Again and again

I just stumbled across this post that I wrote several months ago after returning to Rwanda from a trip over Christmas that included a day in Amsterdam. I had forgotten to finish writing it and post it...

When I visited the national genocide memorial in Kigali several months ago (see 'Kigali Memorial Centre'), I was especially impressed with the fact that the memorial centre included displays not just on the Rwandan genocide but on other genocides that have taken place and are taking place throughout the world. I felt like this showed a true commitment to the fight against genocide by acknowledging that Rwanda is not the only place where a genocide has occurred and the way in which the Rwandan genocide happened is not the only way in which a genocide can take place.

As impressed as I was with this global perspective of the Kigali Memorial Centre, I was disappointed - no, I was angry - with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. The majority of the house is fairly and appropriately dedicated to the Holocaust. However, at the end of the tour, there is space for additional displays. This space is filled with exhibition called "Free2choose" which displays "how basic rights can clash: the freedom of speech versus the right to be protected against discrimination." While this display gives insight into how limiting rights such as the freedom of speech can develop into discrimination which can turn to violent attacks and genocide, it does not acknowledge the ways in which this has occurred outside Nazi Germany. In fact, nowhere in the Anne Frank House is there mention of the genocides in Armenia (1915-1917), Cambodia (1975-1977), Bosnia (1992-1995), Rwanda (1994) or any of the other locations and times in the world where genocide has occurred.

I found the lack of any such information infuriating. I hate that such a thing tainted my experience of visiting a historical location with such importance of its own, but I walked out of the house feeling more anger than sadness or thoughtfulness or regret or any of the other feelings that are usually associated with visiting a genocide memorial. The world acknowledges the terror of the Holocaust, yet so many are ignorant of the genocides that continue to occur again and again. I feel like the Anne Frank House is such a well-known site that it could be a tremendously effective location to educate people on the dangers of genocide, not just in terms of the Holocaust, but in terms of these continued events that occur again and again around the world. Instead, unfortunately, it supports Samantha Power's cynical, yet insightful, assessment of the UN genocide convention of which she wrote, that in practice it means “never again would the Germans kill Jews in Europe in the 1940s.”

A day in Amsterdam

On my way back to Rwanda, I had a fourteen hour layover in Amsterdam, during which I decided to explore the city. I have to confess, all I knew of Amsterdam before this trip was that it was home to the Anne Frank house and "coffee houses" that sell marijuana, so I was curious to see what else there was to the city. After arriving at the airport around 7:20 a.m., I found my way through passport control and customs, stored my carry-on luggage in a locker and caught the 8:01 a.m. train to Central Station. With a twenty-minute train ride, I was hoping to be able to see a little of the area surrounding Amsterdam, but because the Netherlands is so far north, it was still dark for the entire ride, so instead I continued working on the crossword puzzle I'd started in Atlanta. Once at Central Station, armed with a small travel guide, one hundred euros and my warmest winter coat, scarf and mittens, I began my adventure.

I had decided to start my self-led tour at the Anne Frank house, which my book told me I could reach by taking one of the trams from the Central Station. I checked this plan with the information desk, where I was informed that the house was only ten minutes away on foot. Since there were still forty minutes before the house opened for tourists, I decided to walk. On the way, I passed through the Dam, which is the center of Amsterdam where the original dam was built across the Amstel river in the 13th century. On the square, I saw the Nieuwe Kerk (new church), which is beautiful on the outside, but unfortunately now used as a museum inside.
Next to the Nieuwe Kerk is the Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace), which is the official home of the reigning king or queen of the Netherlands.
As I continued my walk toward the Anne Frank house, I passed over several of Amsterdam's canals, all of which are lined with beautiful canal houses and old warehouses that have been converted into apartments.
Many of the canals were also lined with houseboats.
Soon I was at the house where Anne Frank and her family hid for two years during World War II. (I'll write more about this later.) From the Anne Frank house, I continued walking and passed by a house built by the Vanderbilts (yes, the American Vanderbilts of the Biltmore Estate). In this picture, I believe it's the third from the house.
Soon I arrived at Amsterdam's flower market, which was incredible
After spending some time in the flower market, I decided to take a canal cruise to tour the city.
Afterwards, I continued toward the Museumplein area, which is home to several museums. The largest and perhaps most impressive is the Rijksmuseum.
Nearby is the Van Gogh museum, which is home to the largest collection of Van Gogh's works. There are over 200 paintings, 580 drawings and 700 letters.
After the museum, I was exhausted, so I headed back to Central Station to take the train back to the airport. In front of the station, though, I couldn't help but laugh at the parking garage made especially for bicycles!