Learning From Genocide

By reminding ourselves of the worst that human beings can do to each other, we can prevent future atrocities. Today, it is critical that the brutal truth of the Holocaust and genocide is not dimmed. In this episode, we hear from Rahima Mahmut, who talks movingly about the suffering and injustice faced by the Uyghur Muslims in China, including her own personal experience of persecution. Rahima also talks about her desire to see the civilised world standing together to support the Uyghurs. The series concludes with HMDT's Chief Executive Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE telling us what we can all do to learn from genocide – for a better future.  

The genocide in Darfur in Western Sudan is widely recognised as the first genocide of the twenty-first century. In this episode, the role of the international community as the atrocities in Darfur unfolded is brought into sharp focus by Mukesh Kapila CBE, the head of the UN Mission in Sudan between 2003 and 2004. He witnessed first-hand many of the atrocities in Darfur and alerted the world. Mukesh talks passionately about his time in Sudan and a decision he describes as the worst of his life - and is the driving force behind his desire to play a part in genocide education.  

Although Una Srabovic-Ryan was not yet born when the genocide in Bosnia took place in 1995, her life has been shaped and influenced by the atrocity. Her father was one of the thousands of Muslim men and boys murdered in the genocide, never knowing that he was to be a parent. In a powerful testimony, Una tells us how events before her birth changed her life forever. Smajo Beso, on the other hand, was six years old when his normal, happy life was suddenly turned upside down. In this episode, he recounts the fear and anxiety he experienced during the genocide and how he eventually found refuge in the UK

Prior to the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994, Eric Murangwa MBE was a popular footballer, playing for one of the country's top teams.  In this episode, Eric tells us how football quite literally saved his life when death was all around him.  Before we hear his extraordinary story, investigative journalist and author Linda Melville tells us how the genocide unfolded. Linda has dedicated much of her journalistic life to researching the genocide against the Tutsi, writing several books and papers on the subject. 

In this episode, we hear from two people who survived the genocide in Cambodia.  Sokphal Din BEM was a boy of 17 when he and his family were forced from their home in April 1975. His dream of becoming a doctor was destroyed as he endured four years of hard labour and starvation under the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Sokphal talks in moving detail about what happened to him and his family.  Ramoni Sim was only 10 when she and her family were forced out of their home. This is the first time that she has told her heartbreaking story to the world. 

It may surprise many to learn that hundreds of British nationals on the Channel Islands were victims of Nazi persecution between June 1940 and May 1945.  Dr. Gilly Carr has worked tirelessly to highlight stories of Britons who lost their lives while resisting Nazi occupation. In this episode, Dr. Carr talks about her battle to stop documents which detail these remarkable stories from being destroyed. We also hear from Professor Eve Rosenhaft who talks about victims of Nazi persecution in Germany – Roma and Sinti people, black people, gay people, and people with disabilities.  

Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE has led the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust since 2012, driving the organisation's core purpose of promoting Holocaust Memorial Day across the UK. She tells us the importance of sharing the experiences of Holocaust survivors with a wider audience. We are also joined by Dov Forman, the 18-year-old who co-wrote a book with his 98-year-old great grandmother Lily Ebert BEM, a survivor of Auschwitz. Dov is one of Lily's 34 great-grandchildren and has shared her testimony of surviving the Holocaust with millions of social media users. 

One day in 1942, two young men in civilian clothes marched into a primary school in Amsterdam and arrested a five-year-old Jewish boy. The little boy was taken to the headquarters of the security services for questioning. He was never to return to his classmates. Instead, he was taken to the Nazi transit camp at Westerbork before being deported to Theresienstadt, north of Prague. Against all odds, that little boy would survive the horrors of the Holocaust. His name is Martin Stern MBE. Now a retired medical doctor, he's here to tell us his remarkable story.   

This is Learning from Genocide, a series brought to you by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, in which we hear the stories, directly from those who have survived the genocides of Cambodia, Darfur, Rwanda, Bosnia, and The Holocaust, as well as talking about what is happening right now to the  Uyghur people in China.  Over 7 episodes, you'll hear tales of immense bravery in the face of evil, from those, who despite everything survived genocide and use their voices to tell their stories to educate the world to keep its eyes open, so it can never happen again.  All episodes of Learning from Genocide will be available in January 2022.