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Discovering the Meaning of Life through Art | Balkan Diskurs
Amila Žunić
March 25th, 2022
A mixed media artist with a special talent for illustration and digital art, his works are exhibited in art galleries, institutions and public spaces around the world, from Sarajevo and Mostar, to Berlin, New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Taiwan. His works Madness Continuous and Depth were selected by the Platform for Contemporary Art and presented in New York’s famous Times Square.
Young artist Rikardo Druškić was born in 1990 in Zagreb and has spent most of his life in Sarajevo. The story of this ‘child of the universe’, as he calls himself – it is an articulation of how he feels inwardly, as well as his internal thirst for knowledge – starts from his high school education there.
“I was a victim of the school system, or the school system was a victim of me. I’m not sure what the exact wording is,” he says, adding that they certainly did not belong together. Precisely because of this conflict with the school system, he flourished in his more mature years. That system, he says, is not only outdated and too formal, but also boring and based heavily on authority.
“It is everything my inner being rejects and demonizes. For me, school, except for socializing, was hell.”
With no tolerance for authority, “Cold War school Rikardo” was born, the epilogue of which is the artistic talent that the whole world now sees.
“It’s a way of escaping the repression of my inner self. That was the easier way out for both warring parties,” says Druškić.
“My inner truth is God, and art is the outer form through which I present my truths,” says Druškić. He adds that these truths may indeed be subjective and personal, but they are often the ones that other people can identify with, so they become common truths.
Over the past years, he has managed to establish himself as one of the most sought-after young artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
Druškić says that art is often elitist and as such scares the common man. According to him, it should be a medium for transmitting a message. But sometimes there can be interference on the line, which needs to be addressed as soon as possible.
“It cannot be solved by thinking that the audience is the problem,” he says.
Druškić says that, from the beginning, he tried to remain modest, and in that way present his art as ordinary, fragile and flawed, but also identifiable and accessible. The many people who identify with his art are the ones who, along with his family, have been his main support from the very first steps he made into the artistic world.
Along with that modesty and support have come recognition for his work. Although his art has toured three continents, Druškić points out that he is most pleased with the recognition of his fellow citizens, because, as he says, it surpasses both his art and him as an artist.
Druškić says that what he does is not recognized in academic circles. It is even sometimes ridiculed, and he is aware that art is not appreciated as it should be. Lacking a formal academic education, this talented artist has nevertheless shown how, in many parts of the world, what he does is valued.
“My success, which comprises multiple domestic and international awards, as well as exhibitions, commissioned murals, and artistic residences, is actually a sign that, no matter how gray our lives may seem, with hard work, dedication, intuition and heart, a man from BiH can rise above that grayness and shine,” he says.
Shining so proudly and strongly restores collective hope to our hearts, at least for a moment.  Druškić also considers one of his greatest successes to be his personal transformation, which is especially appreciated by those who love him the most – his parents.
So Michelangelo used to say. Druškić’s primary medium is painting but he uses a combination of artistic techniques in his work, including drawing and digital processing. On canvas, he uses acrylic and mixed media techniques, and he similarly combines traditional and digital techniques in his illustrations. When it comes to painting murals, he chooses acrylics.
“Technique is important, but the message of the artist is what sets him apart from others and makes him unique,” he points out.
Art Revolution competition in Taipei in 2014 marked a serious beginning for him. At just 24, he was lost, full of emotions, and unable to channel them. During that period, he did not make much art, because life was taking him in other directions. However, the award became the basis for a later transformation, making Rikardo what he is today. Ever since then, he says, he started thinking more seriously about art and himself as an artist.
A number of exhibitions followed, one of which was a solo one in Vienna. He also painted murals that adorned cities in BiH, and exhibited his works in the Sarajevo City Hall. In it, he presented the Awakening of Consciousness series, which he describes as his true “artistic self”.
“The exhibition in the City Hall was a metaphysical experience for me,” he recalls.
The series, he says, was created quickly, intuitively and spontaneously, and the result was the articulation of internal, abstract, long-term, chaotic emotions.
“That exhibition pushed me toward the path of life and since then it has become easier for me. Because exhibiting work in one of the symbols of the city where I grew up is a story unto itself. A full City Hall of people who came to see my work while there was a strong storm outside. It gave my life a deeper meaning,” says Druškić.
Shortly afterwards, he contacted the Balkan Trafik Festival in Brussels, which promotes the culture of Southeast Europe, and this led to the painting of the mural in the center of Brussels and the exhibition in Bozar.
“Those ten days were the best days of my life so far,” he says, adding that it is an incredible feeling to proudly present his country in such a beautiful and positive light.
His message went out into the world, and the mural was opened by Mayor of Brussels, Phillip Close, and Federica Mogherini, then Acting High Representative for the European Union (EU).
Druškić remembers that the earlier years of his life were like a fall, or a limbo, and that life for him had no deeper meaning. There was a darkness there for a long time, but now his feet are firmly on the ground and treading the path that he knows belongs to him.
“Inner meaning is what gives us the strength to move on after all the tragedies,” he says.
A lack of metaphysical foundations, he believes, is what a large part of the postmodernist narrative is reflected in. “This is capitalism we live in – a system that has taught us that the material is the most important aspect of life. It is logical then that our youth is confused,” adds Rikardo Druškić.
He believes that in all young people there is a desire to change the world. The problem arises when it starts from the wrong premise, especially the idea that we need to change others. That premise is both wrong and impossible. To some extent, according to Druškić, a man can only control his own life.
“Working on myself is the essence of everything I do. It is the key to achieving the change of collective consciousness that is needed. However, it should be said that, if we look at life objectively, we live in by far the best moment in the history of mankind,” he explains.
Although many projects that Rikardo was supposed to work on have recently been postponed and even suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he has not stopped. He is especially happy that, as he puts it, the pandemic has had a positive impact on art.
“I have never seen more artistic collaborations and open calls for art. A special feeling can be felt all around art right now, regardless of the topic at hand, and in time that will connect more and more people through shared, universal values,” he states.
“I hope that spirituality and metaphysics will once again enter contemporary, postmodern art. Because, while postmodern art changes and ‘saves’ others, I believe that it should first of all save itself. Without metaphysics, it lacks essence. It is impoverished,” concludes Druškić.

