Memorial 'The Secret' Assen

With these sculptures, Natasja Bennink (50) from Ezinge and fellow sculptor Gert Sennema (62) from Grijpskerk want to raise awareness of the Women's March of 1945, which is still unknown to many. The five sculptures symbolise the suffering of that time. They depict women in resistance and oppression. It could be the story of one woman or a group of women. And it is a journey from darkness to light, when they were released. But it is not all joy and happiness; for many, there was suffering and sadness upon their return home.

In Peelo near Assen, where the women slept in a barn, there is a woman's head on a bedside table. Gert: "There are three drawers in the cabinet. All three are closed. It represents the three nights of walking, but also all the things that have remained hidden. There are a few diaries, but there is so much more than what is written. There is a lot we don't know. And we can hardly imagine the fear and panic of that time now."
Natasja: ‘Survivors often don't know what happened. The resistance work was secret. After the war, women didn't talk about it much. And there was more attention for the male resistance work. Apparently, that was seen as cooler.’ She therefore sees the images as a form of emancipation.

Read the story of the women's march at: - https://www.groningen4045.nl/75-verhalen/gem-westerkwartier-eindpunt-vrouwenmars

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