“I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I’ve never met. I want to go on living even after my death!… When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived! But, and that’s a big question, will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or a writer?”
Anne Frank wrote these words in April 1944. Four months later, she and her family were arrested by the Gestapo. She was later transported from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she died in early 1945. She was only 15.
Anne’s diary was first published in the Netherlands in 1947. Ten years after that, the Anne Frank Foundation was established to protect the 17th-century house in central Amsterdam where Anne and her family hid from Nazi persecution. Officially opened in 1960, the Anne Frank House has been receiving over 1.2 million visitors from all over the world each year.
The Anne Frank House’s first international travelling exhibition was launched in 1996 and has been displayed in over 3,500 locations in 77 countries. In Australia, the organisation has been active since 2000 with travelling exhibitions and educational activities.
The current travelling exhibition “Let Me Be Myself – The Life Story of Anne Frank” has been touring Australia since 2013. Designed to highlight the contemporary relevance of Anne’s story, the exhibition explores universal themes such as identity and belonging and encourages visitors to consider the following questions:
How do you identify yourself? How do others define you?
What groups do you belong to? How do others categorise you?
What happens if you are not accepted by others? Where does exclusion start?
What do you know about the struggle against persecution and discrimination? How do you respond to stories of Anne Frank and other young people who are the victims of war?
To this reviewer, what remains inspiring today is Anne’s optimism and faith in humanity. Even in the most difficult of times like hers, where “ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality”, she continued to be hopeful:
“It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”
“Although I’m only fourteen, I know quite well what I want. I know who is right and who is wrong. I have my opinions, my own ideas and principles, and although it may sound pretty mad from an adolescent, I feel more of a person than a child. I feel quite independent of anyone.”
“Who would ever think that so much went on in the soul of a young girl?”
“Let Me Be Myself – The Life story of Anne Frank” is now on display at Belgrave Library until April 20. Please, bring yourself and the young people in your family to see the exhibition.
Note 1: This article was originally published by Ranges Trader Star Mail on March 19, 2024, P.22. You can also view the article on The Star Mail’s website.
Note 2: While composing this article, there are so many things I want to write. But I only have 500 words for the newspaper column.
Initially I want to write about John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (2012) and its 2014 feature film adaptation, and The Freedom Writers Diary (1999) by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell and its 2007 feature film adaptation Freedom Writers. I also want to write about Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief (2006) and its 2013 feature film adaptation.
Then, during the research, I want to write even more — little things that have moved me, reminding me that there are so many people out there doing what they can for their communities and their names are never mentioned, their contribution continuing to be quiet, passionate and selfless simply because it is the right thing to do.
I guess that is what legacy means. The impact of one young life on so many individuals and communities for generations to come.
Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音 