created: March 25th, 2022

author: Amila Žunić


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Peace Festival ’22 - Peace is priceless and we must preserve it | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
March 28th, 2022
During the three-day Peace Festival ‘22 in Vitez in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, young people, activists, and journalists sent a unique message about their desire for life without division and discrimination. As their peers in Ukraine face the horrors of violent aggression, their affirmation of the need to maintain the peace was especially powerful.
“Peace is priceless, and we should all make efforts so that scenarios from the past are not repeated,” said a participant of the Peace Festival ‘22 which was organized by the Post-Conflict Research Center and Balkan Diskurs at the Čardaci Ethno Village.
At Peace Festival ‘22, participants had the opportunity to view the latest artwork, photography, films, and music as well as to exchange views and encourage one another to take the path of peace building by rejecting divisive narratives in BiH and the region.
Alem Bajramović, a participant of Peace Festival ‘22, said that these three days were a unique opportunity for young people from all over BiH to get to know each other, exchange ideas, and work together to build much-needed peace through artistic content.
“This is the first Peace Festival that has been organized and I am very proud to participate and contribute along with my peers to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s becoming a leader of peace processes in the region, but also the world,” said Bajramović.
With the release of blue and yellow balloons, the colors of both the Ukrainian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian flags, the participants of the Peace Festival ‘22 sent a message of support to all Ukrainians who are currently facing the darkest of wartime conditions.
Participants enjoyed the documentaries “Maglaj, War and Peace,” produced by the OSCE Mission to BiH, “The Long Shot” by Al Jazeera Balkans, “Ordinary Heroes” and “Uspomene 677” produced by the Post-Conflict Research Center, as well as the theatrical play “Put po svijetu” by the Vitez City Theater.
Ivana Janko, a Festival participant, said she was most impressed by the films and the play they watched. “Young people learn more and better through visual presentations of things that happened. I will cite the example of the film ‘Ordinary Heroes,’ which very effectively presented the lives of ordinary people who suffered during the war and survived, but also helped each other without any regard for religion and nation,” said Janko.
Fedor Marjanović, a writer and guest at Peace Festival ‘22, said that words are a very powerful tool that can be more deadly than a sword, but can also promote peace as well as war. Examples of the use of words for both purposes in this country, as he said, are too many. However, the more important question is which words are louder and which resonant more with the people.
“Can words lead to change? In short, yes – but it takes time and wise ears ready to listen,” Marjanović said.
Peace Festival ‘22, also featured the opening of the exhibition “On the Margins” by the Post-Conflict Research Center and the OSCE Mission to BiH. The opening was followed by a traditional Roma dance performance by the Roma Center of Vitez. Our participants also had the opportunity to discuss being your own boss with bh influencer Mirza Mustafagić.
The musical program of Peace Festival ‘22 included guest appearances by Mostar Rock School, Vanja Strukar, as well as DJ Forora.
Peace Festival ‘22 was organized in partnership with Al Jeezeera Balkans, Vitez City Youth Theater, and Čardaci Ethno Village, and realized with the support of the Embassy of Slovakia Sarajevo, SlovakAid, OSCE Mission to BiH, Rockefeller Foundation, European Union in BiH, and Sigrid Fund Trust.
The Post-Conflict Research Center is an internationally recognized organization which has received numerous awards for its work on peace building in BiH and the region. The multimedia platform Balkan Diskurs provides an opportunity for young people to express their opinions and write on topics important to Bosnian society. The Peace Festival ‘22 is part of the “Peace Museum” project, which will soon include the annual publication of Mir magazine.

