The exhibit ”Raoul Wallenberg – One man can make a difference” opened in Budapest accompanied by a pedagogical seminar and a series of lectures on the life and actions of the Swedish diplomat.
Dr. Gábor Demszky, Mayor of Budapest opened the exhibit on March 2nd. Other keynote speakers included Ms. Louise von Dardel, Niece of Raoul Wallenberg; Mr. Olle Wästberg, Director of the Swedish Institute; and Ms. Cecilia Björner, Ambassador of Sweden to Hungary. The exhibition is organized by the Swedish Institute, the Embassy of Sweden in Hungary, the OSA Archivum and in partnership with the Raoul Wallenberg Association in Hungary, the Holocaust Memorial Center, the Jewish Museum of Stockholm.
”Our hope is that the exhibit on Raoul Wallenberg’s life and deeds will encourage both reflection and discussion about tolerance issues and anti-Semitism. In times of increased xenophobia and religious intolerance throughout the world, the example of Wallenberg shows the importance of civil courage and respect for one’s fellow beings,” said Daniel Gustafsson, project manager at the Swedish Institute, when the exhibition was first inaugurated a few years ago.
The exhibit, which was put together by the Jewish Museum in Stockholm, shows Wallenberg’s life in different settings, from his childhood to the repercussions of his disappearance. Seminars will also be held in conjunction with the exhibits abroad on the theme of tolerance for a specialist audience consisting of historians, teachers, teaching specialists and students. An important target group for the exhibit itself is schoolchildren.
The exhibit, which was shown previously to Swedish audiences in Stockholm and Lund, was presented in 2005 in Kiev and Lviv in Ukraine. In 2006, it traveled to Warsaw Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Its next stop will be Moscow.
The exhibition will be on display untill April 29th, 2007, at the OSA Archivum’s Central Gallery: Arany J. u. 32. – Budapest.
