text:
“Djeca Sarajeva”: The Legacy of Killing Childhood | Balkan Diskurs
Ivana Perić | Julien Laumann | Lucía Duran | Sydney Gdański
May 7th, 2024
It is hard to understand the killing of a child. The deliberate and ruthless targeting of children during the Siege of Sarajevo tragically illustrates the contrast between childhood innocence and war’s brutality. To commemorate the start of the occupation of Sarajevo, the documentary, “Djeca Sarajeva”, was screened for the first time on the 4th of April at the Sarajevo City Hall.
The film was the result of a collaboration between the Post Conflict Research Center (PCRC) and the Sarajevo Memorial Center, together with Pinch Media. During her speech, Founder and President of the PCRC, Velma Šarić, stressed the importance of creating films like this, which collect and preserve the narratives of the victims and their families.
Within the context of the 5th of May, the Day of Remembrance dedicated to the killed children of besieged Sarajevo, the documentary “Djeca Sarajeva” (The Children of Sarajevo) presents four different stories of child victims and their families. Their viewpoints, shaped by their personal ties to the victims, each offer a distinct lens through which the tragedy is perceived.
“Every tenth child was killed by a sniper [during the siege]” stated Fikret Grabovica, President of the Association of Parents of the Murdered Children of Sarajevo. “They were killed most often in moments of socializing, playing and relaxing”, and after long periods of hiding in shelters and basements, the children would eventually come out to play and unknowingly become targets to the murderers that were waiting for them. We know that the one who kills with a sniper knows exactly who he is firing a fatal shot at.” Socialization and play are crucial components of the development of children, and yet Sarajevo’s children would lose their lives for pursuing it.
The tragedy of Marko, told by his brother, Miroslav Lukić, is based on his mother’s memories. On 26 July 1995, before his life was taken from him by a grenade, his family was supposed to leave for Croatia and then from there to Italy. From the perspective of a child, the life they have built in their hometown is all they know, and saying goodbye to their loved ones is a crucial moment.
Marko had gone to say one last farewell to his friends and grandmother, when a grenade was fired by Serb forces and killed him. “He died in the hands of his friends with whom he was saying his goodbyes a few minutes before,” noted Miroslav, taking a deep breath on camera.
Having been about to embark on a better future in a new safe haven, the tragedy resulted in their  family never moving to Italy. “That’s something I am actually proud of,” Miroslav asserted to the interviewer confidently as he held back a tear. As he recalls this painful memory, Miroslav’s eyebrows are both raised, conveying an underlying tension and inner turmoil that threaten to overwhelm him at any point. The viewer finds themselves immersed in his vulnerability, as we witness the emotional toll the siege has had on children like Miroslav.
Kemal Karić was a baby during the Siege of Sarajevo. As his mother was heading for shelter, a shell fell behind her. The shrapnel killed her, while baby Kemal, whom she held tightly in her arms, survived. Kemal lost his leg, making him the youngest civilian to be wounded in the siege.
Although Kemal did not have a carefree childhood, he can hardly remember the 13 surgeries he had to endure because of the injuries he suffered on the day his mother died. What he does remember are the insecurities he experienced about his physical appearance growing up. Like every child, Kemal wanted to belong. “I didn’t want to tell anyone that I didn’t have a leg. I wanted to be like other children,” Kemal said to the camera. Now that he is older, he says he “overcame that fear” and is no longer insecure and ashamed to share his story with anyone. He now sees missing his leg and his mother as a part of him. “I don’t mind approaching a girl, saying I’m Kemal, I’ve lost my leg, I don’t have a mother because of the war.”
Whilst watching the film, the viewer cannot help but sympathize with Kemal as he recounts his childhood insecurities and his desire to belong. His journey to self-acceptance and overcoming those insecurities is a testament to his fortitude and courage. It is striking how he has embraced his physical differences and turned them into a source of strength rather than shame.
Most of us remember vividly our early interactions with our parents. For Kemal, they are missing. “I don’t remember a hug, I don’t remember anything. I have absolutely nothing from her…” Kemal says, while looking away from the camera. Despite her physical absence, he does feel his mother’s presence and parental advice during his daily life: “When things are hardest for me, it’s like she’s pushing me forward […] I’m sure she’s watching from above.” The absence of his mother’s physical presence is palpable in Kemal’s story, but the profound impact she has had on his life is undeniable. His goal is to honor his mother’s memory by becoming the man she would have been proud of, even though he never got the chance to know her. Kemal’s desire to make his family proud will resonate with many young adults navigating independence. Despite this similarity, Kemal’s journey is shaped by the trauma of war, which robbed him of his mother, setting it apart from the paths of his peers. His unwavering faith in her spiritual guidance and his determination to make her proud reflect the enduring bond between a mother and child that seems to transcend even death. While the scars of his childhood will remain with him, the viewer is struck by Kemal’s positive outlook. “I think she is happy with what I have achieved,” he concludes hopefully.
