On the occasion of the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp (27 January 1945), the Theatre of the Italian Cultural Institute of Brussels hosted the theatrical performance Auschwitz’s Swimmer, written and directed by Luca De Bei. Italian actor Raoul Bova, in Brussels for the only international performance, gave voice and presence to the two protagonists of a true story: the French swimmer of Jewish origin, Alfred Nakache, and the Austrian psychoanalyst, also of Jewish origin, Viktor Frankl. Both were interned in Auschwitz, and both carried a message of unwavering determination, hope, and unity among European peoples.
As recalled by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, in the video message broadcast before the performance, “It is our duty to continue remembering. Not only out of respect for the victims of the past but, above all, for ourselves, for the future of our children, so that the horror of the Holocaust may never be repeated, and so that every form and manifestation of antisemitism may be permanently abandoned worldwide”, emphasised the Italian Ambassador to Belgium, Federica Favi, as she opened the evening before an audience of approximately 350 attendees.
“An artistic work that is an act of love for the future from a European perspective: an Italian actor portraying a French and an Austrian figure”, added the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Brussels, Pierre Di Toro. “A message that tells us that once all ‘having’ (possessions, fame, and other superficialities) is lost, what remains to humanity is ‘being’ and its hope for the future. A story that reminds us, as Primo Levi wrote, that while understanding may be impossible, knowledge is necessary”.