source: news-balkandiskurs

created: March 28th, 2022

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

author: Balkan Diskurs


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Raising awareness of gender-based violence through the media | Balkan Diskurs
Irma Ahmetspahić
March 28th, 2022
Media reports on gender-based violence are most often linked to murders, attempted murders, sexual harassment, and rape. We often see headlines such as ‘Drunk man imprisoned for abusing his wife.’ ‘Pregnant woman threatened and beaten,’ or ‘Woman killed out of jealousy.’ Such news related to gender-based violence can be found in media sources in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and the wider region.
A discussion about the abuse of female students which began in Belgrade initially received widespread attention in regional media and social networks. Over time, however, the discussion dwindled, with little information available about the results of the investigations or lawsuits pertaining to student abuse.
Sanja Siročić, president and project manager of the Croatian human rights association Sofija, said that “unfortunately, in the last two years, there have been cases that have been covered up or supported by the media, but any attempt to sensitize society to the problem of gender-based violence did not stay in the media for long.”
Nikola Vučić is an editor and television host with the N1 news agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the author of the book Critique of Toxic Masculinity. Publicly declaring himself a feminist, he has advocated for women’s rights under the slogan “Women are human too.” The goals of his advocacy include the affirmation of women’s voices and potential, support for the disenfranchised, support for girls’ education, and fighting against sexism and misogyny.
Nikola has also reported on gender-based violence in his show Izvan okvira [“Out of the box”].
“I had an interlocutor, Nermina Banović, from Tuzla, who spoke publicly about her experience going through the hell of domestic violence. Her husband actually seemed to be a very successful man. He was a lawyer with a good reputation in the community. Privately, however, he abused his wife and endangered her freedom, security, and life.” For him, interviewing a woman who had experienced domestic violence was a unique experience. “I looked into the face of a woman who suffered trauma,” recalls Vučić.
Nikola doesn’t believe he is surrounded by journalists who irresponsibly share other people’s experiences. He does emphasize that stories about gender-based violence should be approached sensibly and honestly. He added that it is unacceptable to endanger anyone’s privacy.
Mistakes are often made in the media when reporting on gender-based violence at the expense of sensibility and the survivors. Vučić notes the responsibility of the media – and above all, of media editors – to sanction sensationalist reporting and to warn journalists that there is no place for such reporting on gender-based violence.  However, even if editors allow sensationalist headlines, competent regulatory bodies such as the Press Council should react. “They should encourage the correction of the content and also adequately sanction it,” said Vučić, emphasizing his belief that public services have greater responsibility when it comes to sensitive topics such as gender-based violence. He also believes that media companies with opaque ownership structures tend to sensationalize their reporting more often.
In general, progress is being made in media reporting, but as Siročić explains, “profit is and always has been the main goal of most media houses, and they profit by creating shocking headlines which include details of the violence. Although domestic violence covers a range of crimes and behaviors, we believe that over 90% of articles focus on physical violence and murder.”
Siročić points out that last year’s Gender Equality Index published by the European Institute for Gender Equality ranked Croatia 20th on the list of EU countries in terms of gender equality. With the current score of 57.9 / 100 points, Croatia won’t be able to achieve full equality for another 80 years.
Ljerka Oppenheim, vice president and project coordinator of the Sofija Association, said that they are dedicated to empowering women in all fields through various partnerships. Their activities include social skills workshops, krav-maga training for self-defense and physical health, job interview coaching, and art therapy. “It’s important to us that every woman we work with gets what she needs through a specific and tailored approach,” Oppenheim said.
The Sofija Association is almost entirely financed by the EU, demonstrating the extent of involvement of Croatia’s state institutions in social responsibility. The rest of the association’s funding comes from competitions and the teams’ own efforts. As they explain, institutions have not been involved in the work so far, except as intermediaries for obtaining funds outside the state.
Croatia is a member of the EU, however some associations in non-EU countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina must rely on their own initiatives for funding. Vučić points to the example of safe houses in BiH, which were overcrowded during the pandemic. Isolation measures were introduced, and domestic violence, which took place in isolation at the time, was approached irresponsibly. “Women were forced to stay in their homes with their perpetrators, and that is a great shame for the BiH system,” says Vučić.
Ambassador of the Sofija Association and well-known human rights activist and singer Mirela Priselac, known as Remi, said the media has taken an interest in their projects.
“The media’s role in the empowerment of women depends on the medium. There is a strong conservative current in society that does not think women need ‘empowering.’ The media depends on funding from interest groups or clicks on popular topics, and women’s rights are not the most popular topic,” said Remi.
According to Remi, if after so many years we are still talking about equality, it means that the problem is still unresolved.
“There are solutions to the problem of gender inequality, but they do not suit many – those who are ‘quite fine’ with women being paid less for the same work as men, or women being treated as ‘secondary’ (a favorite term in clerical-fascist circles). They must apologize for their existence and be quiet. Those okay with this situation will say that there is no solution. And I say there is. For a start, let’s look at the bigger picture and finally understand that without gender equality, there will be no progress in society,” says Remi.
She adds that one of their goals is also to raise awareness about violence against men. “Society cannot be healthy if we do not discuss this fact. We will not lie to ourselves that such violence does not happen. And men in these situations need protection and help. Our campaign usually focuses on women, but violence against men should also be discussed without shame,” said Remi.
Remi believes “awareness is just one step in the fight for gender equality with empowerment. We need to become aware of the problem, give it a name, and look at it from all sides so that we can tackle it.  Like the carpentry mantra, ‘Measure thrice, check twice, and cut once.’ Even the youngest generations, like those in kindergarten, should be aware of these situations and learn that it’s not okay to attack a girl. Such conscientious young people will grow into conscientious adults who will not fall into the usual traps.”
Perpetrators do not all appear the same. Successful and highly educated people can also commit violence, while people who advocate positive values in public can be bullies in private life.
Remi defines feminism as “an essential need of every man and woman who wants to create a healthy society, starting with oneself.” When asked if men know what feminism is, she says, “It depends. But some people don’t even know what ‘homo sapiens’ are, so go figure. Guys from my band are feminists, and they say you can know a man by the company he keeps. I surrounded myself with healthy feminists.”
Vučić, who is working on the project “Feminism and Men,” said that in this socio-cultural context and at a time when the conservative wave is sweeping Europe and especially the Balkans, it is necessary to include men in everyday emancipatory policies.
“The claim that feminism exists because men were the founders of patriarchy centuries ago is well-founded. That is, a certain group of men were privileged. The biggest victims of this concept are women, but also men who deviate from societal norms,” Vučić said.
He points out that today there are many women who are deprived of their identities by the patriarchy, especially identities such as worker and academic researcher, because in a patriarchal family environment they are conditioned to dedicate themselves primarily to the role of mother. “And I wonder what the father’s role is and why the patriarchy privileges them and spares them from paternal responsibilities while forcing mothers to assume full responsibility for their children. The patriarchy is unjust. Men who do not meet societal norms are also victims,” explains the author of the book Critique of Toxic Masculinity.
Vučić, like most of those who are informed on this topic, is an advocate of constant formal and informal forms of education as the first step in combating this unjust and long-standing practice.
“I can advocate positive values, equality, warn when I notice a sexist comment in public and point out that it does not belong to the values of civilization and that it should be abandoned,” said Vučić.
The representatives of the Sofija Association believe that media outlets, large and small, have a significant role in raising awareness and encouraging compassion and understanding.