“Djeca Sarajeva” makes clear to the viewer that there were many children in Sarajevo who had an extremely direct and violent encounter with death. Like Miroslav and Kemal, Muhamed Kapetanović experienced it firsthand. He tells us how a sunny day of fleeting joy soon turned into a nightmare. “On the day that I was wounded, on the 22nd of January 1994, we had snow, but it was a sunny day, so we went out. […] At some point a grenade fell behind our backs.”
While Muhamed was one of the direct victims of the bombing, his parents have their own painful memories of that day. Hamed, his father, was returning from work when the first grenade landed. A man offered his car to transport the wounded and Hamed climbed in with him. Six children died that day, including two sisters, whom Hamed tried to help. “What got buried in my memory is, the driver said not to take the children who were massacred and dying, but to take those with a chance of being saved,” Hamed tells us, as he recreates the scene with his hands and shakes his head with profound sadness. Hamed’s message comes through loud and clear to the viewer. In war, there is no time, energy or resources to care for everyone, no room for real mourning.
Hamed and his son, Muhamed, tell us, not only with words but also with their body language, how much they suffered during the days of the siege. “At the beginning of the war we did not understand what the grenades were, what the dangers were,” Muhamed says while he takes a deep breath. It is that contrast between the innocence of children and war’s brutality, which the documentary “Djeca Sarajeva” portrays. Children who believed in the possibility of a peaceful day to go out and play, instead, found death and mourning. Part of that mourning has evolved into the search for justice. For Muhamed, this means justice for himself and for his friends who did not survive. That is why Muhamed accepted the Hague Tribunal’s invitation to testify in the cases against Stanislav Galić and Ratko Mladić. “I am very proud that he was brave enough to go to the Hague and to document what happened to him. Not only to him but to his friends, neighbors,” Hamed stated.
“Djeca Sarajeva” is not only a story about the past, but the living history of what life means today for all those victims of the Siege of Sarajevo. Muhamed, now 39 years old, still questions what can lead a person to organize aggression against civilians. “You always wonder […]  How can one do it without their consciousness eating them alive?” Muhamed questions himself, as he clears his throat and recalls the trial at the Hague.
He remembers with particular sadness his friend Danijel. “Whenever I see his mother, I always remember Danijel. I always think about what he could have become in life. You simply cannot get over the fact that someone took him, killed him.”
“Try explaining to a child that he cannot go outside,” exclaims Barbara Jurenić, mother of Danijel Jurenić. Throughout the siege, Barbara was concerned for the safety of her children: “If I heard a bullet fired, that was a sign for me not to let the kids go out.” But Barbara recalls 22 January as being especially peaceful, emphasizing the absence of warning signs. On that unassuming day in 1994, her 11-year-old son Danijel, along with five other children, were killed by shelling while sledding near their homes.
When the shells were heard, Barbara ran outside amidst falling shrapnel and grenades to find her son. Among  the smoke and sounds of children crying, she found Danijel lying face down, dead in the snow. To this day, Danijel’s memory lives on through Barbara who says there is no day that goes by where she doesn’t think of him and the horrors that occurred on that January day.
A mother’s love knows no bounds. Barbara’s bravery is testament to that. What strikes the viewer is how she placed aside her own safety in an effort to save her sons. Her remarkable display of bravery is something no parent should ever have to exhibit. Stories like that of Danijel and the other murdered children shared in “Djeca Sarajeva” illustrate the indiscriminate nature of war’s brutality. Viewers are left with the feeling that the killings impact ordinary citizens  akin to ourselves,  like Barbara, Muhamed, Hamed and Mula Kapetanović, Miroslav and Marko Lukić, Kemal and Adela Karić, and countless others.
Even in the midst of conflict, children are still children – no child anywhere should even have to bear the  burden of war. Nor should their parents have to worry about their child losing their life to shelling when their child is simply being a child. “Djeca Sarajevo” is a documentary that brings home the contrast between childhood and war, making it a necessary watch for all.


