Heritage

Contentsassessment points for peace education based on heritage59tlTeaching limitationDo not focus only on problems. Major problems alone do not provide a good startingpoint for stimulating participants to become curious or to cultivate solidarity amongstudents. We advise you to be cautious, particularly with younger children. It is importantto provide perspective in the teaching process (see also the section ‘Peace andheritage education: where to start?’).Empathy in times of war through an the example of a shipwreckThe Transylvania was an English ship torpedoed by the German submarine U-63 on 4May 1917. Within 40 minutes, the Transylvania was completely submerged, resultingin the tragic death of 10 crew members, 29 army officers and 373 soldiers. Amazingly,2,708 passengers managed to survive. The majority were rescued by Japanese lifeboatsand local Ligurian fishermen, some of whom later received a medal of honour fromthe British government for their compassionate assistance. Having seen the attackfrom the shore, they showed great courage and empathy for their fellow human beingsand immediately jumped into their boats and braved strong winds to save as manylives as possible. With injured, bloody hands, they headed towards the harbours ofNoli and Finale Ligure.After the sinking, an enormous wave of solidarity for the ships’ victims swept overItaly. The injured were housed in overcrowded local hospitals, local monasteries andin the homes of Ligurian inhabitants who opened their doors and welcomed in theEnglish victims despite their meagre financial resources. The language barrier did notprevent close friendships from forming and, at the time, a number of the local Ligurianshad never had face-to-face contact with foreigners.During the 1930s, and throughout the Second World War, Great Britain was an officialenemy of these Italian and Japanese rescuers. However, despite these politicalfactors and the horrible reality of war, the close bonds that had formed during thetragedy could not be broken. Even today, the Transylvania catastrophe conjures upstrong emotions in the region. The experiences and stories from the tragedy are passeddown from generation to generation and have obtained quasi-mythical status.It is not only the brave rescue, subsequent care for the injured and long-lasting friendshipsthat carry a message of peace and reconciliation among peoples that were onceenemies. The subsequent discovery and preservation of the wreck of the Transylvaniais also a source of reconciliation, providing physical evidence through which we re-