author: Irma Ahmetspahić


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Marking the 30th Anniversary of the Sarajevo Siege | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
March 30th, 2022
The City of Sarajevo, the Information Center of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the Post-Conflict Research Center, the Srebrenica Memorial Center, and the Memory Module invite you to attend the program at the Sarajevo City Hall on April 4th and 5th, 2022, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Sarajevo siege.
The siege of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian capital of Sarajevo was the longest siege in modern history. It began on the night of April 4th, 1992, when the Yugoslav People’s Army occupied Ilidža International Airport, and ended on February 29, 1996. During the siege, as determined by court rulings, the Army of the Republika Srpska conducted a campaign of sniping and shelling with the aim of terrorizing the citizens of Sarajevo. The siege of Sarajevo resulted in the deaths of thousands of men, women, and children of all ages. In addition to those killed during the siege, thousands more were wounded, maimed, and suffered severe trauma, leaving all Sarajevans deeply and permanently scarred.
will open on April 4th at 5 p.m. in the Sarajevo City Hall.
British photographer Paul Lowe captured the daily life of Sarajevo residents during the siege. Thirty years since the violence began, these black and white photographs continue to hold a special power. Like “ghosts from the past,” they show the daily struggle for survival experienced by Sarajevo’s citizens and their indefatigable spirit of resistance.
The author of the exhibition, , is a multi-award-winning photographer who has published his works in Time, News Week, Life, The Observer, and The Sunday Times Magazine. He will address the audience at the exhibition opening, along with Sarajevo Mayor , Director and Founder of the Post-Conflict Research Center, , and Deputy British Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, . Their address will be followed by a special music program and a multi-lingual public reading of selected journalism from the period of the siege.
will be shown on April 4th at 8 p.m. on the outside façade of the Sarajevo City Hall. The projection includes the names and drawings of children killed during the siege of Sarajevo, photos by Velija Hasanbegović, and graphic design by Šejla Bratić.
will begin on April 5th at 12 p.m. with a welcoming speech by the Mayor of Sarajevo,  This will be followed by introductory remarks from the President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts,  Chief Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts,  and Director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center,  .
At 12:45 p.m., there will be a panel discussion on the Sarajevo siege, the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the prosecution of war crimes, with a special focus on the international experience. The discussion will be moderated by photographer and professor from the London School of Communication and will include  Professor  of the Royal College in London, General , former UNPROFOR Commander in Sarajevo, . , former UN Adviser for the Balkans, , representative of the Outreach Program of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Courts, as well as Reuters war-time correspondent  and La Monde war-time correspondent
The conference will feature the ten-minute film “Cultural Resistance,” produced by the Memory Module. The film showcases the unique forms of cultural resistance which characterized the response of citizens to the siege of Sarajevo, as well as the enduring culture of remembrance. At 3 p.m., the audience will be addressed by  , former mayor of Sarajevo and member of the wartime Presidency of BiH,  , Advisor for Culture and Religion to the Jewish Community in BiH, , author of a book on the Sarajevo siege, , the author of a book on the cultural history of BiH, and the actor . The session will be moderated by historian, writer, and director of MESS Festival, .
Sarajevo Mayor  will then speak with the Head of the EU Delegation and Special EU Representative to BiH, Ambassador  and the Editor of Mir Magazine, , about the future of peace in the country and region. This will be followed by the launch of Mir Magazine, attended by the young people from across BiH who make up Mir’s correspondents and contributors. , a professor at King’s College London, will moderate the session, which begins at 4:45 p.m.

created: March 30th, 2022


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Sarajevo Stands with Ukraine | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
April 12th, 2022
In the days marking the 30th anniversary of the longest siege of a capital city in modern history, hundreds of Sarajevo citizens came out to protest Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, sending a unique message of sympathy to the people of Ukraine. In addition, Sarajevans urged BiH authorities to enable Ukrainian refugees to stay legally in our country for more than 30 days.
Benjamina Karić, the Mayor of Sarajevo, said that the daily suffering of the Ukrainian people is reminiscent of the suffering of the citizens of Sarajevo, but also of all Bosnians and Herzegovinians during the 1990s war. “It evokes difficult emotions in us and awakens our empathy in support of the Ukrainian people,” said Karić at the “We stand with Ukraine” protest which was organized by the Post-Conflict Research Center on April 9th in Sarajevo.
Velma Šarić, president and founder of the Post-Conflict Research Center, said that supporting Ukraine is the responsibility of all those who believe in justice, equality, tolerance, and peace. “Support for Ukraine is support for all victims and survivors who have experienced or continue to experience injustice, crimes, and genocide – from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Rwanda, Syria, Yemen and more,” Šarić said.
She appealed to the Council of Ministers of BiH to resolve the issue of the stay of Ukrainian refugees in the territory of BiH, and to extend the period which they are allowed to stay in our country past 30 days.
“The fact that after 45 days the whole world is with us and supports us – supports us not only with words but also by collecting humanitarian aid – is very important for Ukrainians. That means that we will win,” said Serhii Miniailo, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine in BiH. He added that “the light is on our side and there is hope for the truth.”
Dino Mustafić, director of the National Theater in Sarajevo where the peaceful protest was held, said that we all share the moral obligation to be on the side of Ukraine. “We know that no one ever gets messages in the long run. Our gathering today is proof to Ukrainians that they are not alone. Every war image from Ukraine evokes scenes from the 1990s. We know better than all of Europe what is happening there,” Mustafić said.
Tatjana Milovanović, program director of the Post-Conflict Research Center, explained that in the aggression against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, thousands of civilians were killed, including over 130 children. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes, thousands of buildings were destroyed, including national monuments, hospitals, and historic buildings. “This peaceful protest was organized by the City of Sarajevo, civil society, and citizens, in support of the people of Ukraine and all innocent victims of hatred, division, and terror,” Milovanović said.
Many prominent cultural and political figures as well as diplomatic representatives from Great Britain, Norway, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Sweden, Czech Republic and the USA joined those present in front of the National Theater for the “We stand with Ukraine” protest.
Saša Magazinović, state representative and representative of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said that it was beyond a moral obligation in Sarajevo, but also in BiH, to speak out against the Russian aggression in Ukraine. “We are especially obligated to raise our voice against the Russian aggression – all of us who were hurt by the silence of others who turned their backs on us,” said Magazinović.
The peaceful protest “We stand with Ukraine” was accompanied by a cello performance by Belma Alić.