text:
Civil and International Organisations Must Collaborate: Takeaways from the PCRC’s Atrocity Prevention Conference | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
May 10th, 2024
Genocide denial and revisionism continue to hinder reconciliation in the Western Balkans. This is despite ongoing efforts from civil society and the international community. To counter this trend, joint action by representatives of civil society and the international community is necessary to build a sustainable system for atrocity prevention and reckoning with the past.
This was one of the conclusions of the PCRC’s panel discussion last month in Podgorica, Montenegro, entitled “Civil Society & Prevention – Tackling Increased Denial and Revisionism”. The panel was held as part of the regional conference “Building a Common Agenda for Prevention in the Western Balkans”.
In her video message to the conference, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the United Nations (UN) Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, emphasized that the “burden of unaddressed legacies of past crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity remains very significant. It has been politicized and misused for political gains, undermining peace and reconciliation and undermining efforts for preventing the recurrence of these crimes.”
Genocide Denial and Accountability
Nderitu highlighted the crucial role of civil society in conflict prevention in the Western Balkans, stating that her office will support the implementation of a common prevention agenda in the region. She also condemned the ongoing denial of the July 1995 genocide in Srebrenica.
“Denial or distorting the facts of the Srebrenica genocide in the same way as denial or distortion of the facts of the Holocaust or the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda constitutes an indicator of risk for the Commission of Genocide […] This is a key role you have as representatives of civil society, including in many cases, as representatives of the victims and survivors themselves. Together, you’ve been at the forefront of advocating and promoting accountability and of supporting reconciliation, memorialization, and remembrance,” said Nderitu.
Moderating the “Civil Society & Prevention” panel on behalf of Impunity Watch, a Dutch non-profit organisation working with victims of violence, was Professor Thomas Unger. Unger stressed that today revisionism and the glorification of war criminals in the region are stronger than ever. He noted that there are no boundaries to such glorification, and that these phenomena are visible in all spheres: political, intellectual, and in broader society.
“There is more radicalization, and more hatred, which is very concerning,” Unger said. He added that the power of counterbalances, traditionally offered by civil society, is decreasing, which has benefitted those in power.
Sonja Biserko, President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia, spoke about the importance of facing the past, especially in Serbia.
“I think that Serbia is the main obstruction of  regional reconciliation, because after all, Serbia generated all these wars, which is not acknowledged.” Biserko added that “the construction of one’s identity [in Serbia] is seemingly based on denial and a misinterpretation of the 1990s wars.”
According to Biserko, the issue of denial and revisionism was not only faced in the nineties but throughout the twenty first century. She warned about the risk of geopolitical conflict in the region, with Russia as a key player. The Russian government has and continues to support Belgrade’s interpretation of the Yugoslav Wars. “Russia uses the Kosovo issue as the main argument in keeping this sort of position because of their own interest,” added Biserko.
In her conclusion, Biserko emphasized the need for a comprehensive analysis of social structures, including the educational system, media, and the church, to understand the causes of conflict and to build lasting stability. She called for broader societal responsibility, not just from political elites, in the reconciliation process and the building of democratic values. She also stressed       the need to explain to young people why wars have occurred and how they unfolded.
Important Role of the Media
Dunja Mijatović, former Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, explained the role of the media in fomenting hatred in the build-up and during the 1990s wars.
“Media was instrumentalized to create fear. People are not aware of the consequences of words and how language impacts people,” said Mijatović. She added that there is a lack of interest in topics related to war crimes in the media today.
Mijatović stressed that the rehabilitation of convicted war criminals should not be an excuse for spreading hatred and denying crimes. As she said during the conference, the lack of societal reaction to such phenomena is a serious problem. The former Commissioner for Human Rights also warned of the lack of support for independent media in the Western Balkans, which further complicates media freedom and the dissemination of factual reporting.
Nataša Kandić from the Humanitarian Law Center in Serbia echoed Mijatović’s points. “The role of the media is crucial. Without the media, our civil societies are without significant results.”
Alongside media support, political engagement from the European Union is also needed. In response to talks of a lack of EU support, Kandić called for a discussion on the EU’s role in transitional justice in the region.
Nderitu encouraged the use of UN recommendations for the protection of victims and preservation of memory as a means to advocate for accountability. She emphasized the importance of collaborative work between civil society and regional initiatives in conflict prevention, with the hope that their efforts will contribute to the development of a common prevention plan in the region.
Ahmed Kulanić, Director of the Sarajevo Memorial Center, addressed the need for educational initiatives to inform the post-war generation about the impact of conflict and the importance of transitional justice. Kulanić contextualized this issue within the challenges faced by peacebuilding organizations in BiH. Namely, at a cantonal level, a fragile and often corrupt political infrastructure poses obstacles to change.
Kulanić emphasized that many monuments are built with the aim of influencing uninformed audiences. He spoke about Prijedor, where the Trnopolje camp was located. Trnopolje was a concentration camp set up by Bosnian Serb forces in 1992. It was a site of mass incarceration, torture and killings targeted at its Bosnian Muslim and Croat prisoners.
“In that war detention camp, there is one building, the extension of the building through the former market. In the main building, veterans of the Army of the Republika Srpska have their offices. The extension is given to the victims or former detainees of Trnopolje, but it’s a very, very small space. And in front of that one there is the memorial for the members of the Army of the Republika Srpska within the war detention camp. And this is the picture when we speak about Bosnia,” explained Kulanić.
He emphasized the importance of transforming war detention camps into memorial centers to dignify the victims and enable the education of future generations.
Kandić from Serbia’s Humanitarian Law Center echoed the need for cooperation with education. She emphasized that young people in the region continue to consider convicted war criminals as heroes, as those who protected the Serbian people.
With all this said, the conference concluded that collaborative efforts between the media, civil society organizations, and the international community are crucial in the pursuit of transitional justice, reckoning with the past and atrocity prevention in the Western Balkans. The regional conference “Building a Common Agenda for Prevention in the Western Balkans” was organized by the Post-Conflict Research Center in collaboration with Impunity Watch, and the Western Balkans Coalition for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Crimes Prevention (CGMAP), which was established in collaboration with the UN Office on Genocide Prevention.
__________________________
This article is a product of the regional conference on atrocity prevention organized by Post-Conflict Research Center, Impunity Watch and the the Western Balkans Coalition for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Crimes Prevention in March 2024 in Podgorica, Montenegro. The conference was made possible through the support from the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, European Union in BiH and UNDP BiH (within the EU Support to Confidence Building in the Western Balkans program).

