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BALTEHUMS II, siūlyti iki sausio 31 d., vyks Kaune gegužės 28-29 d.,

A Baltic Concord

ABC

for Legend Makers

with Special Regard for Relationships in Time and Space

Lithuania is undergoing a clash of narratives between champions of nationalistic heroes (Col.K.Škirpa, Cpt.Jonas Noreika, J.Ambrazevičius) and guardians of the reality that these particular heroes victimized Lithuania's Jews in 1941. On January 23, 2020, in Jerusalem, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Lithuania's delegation promised to fight anti-semitism and committed to develop an Architecture of Memory. How can we bring together different perspectives for a constructive dialogue on the purposes, methods and principles of such an architecture?

Andrius Kulikauskas is proposing "A Baltic Concord", a statement of principles for legend makers. A myriad of historical facts gains meaning when assembled into legends. We can draw moral lessons from these legends but only if they respect the truth which documents ever bring to light. The history of individual nations - Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians - grows profound in comparative studies. The current fates of these three nations is quite similar though their past history differed markedly, even in the 20th century. Thus it is meaningful to seek an Architecture of Memory that would serve all three nations and perhaps others around the world.

Andrius Kulikauskas will present a visual installation to illustrate the relationships, in Lithuania, in the summer of 1941, between the heroic anti-Soviet uprising and the tragic abuse and murder of Jews. The 6 m x 4 m installation will show the activities of 35 rebel groups in Kaunas. It will include a large map of Kaunas in 1935, a day-by-day timeline with related documents, and about 100 dolls depicting related characters, along with their histories. Andrius Kulikauskas will give a presentation that applies the principles of "A Baltic Concord" to analyze this detailed display of facts, to develop a narrative of how various rebel factions acted with regard to the mass murders at Kaunas VII Fort, and to identify questions of morality for consideration.

This presentation will be followed by a three-part discussion led by a moderator and six speakers. In the first twenty minutes, each speaker will share their thoughts on "A Baltic Concord", and more broadly, in what sense can we let go of false myths and instead create truthful legends that we can learn from? In the next twenty minutes, the moderator would encourage discussion amongst these speakers. In the final twenty minutes, the moderator will include questions and comments from the audience.

The six speakers would include at least one scholar from each of the Baltic States, at least one Jewish scholar, at least one nationalist scholar, and at least one female and one male, but hopefully more. The organizers of the Conference could suggest speakers, and in any event, Andrius Kulikauskas can organize them.