created: April 12th, 2022


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Solving the Problems of the “Birth Dearth” and the Emigration of Young People | Balkan Diskurs
Edina Šahmanović
April 15th, 2022
Whether or not Bosnia and Herzegovina will become a state of the elderly is a frequently asked question, and the answer will largely depend on government officials. By providing decent employment opportunities for young people as well as incentives for counteracting the “birth dearth,” officials at all levels of government help put more students in our schools.
Sociologist Jusuf Žiga explains that negative demographic trends are continuous in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). For more than a decade, the country has seen a “birth dearth” with enormous declines in fertility and birth rates, compounded by an increase in mortality rates.
In addition, a large number of young people are leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among them is Senadin “Dino” Šahmanović, a musician who plans to go to Germany and start a family there.
“Starting a family in our country is expensive. It costs too much. I worked here as a musician and that was enough for monthly spending, but not to save or to afford a holiday in Neum, Makarska, or somewhere on the coast,” says Dino. He adds that he wonders how anyone is not afraid to have a child, knowing how little financial security there is here because the jobs are day-to-day.
Demographic analyst Aleksandar Čavić points out that there are a number of problems impacting young people’s decision to leave: “The research we did on the basis of a group that intends to leave taught us that there are many reasons people choose to leave. One group’s decision is related to working conditions, salaries, and job security, while another is related to general living conditions as concerns the quality of the health and education systems. A third depends on the perspective for potential migrants and their families, nepotism, corruption and so on.”
According to Čavić, there are no statistics on external migration at the state level, which is why there is no accurate data on how many people have left the country. This, he says, shows the government’s attitude toward the problem.
Between 2016 and 2020, according to the Federal Bureau of Statistics, 21,551 people emigrated from the Federation of BiH, and the number of newborns decreased by 12.4 percent. Unemployment, lack of prospects, and low living standards lead young people to emigrate from the country, which affects the fall in birth rates and leaves empty school desks.
“Teachers of Una-Sana Canton are on the list of superfluous employees, and every year they record a shortage of students in school desks. They are indignant because it seems they are the only ones feeling the outflow of the population and suffering because people are leaving,” said the president of the Union of Primary Education of Una-Sana Canton, Zehra Hadžić.
Canton 10 is also experiencing a large exodus. Gordana Nakić, the canton’s Minister of Science, Education, Culture, and Sports, said that in the 2010/2011 academic year there were 8,900 students; five years later, that number had dropped significantly to 7,500.
“Last year, we had a little less than 5,900 students. In the last ten years, we have lost a total of 3,000 students – or one third – which is an extremely bad statistic. I really urge everyone to resolve this issue as soon as possible,” said Minister Nakić.
The situation in the City of Mostar is not much different. City Councilor Stanko Ćosić says the demographics are alarming: “In the last ten years, we have 1,200 fewer children in primary schools, which is some 50 to 60 classes.”
“In Mostar, the birth rate has been 9.2 percent for the last ten years, and it has been lower for the last four years. According to demographers, if we have a birth rate of less than 15 percent, it signifies a low birth rate. If the share of the population over the age of 65 is 8 percent, then the population is said to be old, and in the City of Mostar, we have as much as 17 percent of such a population,” said Ćosić.
In order to increase the birth rate, Ćosić said that they introduced a one-time financial aid package that varies depending on the number of children in a family.
Last year, the Government of Sarajevo Canton decided to provide compensation to mothers for one year, in the amount of slightly under 1,000 convertible marks, regardless of whether or not they are employed. Following the example of this decision applied in Sarajevo Canton, some other cantons plan to, or have already introduced higher maternity benefits, including the cantons of Tuzla, Zenica-Doboj, Bosnia-Podrinje, and Central Bosnia.
In order to find a possible solution to stop the exodus of young people, Čavić says we must establish a system for monitoring external migration and conduct extensive research on emigration, especially in the last ten or twelve years. We must first understand the reasons for emigration and then work to eliminate these causes.
“What I see as a solution is to establish a normal system of government that would take care of the key problems of the people,” Čavić said.
Jusuf Žiga has a similar opinion. He believes that everyone must be involved in solving the problem of emigration and creating a living environment which is desirable for young people, where they can get a job and live comfortably with a decent salary.

created: April 15th, 2022

author: Edina Šahmanović


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CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Srebrenica Youth School | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
April 15th, 2022
This July, as part of the program marking the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, in cooperation with the Srebrenica Memorial Center, the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) is organizing the third edition of the Srebrenica Youth School in Srebrenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
The school will bring together 50 young people from the Western Balkans, Europe, and the world to learn from regional and global experts about transitional justice, memorialization and historical narrative building, human rights, and prevention of genocide and mass atrocities during an eight-day program (July 5 – 13).
The school will include a series of lectures and panel sessions aimed at presenting innovative approaches and techniques, and best practices for working on issues of genocide and mass atrocity prevention, transitional justice, and human rights. During the first two editions of the school, speakers and lecturers included Emir Suljagić, Sabina Čehajić-Clancy, Matthew Holliday, Denis Džidić, Marijana Toma, Nick Teunissen, Aida Šehović, Paul Lowe, Mehnaz Afridi, as well as representatives of OSCE Mission to BiH, United Nations in BiH, TRIAL International in BiH, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), Youth Initiative for Human Rights, and many others.
The school is designed for 50 students and researchers from all over the world (aged between 18 and 30) who have an interest in the areas of transitional justice, memorialization, and mass atrocity prevention. The working language of the school is English. The costs of accommodation, transportation (from BiH and the Western Balkans region), food, and materials for selected participants will be covered by the organizers.
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 deadline for applying is June 17, 2022.


