Dialogue or: where points of view meet

The group «Geschichte erforschen» was established in 2013, after the Federal Council had officially apologised to the victims of compulsory welfare measures for the wrong they suffered in the past. Since then the members of the group have concentrated on better understanding the history of compulsory welfare measures – of which they were partly victims –, and considering the points of view of families victims of poverty in the reassessment of this chapter of history.

In their welcoming speech, the organisers underlined that all the participants contribute with their knowledge of the events. Each of them has a different background and a personal history. By telling and listening, it is possible to share and get to know these different points of view on compulsory welfare measures.

During the meeting in Treyvaux, the researchers and the victims of poverty were meant to share their points of view, enriching them mutually. During the morning and the afternoon, the participants, divided into small groups, exchanged their opinions on the various research topics of the IEC. The members of ATD Vierte Welt asked the researchers concrete questions regarding the work of the IEC, and the IEC collaborators supplied the requested information. A brief report of this exchange was published by ATD Vierte Welt in March 2018 on its website.

Expression through art

At the meeting in Treyvaux there was also Franz Gehrig. Some years ago, he began to paint in order to come to terms with the experiences he made when he was put into foster care as a child. In Treyvaux Franz Gehrig had difficulty talking about his life, as always. He prefers to express his feelings and thoughts through his paintings, which were exhibited at the ATD headquarters in Treyvaux on the day of the meeting. In the context of the touring exhibition of ATD Vierte Welt, Franz Gehrig’s paintings were then exhibited in Emmen (LU) in the spring of 2018.

Art is a way of accessing feelings and thus a way of processing traumatic experiences. Many victims of compulsory welfare measures narrate their personal history through art in the form of literature, music, painting, installations, textile works etc. Besides being autobiographical records, these works of art are also evidence of the tough past experienced by many people in Switzerland. Only if these artistic records are preserved with care, can they contribute to a long-lasting awareness of the personal history that lies behind them. This concern was expressed in the talks with the members of ATD Vierte Welt.