Anne Frank Exhibition in Jaffna:

Remember, Reflect and React

The international traveling exhibition 'Anne Frank- a history for today' went on display at the Jaffna Public Library on Saturday, December 12 and will continue December 16. The exhibition places the story of the life of Anne Frank against the background of the Holocaust, with extracts from the diary of Anne Frank and photos of the Frank family supplemented with other personal accounts of the consequences of exclusion and persecution.

The exhibition has been made possible with the financial support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Colombo and in partnership with the Jaffna local partner, Shantiham.

Students, teachers and the general public can visit the exhibition until 12.00 noon December 16. The exhibition has been translated into Sinhalese and Tamil.

The exhibition was inaugurated by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mrs Joanne Doornewaard, together with Ms Udayakala Sivapathasundaram, on behalf of the Provincial Ministry of Education, and Mrs. Suganthy Shathasivamoorthy, Chief Librarian of the Public Library.

The aim of the exhibition is to raise awareness and to increase the levels of knowledge on historical and contemporary issues, and to stimulate engagement on issues of social cohesion and tolerance in general, and in the context of Sri Lanka, among students, teachers.

The exhibition is especially directed at young people. Youngsters serve as guides to the exhibition. A two-day training prepares them for this responsibility. They learn about the content and background of the exhibition, the best way to present the information to their peers and how to make contemporary topics discussable.

During a one-day-seminar teachers will learn how to use the educational materials related to the story of Anne Frank in their class room.

The exhibition 'Anne Frank - A History for Today' is shown throughout the entire world yearly at more than 150 venues. The worldwide tour is coordinated by the Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Previously the exhibition was on display in Colombo and in Baddegama.

"Today's exhibition resulted in an even deeper understanding of the sentiment and emotion involved. It has truly inspired us to be more sensitive and aware of discrimination that existed", says a quote from the visitor's book at the exhibition in Colombo, January 2015.