A look back on the days of memory Between 4 and 7 April 2024, Maison d‘Izieu welcomed over 2000 visitors, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the roundup of 6 April 1944. Around the former children of Izieu, there were many different tributes: some playful, sung or through dance, others silent and solemn. The visit of French President Emmanuel Macron shows the recognition for the work of memory, accomplished by many people throughout all these years. Relive the days of memory through photos, videos and through articles and media coverage. Thursday, 4 April 2024 This first day of memory was dedicated to visual and audio-visual arts, with the teams of France 3 Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes and France Bleu Isère, relocating their broadcasts to cover the first day at the Maison d’Izieu. A first moment of commemoration was organised with a speech by Laurent Wauquiez, president of the region Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes and the testimonial of Diane-Fenster-Popowski, a former child of Izieu. The children and teenagers of the European project WiM Laboratories Iuvenis II expressed their tributes in their native languages. Their text can be downloaded here. Another part of the first day was the inauguration of the temporary exhibition “They were children”, which can be discovered up to 22 September 2024. The winner of the Prix Maison d’Izieu were announced. The prize rewards the best video created on the topic of “Letters and drawings from refugee children in conflicts, past and present”. The school students reflect on the consequences of conflicts of which children were victims in the past and still are today. You can watch a replay of the ceremony on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLv5ElxG55I&t=668s The ceremony was followed by a preview of the documentary on the children of Izieu, which can now be watched (in French): https://www.leprogres.fr/societe/2024/04/05/notre-documentaire-evenement-les-enfants-d-izieu The day ended with the preview of the documentary film ‘Sabine Zlatin or the impossible forgetting’, directed by Daniel Cling and produced by ‘Un film à la patte’, in collaboration with France 3 Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes. The documentary will be broadcasted on France 3 Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes on 18 April, 10:45pm. NB: The views and arguments expressed in this film are those of the directors and producers. They in no way commit Maison d’Izieu. Replay of the commemoration Photos 01 / 11 Friday 5 April 2024 The second day was dedicated to literature. The illustrators and authors Gilles Rapaport, Giulio Salvadori, Samuel Pintel and Rolande Causse (via video call) were present to lead workshops with students from Lycée Saint-Marie de la Roche sur Foron. They were all there, along with Dominique Vidaud, Alexandre Nugues-Bourchat and Stéphanie Boissard, for the evening’s literary encounters, attended by around a hundred people. A short commemorative moment also punctuated this second day of memory. Replay of the commemoration Photos 01 / 10 Saturday 6 April 2024 The third day, on the date of the sad 80 year anniversary of the round-up of the children and adults of Izieu, was dedicated to music. To this occasion, a large number of people attended the commemoration to pay tribute to them. Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture and the Media of the German Federal Government, honoured us with her presence on this very special day and spoke at the ceremony. You can download her speech (in French) here and see the strength of her speech. All day long, visitors were able to freely discover the House and the Museum, guided by mediators who were able to answer their questions. The day ended with a musical tribute concert by the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie, conducted by Pieter-Jelle de Boer. 7 classical works were played, along with extracts from the speech given by Gaston Lavoille, Director of the Collège moderne de Belley, on 7 April 1946. Replay of the commemoration Photos 01 / 16 Sunday 7 April 2024 On this last day, the Maison d’Izieu welcomed over a thousand visitors and received a distinguished guest: the third President of the French Republic since the creation of the memorial museum, 30 years ago. A large-scale commemoration in the presence of former children of Izieu to mark the 80th anniversary of the roundup of children and adults from the Izieu home and the 30th anniversary of the memorial museum took place, punctuated by the music of the military band. Many officials and elected representatives took the floor. Hélène Waysenson, a former child of Izieu, also spoke. The commemoration was followed by two very beautiful shows in tribute to the children of Izieu: the Wim Laboratories Iuvenis II performance by the company Procédé Zèbre et les jeunes européens, and the performance show ‘Les Enfants d’Izieu’ combining poetry, music and drawings, based on a text by Rolande Causse, with Pascale Blaison, Gilles Rapaport, Lionel Belmondo and Laurent Fickelson. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic visited the house, talked to former children from Izieu and several members of the association, before meeting members of the public, making it an unforgettable day, especially for the youngest members of the public. Replay of the commemoration Photos 01 / 23