Film: The Destruction of Memory

Over the past century, cultural destruction has wrought catastrophic results across the globe. This war against culture is not over—it’s been steadily increasing. In Syria and Iraq, the “cradle of civilization,” millennia of culture are being destroyed. The push to protect, salvage, and rebuild has moved in step with the destruction. Legislation and policy have played a role, but heroic individuals have fought back, risking and losing their lives to protect not just other human beings, but our cultural identity.

Based on the book of the same name by Robert Bevan, The Destruction of Memory (2016) not only looks at the ongoing actions of Daesh (ISIS) and at other contemporary situations, but reveals the decisions of the past that allowed the issue to remain hidden in the shadows for so many years.

Interviewees in the film include the director-general of UNESCO, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, as well as diverse and distinguished experts, whose voices combine to address this urgent issue.

Following the screening, director Tim Slade and author Robert Bevan will be in conversation with Andras Riedlmayer, bibliographer in Islamic art and architecture at Harvard’s Fine Arts Library and a key interviewee in the film.

The event will be held in Menschel Hall, Lower Level.

Free admission

Support for this program is provided by the José Soriano Fund.