The HISTORY Channel continues its campaign to support historical education in the Romanian educational system with a new donation of history books for 25 high schools in 13 counties. The action follows the success of the first edition, which took place in 2019, when 25 high schools 12 counties received history books. This year’s donation will start October 25, coinciding with the Centenary of the birth of Romania’s King Michael.
For this second edition of the campaign, HISTORY Channel continues the collaboration with its trusted partners: Libris.ro – the largest online bookstore in Romania, supporting the campaign with the selection and distribution of the most interesting titles that can arouse the interest for knowledge and history, as well as the Romanian chapter of Save The Children – the world’s largest independent organization promoting children’s rights – who helped pinpoint the schools most in need for the books, keeping in mind also the many requests that came from the teachers and students in the first campaign.
The beneficiary high schools are from the following 13 counties: Alba, Argeș, Bacău, Bistrița Năsăud, Brașov, Constanța, Dâmbovița, Ialomița, Iași, Mehedinți, Neamț, Olt and Teleorman, with an estimate of over 16.000 students and their teachers who will have access to some of the newest titles in Romanian and European history.
“The Last King Behind the Iron Curtain”
This year’s campaign marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of King Michael and the premiere of “The Last King Behind the Iron Curtain” on HISTORY Romania, which premieres on HISTORY Channel, Sunday, October 24, 2021, 21:00 EET, a day ahead of the 100th anniversary of King Michael’s birth. The one-hour television documentary portrays the never told story of the brave 23-year-old King Michael of Romania who, by defying Hitler in WW2, risked his life, only to be ejected from his homeland by Communists imposed from the Kremlin.
Drawn from a never-seen interview with the King recorded in 2003, and with contributions from those who served him during exile, as well as from members of the King’s own family, we tell a story of unbearable hardships and final redemption in his homeland.
Along with interviews with members of the King’s family, closest staff, advisors and friends of King Michael, the documentary also features never-before aired comments and observations of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh (2016) in an exclusive and unique interview at Buckingham Palace given just a few months ahead of his retiring from the public life.
“The last time we donated books to Romanian schools we included a quotation from respected Romanian historian Nicolae Iorga: ‘A person who does not know their history is like a child who does not know their parents.’ This time we want to pay homage to King Michael, whose impact on not only the history of Romania but the history of Europe, should be remembered and celebrated. In his famous speech in Parliament 10 years ago, King Michael said that ‘We cannot have a future without respecting our past’. We hope young people in Romania are boldly looking into the future while remembering and appreciating the path created for them by the brave predecessors, like King Michael,” stated Izabella Wiley, SVP, General Manager A+E Networks CEE.
“Facilitating access to quality education is one of the great priorities of Save the Children. Given that the resources allocated to education by the public authorities are totally insufficient, together with our partners, it is essential to support schools and students, helping them to access the necessary resources for quality education and thus contributing to the formation of a generation that is aware of its past and is ready to shape its future,” said Gabriela Alexandrescu, Executive President of Save the Children Romania.
“Libris’ mission is to support education in all its forms, and any opportunity to take part in actions aimed at developing ‘great’ people is a real joy for us. In the 30 years that we have fully dedicated ourselves to books, we have learned that history is a pillar in our development, and this partnership comes as a perfect complement to what we consider to be part of the collective responsibility to keep alive the actions of those who have built the world in which we live and enjoy ourselves daily. Thus, we thank HISTORY Channel for the chance to be partners again! Together we bring the books into the schools and libraries of those who will make history for their own world,” added Laura Țeposu, Founder and CEO of Libris.ro.
Women who Wrote History
The books are meant to be an auxiliary help for the students in the 11th and 12th grade to support their learning process with a deeper understanding of the history of the 20th century, as well as Romania’s contemporary history. The profile of the books is contemporary Romanian and European history, with a focus on the historical influence of King Michael and the Romanian Royal Family in the country’s recent history.
Every high school will receive a set of representative historical books signed, among others, by renowned Romanian historians as well as internationally acclaimed writers. To promote the diversity of voices in the research of history, 9 out of the selected 26 titles to be written be female historians, while other 4 titles underline the role of women in Romania’s history. Bylines include historians Ruxandra Cesereanu, Diana Mandache, Tatiana Niculescu and Mihaela Simina.