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Yugoslav Monuments: Forgotten Places of Resistance and Memory | Balkan Diskurs
Andrea Aleksić
April 18th, 2022
Hundreds of children used to flock to Kosmaj, Kozara, Sutjeska and other important sites erected in memory of the victims of the Second World War. Now these visits are rare, and some monuments have not been visited for years.
Most of the monuments dedicated to the anti-fascist struggle were erected during the 1960s and 1970s. They were built at sites of historically significant Second World War battles or at locations that were witness to civilian and partisan suffering. They are the works of excellent local sculptors and architects, such as Dušan Džamonja, Vojin Bakić, Bogdan Bogdanović, Ivan Sabolić, Svetislav Ličina, Vojin Stojić, Vanja Radauš, Gradimir Medaković, Miodrag Živković, Jovan Grabulovski, Janez Lenassi, Petar Krstiel, Vuko Bombardelli, Boško Kućanski and Marko Mušič.
The Belgian artist, Jan Kempenaers, has explored the topic of Yugoslav monuments through his ‘Monuments: The End of an Era’ project. He caught the Western World’s attention with photographs of monuments exhibited in numerous galleries around the world. What impresses the author and the exhibition visitors the most is the abstractness of the Yugoslav monuments, their futuristic appearance and their artistic quality, which is atypical for social realism that was present in Eastern Europe in those years.
“Today, monuments built to commemorate the victims of the Second World War, within the area of the states that emerged from the disintegration of Yugoslavia, are only a trace in space,” says architect Nina Stevanović. Their memorial character, she adds, given the political situation, is today often diminished, forgotten, and very often completely neglected.
“Their architectural, sculptural and overall artistic value, in relation to the architecture we practice today and the art we are fond of in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, is perceived as an ‘incident’, as a moment in time, as an accessory,” she explains.
She believes that today, this area, artistically and architecturally, does not welcome the artistic expression that flourished in the 1960s and 1970s. This expression is not present in today’s architecture, so these monuments are often perceived as something foreign, or miraculous, like a legacy that does not belong to us at all.
“By erasing their significance and not considering their architectural and artistic style to belong to us, they simply disappear as a passing moment in time and survive exclusively as a trace in space,” she says.
Architect and historian of architecture Sabina Tanović believes that the former Yugoslavia created and cultivated a specific culture of memory that was focused on the formation of collectivity and a sense of belonging.
On the subject of what those monuments created in the 1960’s and 1970’s, built in memory of the victims of the Second World War, represent today, Tanović notes, “The extent to which this project has succeeded is partly reflected in the current relationship with monuments.”
Specifically in Bosnia and Herzegovina, memorial sites dedicated to the Second World War are at the same time ghosts of the past, but as Tanović explains, also places of resistance and remembrance.
“Civil society organizations, younger generations and activists recognize and use them as a platform for progressive messages. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true: anti-fascist symbols are appropriated for populist propaganda,” adds Tanović.
Numerous memorials and memorial complexes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, created during the Yugoslav period and dedicated to the victims of the Second World War, are today mostly neglected or, as Tanović says, even adopted to promote ethnonational interests.
“An example is the Vraca memorial complex in Sarajevo, which can be treated as layered evidence of history – from its opening in the 1980’s, through the aggressive destruction of the city [during the 1992-95 siege], to the systematic destruction of physical memory through negligence and vandalism over the past three decades,” she adds.
Today’s authorities are primarily interested in building new monuments, memorials and memorial complexes dedicated to the memorialization of the war in BiH, Tanović explains, so they treat Vraca as a peripheral project to be used as a symbolic gathering place only for relevant anniversaries.
Nina Stevanović believes that today’s authorities do not accept these monuments because, in fact, they do not know what to do with them. They cannot appropriate them, she says, because they do not fit into the nationalist narratives of today’s Balkan politics. She explains that the modernity and abstractness of the work of Džamonja, Bakić, Bogdanović, Grabulovski, Zivković and Ravnikar, in addition to being multinational and multi-ethnic, create a memorial narrative that is left aside because it cannot be used to deepen nationalistic political narratives.
In Croatia alone, close to 3,000 World War II monuments have been destroyed. Although anti-fascist monuments from the former Yugoslavia are massively neglected, and some of them are a constant target of vandalism in BiH, Sabina Tanović believes they will not be forgotten.
“They may be forgotten and rediscovered, but I believe there is salvation for them as long as there is a public interest in preserving them. Despite the lack of interest of the authorities, the Vraca memorial complex in Sarajevo has been recognized by citizens and activists as a unique historical heritage site, and clean-ups, public talks and concerts have been organized on that space. It is probable that these events have stimulated the interest of the authorities to take certain measures intended for the preservation of the complex,” she says.
