Transnational seminar in Skopje for Macedonian and Bulgarian teachers

The Shoah Memorial organized in Skopje, from 29 August to 2 September 2017, a transnational seminar bringing together 40 Macedonian and Bulgarian teachers, in cooperation with the Memorial of the Jews of Macedonia, the ministries of education of both countries involved, the association of history teachers from Bulgaria and the Macedonian ministry of foreign affairs.

Group of interns in front of the Macedonian Jewish Memorial © Camila Ubillus

Entitled "The Shoah as a starting point: comparing and sharing", this event aimed to initiate a lasting historical dialogue through education between partners for whom the divergent narratives relating to the regional history of the Shoah (memory of the Bulgarian "rescue" against the deportations of the communities of Stip, Bitola and Skopje) have been a factor of tension since the 1990s.

This is a first in relations between the two countries. It will be renewed in 2018 in Sofia. It is also part of a scheme initiated by the Shoah Memorial in Yugoslav space since 2015 and extended during this year to 9 other key European regions in terms of memory fractures and neighborhood tensions.

This seminar was funded by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and supported by the "Europe for Citizens" programme.

Intervention of a first counselor at the French embassy in Macedonia © Camila Ubillus