UNESCO Regional consultation in sub-saharan Africa: Why teach about genocide? The example of the Holocaust, 10-11 Septembre 2012, Cape Town, South Africa: report

The rst UNESCO consultation on « Why Teach about Genocide? The Example of the Holocaust » was organized following the UNESCO General Conference resolution 34C/61 on Holocaust Remembrance. The consultation of Member States is part of a series of initiatives launched by UNESCO to promote education about the Holocaust and other genocides, in particular with a view to contributing to the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities and promoting education for peace.

The consultation took place in Cape Town, South Africa, on 10-11 September 2012 in the presence of senior representatives from the Ministries of Education of 14 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The following countries were represented: BENIN, BURUNDI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, CÔTE D’IVOIRE, ETHIOPIA, REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS, NAMIBIA, KENYA, RWANDA, SENEGAL, SOUTH AFRICA, TANZANIA, TOGO and ZAMBIA. Experts in Holocaust and genocide studies from various countries and institutions were invited to present key issues throughout the consultation and participate in the discussions. The consultation was supervised by the Education Sector of UNESCO/Division of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development/Section of Education for Peace and Human Rights and UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Africa (BREDA, Dakar, Senegal)

The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss how the history of the Holocaust, and more generally the history of genocide, could be included in the curricula of participating countries. The meeting also clari ed various conceptual and pedagogical issues, and paved the way for further cooperation between UNESCO and participating Ministries of Education on how to launch new educational programmes in interested countries.