source: news-balkandiskurs

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Balkan Diskurs


text:
Reparations for Victims: Takeaways From the PCRC’s Atrocity Prevention Conference | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
May 13th, 2024
The survivors of the 1990s Yugoslav Wars are central to peacebuilding. Their testimonies serve as a reminder of the broken imperative, “never again”. Recognizing their rights includes reparations. Reparations are crucial for reconciliation and the prevention of recurring atrocities. Moreover, reparations will allow post-conflict societies to pull out the marginalization of war survivors from its roots.
This was the stance presented by civil representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, and international institutions, at the PCRC’s regional conference, “Building a Common Agenda for Prevention in the Western Balkans”, held in March. The panel, “Victims and Reparations: A Grassroots Perspective”, dealt specifically with this issue. Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), stated via video message that victims, as witnesses, have played a crucial role before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the Mechanism. “Their stories are testaments to the resilience of the human spirit and also serve as reminders of the imperative of never again.”
Santana added, “It is encouraging to observe that the right of victims of international crimes to claim reparations has now been more widely recognized. A number of courts and tribunals set up after the ICTY incorporate related principles and procedures in their legal frameworks, seeking to provide victims with a means of redress for the harms they have suffered.”
“There is a push for similar developments within the domestic sphere,” she concluded.
Reparations: an Imperfect Struggle
Selma Korjenić from TRIAL International BiH emphasized the importance of involving war crimes victims in the decision-making process that drives reparations and transitional justice. She reminded the conference that “civil society, victim’s associations and victims have had to engage in advocating, capacity-building and awareness-raising in all those steps that have led us later to some kind of measures of reparations.”
She highlighted the role of the international community in supporting the process of justice and reparations, citing the example of an increased prosecution of cases of sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the issue became a global priority. Korjenić emphasized that concrete results have been achieved, such as the adoption of Law on the rights of torture victims in the entity of the Republika Srpska.
This law regulates the conditions and procedure for the recognition of the status and rights of victims of war torture as a special category of civilian victims of war, as well as the rights based on their established status. It also regulates the way their rights are realized, how to secure funds for the realization of these rights, and other issues of importance for the recognition of the status and rights according to this law.
Daliborka Uljarević from the Center for Civic Education (CCE) in Montenegro believes that reparations are a powerful mechanism for addressing historical injustice. She explained that reparations promote reconciliation by acknowledging the suffering of victims.
“Talking about reparations comes as something completely alien, not only to the politicians who are creating this climate of uncertainty, but also, we are lacking a support of citizens to push for these things, to try to actually compensate at least some of the parts of the justice that the victims have not been receiving,” Uljarević stated.
Bekim Blakaj from the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) Kosovo stated that the role of civil society in the transitional justice process is limited as regards reparations. He pointed out the ongoing issues with laws on the status and rights of victims which discriminate against civilian war victims (in favor of military victims). He adds that memorials in Kosovo often are not inclusive of all victims and do not provide an adequate narrative about past events.
He emphasized the need for a fairer approach to reparations, which would include a judicial component. “When it comes to monetary compensations, like loans, in Kosovo, unfortunately, all of them are administrative reparations. There is no single case when a court has awarded a reparation for victims.” An administrative reparation is an out-of-court process by states to provide compensation to mass numbers of victims of human rights violations.
Polarized Societies and Societal Change
The panel’s interlocutors agreed that Western Balkan societies are increasingly polarized.
Uljarević turned the conference’s attention to Montenegro, where she argued there is a systemic neglect of the issue of polarization: “What we are witnessing in the last couple of years is actually a regression.”
Branko Ćulibrk from the Youth Center KVART in Bosnia and Herzegovina believes that changes in society must come from the citizens themselves.
“Our role is to advocate for solidarity and the visibility of victims, without criticizing political structures that could marginalize us,” stated Ćulibrk, emphasizing the importance of working with youth.
According to Ćulibrk, addressing the issues of the past is crucial for achieving the desired social changes. KVART focuses on working with young people but recognizes the necessity of involving the wider local community to change social frameworks regarding the past.
Meanwhile, Marlies Stappers from Impunity Watch, who moderated the panel, “Victims and Reparations: A Grassroots Perspective”, highlighted that we cannot talk about significant reparations without the recognition of crimes.
“Justice means that there is acknowledgment, that there is recognition, and as long as that is not there, it’s very difficult for victims to heal,” Stappers stressed.
Stappers reiterated the general consensus of the panel: that reparations are key to preventing the repetition of crimes and will contribute to the fight against the marginalization of atrocity survivors.
____________________________________


