Rolf Hosfeld: Genocide Became Topic People Started to Talk about in Germany

• 04.20.2015, 23:36
•  Europe,  World,  Interview

"Armedia" Information, Analytical Agency presents an exclusive interview  with Dr. Rolf Hosfeld, the Academic Director of the Postdam Lepsius House in Germany, a Research Center for Genocide Studies. 

- What events will be organized in Berlin on the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide?

- Probably I will not have an overview of everything.  The important event will be mass organized in Berlin Cathedral on April 23 by  Catholic, Armenian and Protestant German bishops. The president of Federal Republic of Germany will also attend the ceremony and have a speech to address there.  There is also a discussion to be organized in the German Parliament on April 24, the outcome of which is still unknown to me. I hope that they will openly use the word Genocide but I cannot tell you this for sure, because I am not able to look into the future.

There are many events happening on the level of civil society.  We organized an international congress together with the national museum of history in Berlin, Germany at the beginning of March on the topic of German Empire and the Armenian Genocide: how did  the Germans perceive the Armenian Genocide; how were they involved and what is their responsibility? The event was attended by historians and scientists from different countries such as Armenia, Turkey, United States, France, Switzerland, Germany and others. The event was reported extensively in the television, radio stations, national newspapers as well as the Armenian Diaspora press.

On  April 21 we are organizing the so-call wide reading  in commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of Armenian Genocide in cooperation with International Literature Festival in Berlin  and Leipsef house. The event is to take place in more than 100^th countries in the world:  in Yerevan, Istanbul, Boston, Paris etc. and even in Malawian Africa.  The subscribers of this event are six laureates of Nobel Price of literature, like well known Mario Vargas Llosa and Turkish Nobel Prize laureate Orhan Pambuk, also Turkish writer Elif Shafak.  I would like to state  that the participation of Turkish scientists in the event was courageous act. The Armenian communities as well as Armenian Church community in Berlin also do a lot.

The most interesting thing for me is the fact that the events on the commemoration of Armenian Genocide have wider resonance in the German radio, television, newspapers, than I have expected. Genocide became a topic people started to talk about. I myself have just published a book about Genocide.  The book is the first complete history of Armenian Genocide in German language. After it came out on February 7 of this year it has also had a big resonance in the press- there are many critics, reviews on it in regional newspapers. So I think that at present the knowledge about Armenian Genocide in Germany is much better than it was years ago.

- Is the German society, especially young generation, interested in learning about the Armenian Genocide and how much does it know about it?

- Many of them don’t know very much.  There are of course some people who have read the novel of France Verfel or other novels about Armenia Genocide. Genocide is knowledge for educated people. I think however the knowledge is increasing; the more this topic  is referred in the media, the more people talk about it.

At the end it is important also to speak about Gorki Theatre. Groki Theatre has multicultural actors, there are Armenian and Turkish actors working there. The theater organizes performances in different places. 

The film "Cut" which come into a cinema recently and was screened in several countries as well as in Armenia is also an important contribution. I think the film should not be underestimated even if one criticizes it for not having clear political message. 

The interview is taken under the framework of  "Journalism-Seminar for Young Journalists from Armenia and Turkey" organized by taz.partnerstiftung.