Refugees from National Socialism in Wales
As part of the Second World War and Holocaust Partnership Programme (SWWHPP) led by the Imperial War Museums (IWM), the project Refugees from National Socialism in Wales: Learning from the Past for the Future will explore the hidden stories of those who fled from Central Europe due to the National Socialist dictatorship and found sanctuary in Wales in the 1930s and 1940s.
Led by Dr Andrea Hammel, Director of the Centre for the Movement of People (CMOP), the project will include several co-curated outcomes, such as a film and a photographic exhibition, due to be shown at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Autumn 2022. It will also contribute to a Digital Installation which is to be permanently located in the Imperial War Museum London.
The issue of forced migration is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century and this project seeks to encourage learning from the past for the future. Andrea Hammel and the filmmaker Amy Daniel will work with different groups, such as present-day refugees and those assisting refugees today, to develop a creative response linking different refugee stories in Wales. The project will address questions about the diversity of Welsh society, religious and linguistic differences, and social, educational and economic challenges.
The project film will be shown at different locations across Wales and online, and there will be workshops accompanying the exhibition. The exhibition at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Autumn 2022 will be accompanied by a series of events and workshops which will be publicised nearer the time. Honno Press has commissioned a book on Refugees from National Socialism in Wales to be published in October 2022.
If you know of a story of a refugee from National Socialism in Wales that you think we might be able to include, or if you are part of a community group that would like to be involved, let us know. For further information, please contact us on a.hammel@aber.ac.uk