text:
Building a Common Narrative Amid Intergenerational Trauma: Takeaways From the Atrocity Prevention Conference | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
May 17th, 2024
Healing from the past in the Western Balkans requires building a common narrative of the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s. Key tools to help achieve this include education and the proper addressing of intergenerational trauma. 25 years after the final guns fell silent in Kosovo, this goal is yet to be fully realized.
The issue of intergenerational trauma and its role in processing the past was addressed in the panel discussion entitled “Healing (From) the Past: Psychosocial Support and Education”. The panel took place as part of the regional conference, “Building a Common Agenda for Prevention in the Western Balkans”, held on March 21st and 22nd in Podgorica, Montenegro.
The conference was organized by the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) and the Western Balkans Coalition for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Crimes Prevention (CGMAP), in cooperation with Impunity Watch. Conference participants included representatives of civil society from the entire region, human rights defenders, activists, members of the CGMAP, as well as representatives of international organizations.
The panel was moderated by Kate Ferguson, from the UK-based charity, Protection Approaches.
Jasna Zečević, Director of the women’s rehabilitation center Viva Žene Tuzla, spoke on the subject. “If we don’t heal the trauma, we can’t be healed from the past. But can we truly heal the past? We cannot be healed from the past because the past is something that is part of us. So the question is how we accept it. And the problem is how we accept it.” Viva Žene Tuzla is an organization that has been working with women survivors of war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1994.
According to Zečević, discussions about the past that remain within the confines of the family home, which is most often the case, keep people in a vicious circle. Therefore, she believes that in order to confront the past, broader social and political engagement is needed.
Margareta Blažević from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) Croatia highlighted a significant challenge in the processing of the 1990s wars among young people. Namely, intergenerational trauma often distorts fact. She explained that the work of the YIHR is focused on identifying and addressing two key challenges stemming from the lack of awareness among young people about the 1990s war. Those are: the role of the Republic of Croatia in the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995) and the war in Croatia itself (1991-1995).
“We notice that young people often get information from their families, which is a very nice example of transgenerational transmission of not only trauma but also narratives,” said Blažević. She added that “In our efforts to educate the youth on what actually happened, we employ various methodological approaches, involving the youth in transitional justice processes and encouraging young people to self organize.”
The importance of a responsible confrontation with the past was also emphasized by Velma Šarić, President and Founder of the PCRC. She explained that this is not possible without integrating peace education into official curricula.
Over the last eight years, the PCRC has been collaborating with teachers and educators from the region and beyond on an educational manual, “Holocaust and Peace – Lessons From the Past for the Future”. The manual includes peace education curricula, as highlighted by PCRC president, Šarić.
“Last year, we managed to integrate the “Holocaust and Peace – Lessons From the Past for the Future” manual into the curriculum in schools in the Sarajevo Canton area. For the first time in history, 100,000 young people will learn about peace through various modules covered in the manual,” added Šarić.
It’s important to provide young people with a wide range of perspectives, stated Šarić, in order to enable them to independently assess events from the past and develop their own critical stance. “An open and inclusive approach to education about the past can empower young people to become active citizens who promote understanding and peace. Their role in society is not only to inherit from us but also to shape the future they want to see,” Šarić stated.
The integration of the PCRC’s education manual represents a significant milestone in the path towards a better understanding of peace and conflict prevention.
Jasmina Lazović from the cultural foundation Heartefact Serbia spoke about the importance of cultural initiatives in raising awareness and supporting young people in processing trauma. According to her, artistic works can not only initiate discussions about the past but also encourage people to put themselves in the shoes of the ‘other’.
Meanwhile, Prevention Approaches representative and panel moderator, Kate Ferguson, highlighted the impact Western Balkan civil society organizations have had on peacebuilding.  “One of the extraordinary contributions that I think the Western Balkans civil society ethos and experience has given the world is this understanding of the importance of trauma and of human-centered, victim-centered responses,” said Ferguson. This regional movement has been mostly led by women, in response to the unimaginable violence that unfolded in the Western Balkans 30 years ago.
The panel underscored the critical need for a unified approach to addressing intergenerational trauma and distorted narratives stemming from the Yugoslav Wars. Through education, psychosocial support, and cultural initiatives, efforts are being made to confront the past responsibly and foster a shared understanding of history in the Western Balkans. The integration of peace education into official curricula marks a significant step forward, empowering young people to critically engage with their past and shape a future founded on understanding and peace. As civil society organizations continue to lead the way in healing and reconciliation, the region stands poised to forge a path towards collective healing and the prevention of future atrocities.
____________________________________


