Our dual concern at the Cultural Identity and Memory Studies Institute (CIMS) is to explore cultural identity and cultural memory: that is, the investigation of the diverse textual constructs and creations (e.g. traditions, myths, literary canons, and political institutions) by which national and other cultural groups represent, criticise, renew and repurpose their sense of identity and memory.
Coming up:
13 Oct 2026 | 16.00–17.30
Lower College Hall
“Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango” and Lenka Lichtenberg’s “Thieves of Dreams: Songs of Theresienstadt’s Secret Poetess”.
The Centre for Art and Politics & The Cultural Identity and Memory Studies
Join us on Tuesday, 13 October, for a special St Andrews performance by award-winning singer and composer Lenka Lichtenberg. She will perform music from Thieves of Dreams and Silent Tears, The Last Yiddish Tango, alongside other songs written during the Holocaust.
Silent Tears is based on the testimonies of women from Poland who survived the Holocaust, while Thieves of Dreams draws on poetry written by Lichtenberg’s grandmother during her incarceration at the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The album won a Juno Award in 2023.
Combining music, testimony and poetry, the programme reflects on survival, memory and the long-term impact of trauma, giving voice to experiences that were often left unspoken for decades.
For more information about the events, please click on the relevant image.
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