the Dylan Thomas Centre.
From 10am to 4pm on Saturday January 23 there will be a Holocaust Memorial Reading Workshop where Mel Kohlke from Swansea University will lead a session discussing what ethical obligations and dilemmas Holocaust writing presents readers. The session will examine how people deal with issues of empathy, secondary witness bearing and the sensationalising of pain.
The event is free but people should register in advance
Poets in the bookshop from 7.30pm on January 28 will include David Greenslade. There will also be an open microphone session where readers can bring a poem or a short piece of prose of their own or by another writer on the Legacy of Hope theme if they wish.
Tickets are either £4, £2.80 or £1.60.