text:
Fifth Srebrenica Youth School: Local Narratives and Global Challenges of Genocide Prevention and Peacebuilding | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
May 20th, 2024
This July, as part of the program marking the 29th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, in cooperation with the Srebrenica Memorial Center, the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) is organizing the fifth edition of the Srebrenica Youth School in Srebrenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina), from July 7 – 12.
Srebrenica Youth School is a week-long educational event organized every July since 2020 at the Srebrenica Memorial Center for youth activists, artists, and students (ages 18 – 30) from the Western Balkan countries and the world. By engaging youth in a series of masterclasses, keynote speeches, and workshops, the school aims to contribute to learning and critical thinking around the subjects of dealing with the past, transitional justice, and prevention of genocides and mass atrocities.
Srebrenica Youth School presents a new curriculum for discussing the prevention of violence and memorialization of the violent past by exposing youth to local narratives through a global lens and master classes by experts from notable universities such as Stockholm University, Columbia University, University of Salzburg, University of Sarajevo, University of Novi Sad, London College of Communication, RMIT University Melbourne, and Manhattan College.
Lamija from Mostar, one of last year’s participants in the Srebrenica Youth School, highlighted the fact that the school not only provides a valuable educational opportunity but also the opportunity to meet new people.
“I applied, first of all, because I thought that as a Bosnian, I need to learn more about these things, even at 19 years old.” When asked what about the program made the greatest impression on her, she replied that it was “being surrounded by people from different backgrounds. I was just very inspired and motivated by them in a way.”
School participants will have the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the work of the Srebrenica Memorial Center and join in the Peace March for the last several kilometers before Potočari.
Throughout the school, the participants will be accommodated at the Ensemble House, organized by The House of Good Tones Foundation and Emmaus Foundation. They will also have the chance to visit the House of Good Tones, a local organization dedicated to providing children and young people in Srebrenica access to quality educational, cultural, and entertainment resources.
allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox">
According to the general manager of the House of Good Tones, Ismar Porić: ‘‘There is no better place than Srebrenica to create ways to build peace and learn about human rights and democracy. Srebrenica is a beautiful city with rich natural resources and a heavy historical burden.’’
Participants of this year’s School will have the opportunity to learn from local and international experts on peacebuilding and genocide prevention, such as David Simon, director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University, Melanie Cammett, director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Dino Abazović, sociologist and professor at the University of Sarajevo, and Emir Suljagić, director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center.
Applications for the fifth Srebrenica Youth School are open from May 20 to June 20, 2024 to young people (18 – 30 years old) everywhere. Selected participants are expected to fully attend the program. If you are interested in participating, fill out the form you can find here and send it to [email protected].
The costs of accommodation, transportation, food, and materials for selected participants (citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia) will be covered by the organizers. Selected international participants are expected to cover their transportation costs to Srebrenica and pay a 200 € fee for accommodation, food, and materials. The deadline for applying is June 20, 2024. Applications will be considered as they are received, and applicants will be accepted until we reach the maximum number of 50 participants.


text:
Returning Distorted Narratives on Social Media: Takeaways from the PCRC’s Atrocity Prevention Conference | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
May 20th, 2024
Digital platforms pose huge challenges to reckoning with the past in the Balkans. Experts in transitional justice from the former Yugoslavia sounded the alarm at the Post Conflict Research Center (PCRC)’s conference on atrocity prevention “Building a Common Agenda for Prevention in the Western Balkans”. Their alarm, expressed in the conference held on 21-22 March in Podgorica, Montenegro, was concerned with the issue of genocide denial and distorted narratives on social media.
Sofija Todorović, Director of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) Serbia, emphasized the need to adapt informational content that will be attractive and consumed on social media, especially as different countries offer different content.
“For example, in Serbia, when you browse the truth about Srebrenica and you click enter, the first 20 searches you will get will be very obscure things about genocide, including denialist websites. But when you do it in Bosnia, in Sarajevo you will get a completely different result. And these are the things that we really have to think about,” explained Todorović, adding that civil society organizations need to be creative in order for content to reach different audiences.
In her speech, she highlighted that the biggest challenge for civil society organizations comes when trying to present complex information in a short, simple manner. Todorović told the conference that this instinct can ultimately be a trap. Some facts can be easily communicated in bitesize content, such as statistics and very short statements, while more complex issues surrounding conflict require context.
As well as trying to counter the spread of misinformation and extremism, civil society organizations are also facing the challenge of educating users about algorithms and their impact on the content we consume, explained Todorović.
“If we think in the long run and leave our content on social media, then we had better find ways to address more layers of conflicts and victims from different sides, because people out there will just not get it and their only reaction will be gut reaction,” says Vesna Teršelić from Documenta – Center for Dealing with the Past in Croatia.
She explained the importance of content addressing multiple layers of conflicts as well as victims from different communities. This will, according to Teršelić, help combat misinformation and emotional reactions to content, rooted in oversimplified narratives. By minimizing such reactions, organizations would therefore be mitigating the risk of hate speech.
YIHR Serbia’s Todorović discussed the example of  Serbia, where there is a mono-ethnic culture of memory, with militarism and the glorification of war criminals omnipresent in society. She said The Hague’s 2023 reversal of acquittals in the trial of Serbia’s former Head of Security, Jovica Stanišić, and former State Security official, Franko Simatović, was a watershed moment for Serbian society.
Addressing Low Media Literacy and Hate Speech
During the panel discussion, Mirza Avdić from the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN), Bosnia and Herzegovina, expressed alarm at the low media literacy rate in Western Balkan society. Namely, what this means for identifying and responding to hate speech. He referred to the Reporting Diversity Network project (2020), which focuses on monitoring online hate speech in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
“In the last 20 months, we have noticed that we have 97 hate speech narratives in our online media in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Different types of hate speech through different mediums such as TV, websites, online publications and social media.  Hate speech was mostly directed towards the topic of gender and ethnicity and also towards the migrant population. We noticed that the main actors in these narrative speeches are political leaders, key decision-makers and influencers,” said Avdić.
The concerns expressed by other panel interlocutors about  navigating distorted narratives while  addressing transitional justice go hand in hand with Avdić’s call for improved media literacy. .
Avdić emphasized, “Media literacy is something that we need to improve, especially among younger generations, who are still looking for their place in the media space.”
Furthermore, he links the prevalence of hate speech to low media literacy, suggesting that individuals may lack the critical thinking skills necessary to discern and reject hateful content online.
In conclusion, the panel underscored the urgent need to address low media literacy and combat hate speech in the Western Balkans. Speakers emphasized the need for targeted efforts to educate both journalists and the wider public on navigating complex narratives and identifying misinformation online. Social media demands brevity and simplicity, posing challenges to those seeking to convey nuanced topics.  Therefore, simply providing information on social media may not lead to genuine understanding. By prioritizing media literacy initiatives and fostering critical thinking skills, stakeholders can work towards creating a more informed and inclusive digital landscape that guards against the spread of harmful narratives and promotes dialogue and understanding.
____________________________________