For Stevanović, the issue of protection and restoration of monuments to the victims of the Second World War is very complex and must be viewed within the issue of overall protection and restoration of architecture created in the period from 1945 to 1990.
“Although many of these monuments are formally protected, when it comes to their protection and restoration, in practical terms, formal protection becomes insufficient. First of all, even if they are restored, these monuments will be damaged again very quickly, such as happened with the Partisan necropolis in Mostar (Bogdan Bogdanović, 1961 – 1965), which was renovated in early May 2018, but again fell into disrepair in November of the same year,” she recalls.
The cause of the repeated neglect and vandalism, in her opinion, is the “non-existence” of such monuments in the everyday lives of citizens.
“Monuments to the victims of the Second World War remain empty of purpose, they become blank spaces in the collective memory, thanks, of course, to nationalist politics. And, as such, they lose the ‘everyday use value’ necessary for their true protection and successful revitalization,” adds Stevanović.
A large number of monuments from that period represent valuable works of art that testify to one time period and their neglect causes great damage to the culture of the people in the Balkans.
“At the same time, recognizing the potential of this cultural heritage through documentation, archiving, research and re-actualization can have a significant impact on the preservation and conservation of heritage,” says Tanović.
She reminds us that Europe has an innovative approach to preserving the memory of the First and Second World Wars, by using architectural design and modern technologies in the reconstruction and revitalization of the destroyed heritage, all with the aim of responding to the damage done.
Nina Stevanović believes that the damage was done in two ways. Firstly, by failing to truly appreciate the artistic expressions of World War II memorials through their full protection and regeneration. “Secondly, because in our architecture today we do not see a connection with the architectural, that is, artistic expression of that time. The monuments that are being built today are artistically far behind the monuments to the victims of the Second World War,” she says.
It seems, Stevanović adds, that today an attempt is being made to erase that part of the past, and thus its architectural, sculptural and artistic legacy.
“The architecture and art of the period from 1945 to 1990 abounds in boldness and excellence, and those monuments are the most direct example. Ignoring them, we deprive our culture of exactly that exceptionality and courage that it needs both as a memory and as a guide,” says the architect.
Monumental culture in Yugoslavia has developed new tendencies in artistic styles over time, so we see that many monuments look abstract and some are difficult to interpret. The issue of abstraction, says Sabina Tanović, is especially important in the commemoration of collective traumas, such as the Holocaust. This abstract expression, she explains, can be traced from memorial projects after the First World War, when it was necessary to design memorial cemeteries and ossuaries in a way that pays homage to soldiers of different origins.
“Edwin Lutyens’ solutions, for example, insist on the abstraction of symbols with the aim of creating a uniform collectivity in the context of a memorial cemetery,” she notes.
Nina Stevanović adds that the abstractness of the artistic expression of most of the monuments to the victims of the Second World War, among other things, contributed to the fact that it is difficult to connect with them.
“With modern architecture, we are used to drawing a house as a square with two windows, a door and a sloping roof. And for monuments, a bust, or a statue of a nobleman. But it is difficult to understand the artistic and spiritual nature of an abstract monument,” she adds.
Ultimately, says Stevanović, it contributes to the collective oblivion of monuments built in memory of the victims of the Second World War.
Only in the last decades – since the centenary of the First World War – have memorial sites gained their so-called ‘visitor’ centers and memorial museums, with the goal of preserving the past and, among other things, bringing the abstraction of memorial expression closer to the modern visitor,” explains Tanović.
The same is the case, she says, with the memorial sites of the Second World War, where we have witnessed a large number of memorial museums, memorials and monuments built in the last two decades. In her opinion, the memorial projects of Yugoslavia were very progressive, especially regarding their museological conceptualization, where, in addition to monuments, memorial museums were planned, as is the case with Tjentište, Kozar and Vraca.
“So, in addition to abstract and figurative symbolism, the projects have also included educational elements and historical contextualization through the design of a memorial museum, such as the ‘21st October’ Memorial Museum in Kragujevac. The essence of the Yugoslav anti-fascist memorials is precisely their unity in diversity, which, in addition to the then-dominant artistic trends, had an impact on overall memorial culture and expression,” explains Tanović.

