International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Cameroon

International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Cameroon

Each year, January 27th is observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auswitz-Birkenau Nazi extermination camp.

The Israeli Embassy, together with several partners such as the German Embassy in Cameroon, the Protestant University of Central Africa (UPAC) and the United Nations Information Centre, observed this commemorative day on March 20th.

Gathered at the University UPAC in Yaoundé, two major events were the focal point of the commemoration: the lighting of the six candles representing the six million Jews who lost their lives during the Holocaust, the laying of flowers, the minute of silence on behalf of the victims; and the screening of the testimonial film entitled ‘They gave me life’, which recounts the life of Rena Quint, a survivor of the Shoah.

The keynote addresses were those of the Rector of UPAC, the Israeli Ambassador to Cameroon, the speech by the German Ambassador to Cameroon, and the representative of the United Nations System in Cameroon.

As a descendant of parents who survived the Holocaust, H.E. Amnon Kalmar recalled the importance of remembering. For him, ‘the memory of the Holocaust is not only a reminder of the past, but also a call to action for the future’. Our responsibility ‘’is to preserve the memory of the past, to learn from it and to act to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again ‘’, he said. To the UPAC students present, ‘You are the hope for change’ he said.

Taking the floor, the Minister Delegate for External Relations in charge of the Commonwealth, H.E. Mr. Félix Mbayu, recalled the key moments of the testimonial film screened, and insisted on the fact that we must be Ambassadors of Peace, like Rena Quint, who everywhere she goes, sows’ peace around her and rejects hatred.