text:
Bosnian-Herzegovinian Identity and a Unique Story Woven into Kilims | Balkan Diskurs
Ramo Tučić
May 22nd, 2024
In the past, woven kilims and other handicraft carpets were a reflection of a family’s reputation. The more skilled young women were in handcrafts, the wealthier the household. Today, however, things are different.
Traditional Bosnian carpet making is on the verge of being forgotten, despite having been a refuge and form of occupational therapy for some during and after the war. Every Bosnian carpet (ćilim/kilim) tells a story, interwoven with love and respect for tradition.
The BosFam Association brings together women, most of whom are from the Podrinje region and were displaced by the war and genocide to Tuzla, where they found peace in making kilims. These women told their stories with wool thread as they waited and hoped for their loved ones to return from Srebrenica and other parts of the region.
“At that time, schools in Tuzla had been turned into refugee centers and were full of women and children. Bosnian women aren’t accustomed to sitting still. Aware that women from that part of the country are skilled in handicrafts, I thought it would be good to bring them together and divert their thoughts to some extent,” said Munira Beba Hadžić, president of the BosFam Association.
Instead of relying on traditional Bosnian carpet motifs like gugutka and kornjača, BosFam members created original designs, incorporating parts of themselves into the carpets. The first 15 kilims bear the names of their creators—Nura, Esma, Muniba, Fatima, and others.
Hadžić says that well-made carpets can last up to 300 years. Given that carpets can last for generations, the women crafted a memorial carpet in memory of all the victims of the Srebrenica genocide.
“After we’re gone, we want the carpets to continue to tell stories and preserve the memories of the genocide victims,” explained Hadžić, noting that they wove 20 names into the first carpet of loved ones who disappeared in Srebrenica.
Among their other creations, Hadžić, a teacher, highlighted a carpet bearing the names of 25 fellow educators who were killed in the genocide, as well as carpets dedicated to the killed youth, victims’ families, women, and victims from Bratunac. All of the carpets were donated to the Memorial Center in Potočari and are now part of a permanent exhibition.
Nevertheless, Hadžić worries that there may be no one to continue the story and carry on the tradition of carpet weaving, which is being suffocated by a lack of institutional support. Questioning the state’s priorities, she emphasizes that supporting carpet weaving is definitely not among them.
“It’s easier to get funding for a conference than for employing women and preserving tradition,” Hadžić remarked.
Two Months to Make One Carpet
The process of making a carpet begins with preparing the wool, which is dyed, followed by setting up the base on the loom. Threads are formed through which colored wool is threaded, using a pattern of even and odd numbers. After that, the wool is compacted, and when they want to change the color of the wool, they cut the thread and continue with another color. At the end of the weaving, the carpet is shaved.
Hadžić notes that carpet weaving requires talent, and a skilled weaver is one who can weave with both hands. “A good weaver needs about two months to make a carpet,” said Hadžić.
Fusing the Contemporary and the Traditional
The Bosnian carpet is claimed by many. The Sarajevo Film Festival has been leading the struggle to preserve this tradition and since 2019, has replaced the typical red carpet with one inspired by Sarajevo carpets dating back to 1930. In this way, they manage to achieve a blend of the traditional and contemporary, demonstrating respect and love for this heritage.
The effort to safeguard this tradition among youth is exemplified by Emir Avdić from Dubrava near Tuzla, who preserves tradition with novel methods. In the process of making carpets, he employs a modern tufting method, pressing wool onto canvas with a specific tool or tufting gun.
“I know how much kilim-making really nurtures tradition. Recognizing the importance that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers placed on the handmade production of all household items, especially kilims, I realized I can make carpets with traditional kilim motifs this way,” explained Avdić, who is among the few young people committed to this craft.
The president of BosFam believes that young people are increasingly less interested in continuing the tradition of Bosnian carpet making. “It isn’t attractive to young people, it’s not instant gratification.  If we had a little more support from the authorities, perhaps there would be more interest,” said Hadžić, emphasizing the need to preserve this tradition, which she grew up with, and believes the younger generation should inherit.

