Over the Wall

© Filip Claus / AMSAB

The Evens Foundation is one of the partners in an oral history project about the transitions of 1989-1991, seeking to encourage public debate about the importance of democracy and freedom today.

The 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 2019 was the occasion for the Peace Center of Antwerp to reflect on how this turning point in recent European history could be remembered.

As a result of this reflection, the Peace Center designed and launched My Story/(Y)Our Story in collaboration with EuroClio, Centrum Historii Zajezdnia and the Evens Foundation. The project intends to collect and share the stories of people from Central and Eastern Europe who witnessed the democratic transitions of 1989-1991 first hand.

The collected stories will be integrated in an educational workshop for secondary school students and an exhibition for the general public, with the aim of encouraging reflection on the multitude of experiences of that particular period and to stimulate public debate on the importance of democracy and freedom today.

This project is supported by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union.

The Evens Foundation is one of the partners in an oral history project about the transitions of 1989-1991, seeking to encourage public debate about the importance of democracy and freedom today.

The 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 2019 was the occasion for the Peace Center of Antwerp to reflect on how this turning point in recent European history could be remembered.

As a result of this reflection, the Peace Center designed and launched My Story/(Y)Our Story in collaboration with EuroClio, Centrum Historii Zajezdnia and the Evens Foundation. The project intends to collect and share the stories of people from Central and Eastern Europe who witnessed the democratic transitions of 1989-1991 first hand.

The collected stories will be integrated in an educational workshop for secondary school students and an exhibition for the general public, with the aim of encouraging reflection on the multitude of experiences of that particular period and to stimulate public debate on the importance of democracy and freedom today.

This project is supported by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union.

News

On 9 November 2021 we officially opened the Over the Wall exhibition.
You can visit it from 17 November to 12 December 2021 at Permeke Library in Antwerp, Belgium. Find out more here.
The testimonials and a series of educational activities are also available in a teaching package for secondary education. Find out more here.

News

On the occassion of the opening night of the exhibition on 9 November 2021, the audience will be invited by journalist Karen Billiet to discover the stories of 4 witnesses from Poland, Romania, and East and West Germany. Researcher Maarten van Alstein will reflect on the value of such stories for future generations. Emilia Kirova will add a musical note to the evening.

Admission is free, but reservation is required.

The project was recently renamed Over the Wall .

News

The educational material is currently being tested by a few teachers and their students. The Dutch edition will be made available by the Antwerp Peace Center in November 2021.