Examining the mistakes of the past may be the key to a hate-free future thanks to this year's 29th annual Holocaust and Genocide Lecture series at Sonoma State University entitled "Legacies as Lessons: Learning From the Past."
Historically the most popular lecture of the series, daughter of Holocaust survivors Claudia Stevens, D.M.A., College of William and Mary, gives the annual Robert L. Harris Memorial Lecture entitled "An Evening With Madame F."
Not so much a lecture as it is a performance, Stevens presents a one-woman musical drama using her talents as a singer, actress, and highly accomplished pianist to embody an Auschwitz survivor. Stevens uses music actually sung in the camp and also addresses the issue of using the Holocaust for artistic influence.
The series also boasts numerous survivors and witnesses of genocides from around the world including Rwanda, Sudan, Armenia, and Bosnia. Speakers include Socheata Poeuv, founder of Khmer Legacies, and Leijla Mavris, program director of Global Majority, a non-profit organization that promotes non-profit conflict resolution education.
Sergio LaPorta speaks on the Armenian genocide with a special Armenian Genocide Memorial Lecture on Feb. 14.
SSU's own Professor Eric Williams of the Criminal Justice department presents "Perspectives on International War Crimes" on March 20.
Rwandan genocide survivor Mathilde Mukantabana speaks on April 3 about "The Aftermath of Genocide in Rwanda."
The series concludes on May 8 with a student/faculty panel entitled "What Have We Learned?" All are encouraged to come and participate in the panel.
Audience members will have opportunity at the end of each lecture to ask questions for more detailed information about each individual experience.
The series runs from through May 8. All lectures take place on Warren Auditorium in Ives Hall, Tuesdays from 4-5:40 p.m.
Remaining lectures for Spring 2012 include:
February 7: "From Nightmare to Freedom" with Lillian and Dennis Judd
February 14: "The Armenian Genocide" with Sergio LaPorta, Ph.D., CSU Fresno Armenian Studies Program (Armenian Genocide Memorial Lecture)
February 21: "Genocide in Sudan" with Hamdan Gouumaa, Global Majority
February 28: "Lessons Learned From a Holocaust Childhood" with Hans Angress
March 6: "New Year Baby" with Socheata Poeuv, Founder: Khmer Legacies
March 13: "Fighting Genocide and Mass Atrocities: Empowering Hands-On Action" with Mina Rush, Director of Outreach, Jewish World Watch
March 20: "Perspectives on International War Crimes" with Eric Williams, Ph.D., Sonoma State University
April 3: "Legacies as Lessons: The Aftermath of Genocide in Rwanda" with Mathilde Mukantabana MA. President FORA, and Simon Mudahogora, Rwandan Survivor
April 10: "Becoming Evil" with James Waller, Ph.D., Cohen Endowed Chair of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Keene State College
April 17: "Remembering Anne Frank" Film and Discussion
April 24: "Mass Killings in Bosnia" with Lejla Mavris, Program Director, Global Majority
May 1: "An Evening with Madame F" with Claudia Stevens, D.M.A., College of William and Mary. Robert L. Harris Memorial Lecture
May 8: "What Have We Learned?" Student/Faculty Panel
Visit http://www.sonoma.edu/holocaust/ for more details.
A daily parking permit ($2.50) is required for all on-campus parking.