author: Ramo Tučić


text:
Alumni | Balkan Diskurs
36


text: Republication Guidelines | Balkan Diskurs


text:
Map | Balkan Diskurs
ArticlesArt & Culture

author: ArticlesArt & Culture


text:
Authors | Balkan Diskurs
69, 36, 23, 14, 14, 12, 12, 11, 11, 9, 8, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1


text:
Blog | Balkan Diskurs
Mirnes Bakija
January 27th, 2021

created: January 27th, 2021

author: Mirnes Bakija


text: Hidden | Balkan Diskurs


text: Contact | Balkan Diskurs


text: About Us | Balkan Diskurs


text: Our Team | Balkan Diskurs


text: Sponsors and Partners | Balkan Diskurs


text: What is Balkan Diskurs? | Balkan Diskurs


text: Projects | Balkan Diskurs


text: Fight against gender-based violence | Balkan Diskurs


text: #EmployMe | Balkan Diskurs


text: Klima bez Dima | Balkan Diskurs


text: A Step Together | Balkan Diskurs


text: Team Brčko | Balkan Diskurs


text: Team Bugojno | Balkan Diskurs


text: Team Bužim | Balkan Diskurs


text: Team Foča | Balkan Diskurs


text: Team Istočno Sarajevo | Balkan Diskurs


text: Team Novi grad Sarajevo | Balkan Diskurs


text: Team Tuzla | Balkan Diskurs


text: Team Zavidovići | Balkan Diskurs


text: Team Zenica | Balkan Diskurs


text: #OrdinaryHeroes | Balkan Diskurs


text: Youth Academy ”State of Peace” | Balkan Diskurs


text: The Love Tales | Balkan Diskurs


text: Real Voice of Journalism | Balkan Diskurs


text: Western Balkans for Change | Balkan Diskurs


text: #BalanceIsKey | Balkan Diskurs


text: #YouthIRC | Balkan Diskurs


text: #YouthRules | Balkan Diskurs


text: #KrajinaYouthClubs | Balkan Diskurs


text: Women in Small Businesses | Balkan Diskurs


text: Training | Balkan Diskurs


text: Get Involved | Balkan Diskurs


text: Kontakt | Balkan Diskurs


text: O nama | Balkan Diskurs


text: Naš tim | Balkan Diskurs


text: Sponzori i partneri | Balkan Diskurs


text: Šta je Balkan diskurs? | Balkan Diskurs


text: Projekti | Balkan Diskurs


text: Borba protiv rodno zasnovanog nasilja | Balkan Diskurs


text: #EmployMe | Balkan Diskurs


text: Klima bez dima | Balkan Diskurs


text: Koračamo zajedno | Balkan Diskurs


text: Tim Brčko | Balkan Diskurs


text: Tim Bugojno | Balkan Diskurs


text: Tim Bužim | Balkan Diskurs


text: Tim Foča | Balkan Diskurs


text: Tim Istočno Sarajevo | Balkan Diskurs


text: Tim Novi Grad Sarajevo | Balkan Diskurs


text: Tim Tuzla | Balkan Diskurs


text: Tim Zavidovići | Balkan Diskurs


text: Tim Zenica | Balkan Diskurs


text: #ObičniHeroji | Balkan Diskurs


text: Omladinska akademija „Stanje mira” | Balkan Diskurs


text: Priče o ljubavi | Balkan Diskurs


text: Stvarni glas novinarstva | Balkan Diskurs


text: Zapadni Balkan za promjene | Balkan Diskurs


text: #BalansJeKljuc | Balkan Diskurs


text: #MladiMRV | Balkan Diskurs


text: #MladiSuZakon | Balkan Diskurs


text: #OmladinskiKluboviKrajina | Balkan Diskurs


text: Žene u malim biznisima | Balkan Diskurs


text: XML Sitemap


text: test | Balkan Diskurs


text: Trening | Balkan Diskurs


text: Uključi se | Balkan Diskurs


text: Predloži temu | Balkan Diskurs


text: Prijedlozi | Balkan Diskurs


text: Pretplati se | Balkan Diskurs