created: April 18th, 2022

author: Andrea Aleksić


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Srebrenica Youth Summer School 2020/21: Even Peace Has its Victories | Balkan Diskurs
Benisa Bibuljica
April 22nd, 2022
In 2020, the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) and the Srebrenica Memorial Center began organizing a summer school for young people in Srebrenica. The first one, entitled ‘Dealing with the past to rethink the future’, was held in the period from July 8 to 13, 2020, while the second, called ‘Truth. Justice. Prevention.’, lasted from July 6 to 13, 2021.
The schools are designed as multidisciplinary programs for learning and developing critical thinking in the areas of memory, art, transitional justice, and genocide prevention. Through a series of lectures and workshops and the use of innovative approaches, techniques and best practices to work on issues of genocide prevention and post-conflict transitions, participants had the opportunity to learn from experts, academics and artists on transitional justice, historical memory, journalism, violence prevention and human rights.
The first school gathered 25 young people from different local communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the COVID-19 pandemic limited the overall possibilities and the number of participants, it did not limit the diversity of content, nor did it limit the participants in gaining experience and making the best memories out of it.
“I felt really privileged to be in Srebrenica this year, to pay tribute to the victims of genocide, but also to work with young people throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. To be part of that team and do all those activities within the Memorial Center. We all studied together and picked up all the knowledge and memories needed to build sustainable peace,” says Amira Banjić, a participant from Doboj East.
During their stay in Srebrenica, participants had the opportunity to attend the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the genocide.
Rebeka Matičević, a participant from Tuzla, says that she has attended the commemoration and burial of the victims in Srebrenica several times, but that her feelings were always different.
“You are overwhelmed by emotions in every sense of the word. You feel sadness, fear, anger, you reach that psychological barrier between anger, misunderstanding… you do attempt to understand, you hear different stories, and maybe even are on the track towards forgiveness,” adds Rebecca.
According to Nikolina Gagić from Srebrenica, the summer school was a way for people who do not live there to see what the everyday life of people in the city is like. The event, she says, connected her much more both with the people she knows and does not know, and with those who live and who will one day live in Srebrenica.
For many, getting to know the young people of Srebrenica was extremely important, as they were able to hear directly about what it is like to live in a place that breathes the shameful history of mankind. Although confronted daily with what happened 26 years ago, these young people carry a lot of positive energy and love, which really inspires hope for a better tomorrow and breaks stereotypes about Srebrenica as a “dead city” that we remember and know only from dark and painful stories.
“Srebrenica as a city should be visited not only on July 11, but also on other days so that you can feel on a deeper level that after so many years there really is not so much hatred here and that young people here are respectful. Even better than in some other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” points out Sandro Sekulić from Srebrenica.
Unlike the “Dealing with the Past to Rethink the Future” program, our “Truth. Justice. Prevention.” summer school had 50 young people participating not only from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also from the countries across Western Balkans and the world.
According to Selma Mašić, a participant from Zenica, this was an opportunity to meet young people from the countries of the former Yugoslavia, but also young people from foreign universities.
“I think this is a great way to learn about the past to not repeat the mistakes in the future. To communicate together, to express our views together, to compare our narratives and, most importantly, to reconcile them in the end and to simply move on,” says Selma.
The importance of such an international meeting was also pointed out by this year’s PCRC interns who come from different countries of the world.
“We were able to exchange experiences through various programs, but also during lunch breaks during which we talked about why some want to stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina or why they want to leave. We talked about really complex issues in a way that enriched my understanding but also allowed local students the same,” says Taylor Whitsell of the United States.
Various workshops, educational sessions and panel discussions with artists, representatives and experts from international organizations and the NGO sector covered various topics that aimed to encourage participants to think critically, but also to create more positive narratives in the future so that such events will never happen to anyone else.
“It is fascinating that everyone in their field had a lot of experience that they shared with us. Every big and small story, every personal and general story is important so that we can gather it all into one big idea to build a new future that will be better for all of us. Not only for us, we are getting older, but also for future generations,” says Matej Trojačanec, a participant from North Macedonia.
In addition to experiencing the school as a place for acquiring new knowledge and getting to know young people of different profiles, for some it was an encounter with personal and painful memories. One of them is Samra Ljukanović, a participant from Montenegro, whose birthplace is Srebrenica.
“Just participating in this school is very important to me personally because I am from this city myself, and because I am in a way a victim of the genocide,” she says.
She adds that the pictures and conversations affected her deeply even though she came with a great knowledge of everything that had happened.
“I will talk about this to other generations and we will keep this in our hearts,” points out Samra.
Last year, the Post-Conflict Research Center and the Srebrenica Memorial Center created Absent Home – a multimedia project and exhibition that was officially opened on July 10. The project was created with the aim of presenting everyday life in Srebrenica and Podrinje through a visual depiction of genocide, including issues of return and reconstruction of family houses. The opening was attended by participants of the summer school.
Emphasizing the importance of the role of the Srebrenica Memorial Center as a place that carefully preserves the memories of the deceased, Adelisa Mašić from Sarajevo states how important it is that such projects, with the stories that they record and present, are seen in such a place.
“The Absent Home exhibition left me speechless. When you see all these ruined homes only the blind can remain indifferent. I think that we need to help the people of Srebrenica not only by providing moral support, but also by investing in infrastructure. This requires being familiar with the situation beforehand, just as it is presented through the exhibition itself,” she says.
Some participants had attended the commemoration almost every year, while others were visiting the site for the first time, in this case on the 26th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
“I am extremely pleased that I made such a decision and here I am today in Srebrenica with you, on this day, July 11, when the anniversary of Srebrenica is being marked,” says Ilija Đuričić from Serbia.
He adds that in this way he learned much more about Srebrenica itself and understood the importance of this event. “I will take with me one real-life experience, a living experience based on the emotions and understanding of the people, including the significance of the event itself,” he says.
Alec Anderson from the United States found himself similarly emotionally affected.
“During the commemoration, I realized something I will never forget. And it doesn’t happen so often that at one point you become aware of what will follow you forever. But to see mothers, all those people who lost someone in the Srebrenica genocide is powerful. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to witness this,” he said.
He points out that most people in his country do not know what had happened in Srebrenica and that that he is happy he will be able to tell the story.
“If we want to build a world where things like this don’t happen again, it’s important to spread the truth and highlight the experiences of victims and survivors of horrible things like these,” he concludes.
Peace education is among the core activities of PCRC, and the school is another way of pointing out the importance of it. Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, announced on her social networks that she was pleased to see young people united at the summer school to promote a culture of peace through education, because, as she states, education is the key to overcoming denial, breaking myths and promoting justice, and the path to reconciliation.
“I don’t know what the initial idea of this school was, but I think it hit the mark. I would like to thank you once again and I would like this project to continue and be held in a larger capacity and maybe more days or several times during the year. That it should not be only during the month of July, but that it will grow into a school with continuous peace education so more people can come,” says Alek Barović from Montenegro.
The mixing of local communities, national groups, religions, genders, interests and emotions – to name just a few elements – defines the summer school for young people in Srebrenica. By participating in these programs, young people have shown that peace is not built by written agreements, but by talking, understanding, confronting, and overcoming everything that separates us.

created: April 22nd, 2022

author: Benisa Bibuljica


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„ŠTO TE NEMA“: How to Connect Art and a Society That Is Still Experiencing Post-war Wounds | Balkan Diskurs
Valentina Grganović
April 25th, 2022
One would think that art and post-war wounds were not so connected. Aida Šehović, a Bosnian-born artist based in New York, disagreed and, for the past 15 years, has proven that art can help in post-conflict recovery.
Her nomadic monument travelled the world, educated people and, most importantly, showed empathy with the victims of the Genocide in Srebrenica and their families.
The idea was simple, in as much as a complex work of art can be. The starting point was a simple cup of Bosnian coffee served in a fildžan (small coffee cup), and the tradition accompanying it. This coffee is usually shared with family, and you take time over it, sharing news and thoughts together. As Aida told the young people who came from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina for Srebrenica Youth Camp (2020), the Bosnian coffee tradition was one of the only things left in her family after escaping the war – firstly to Turkey, and then to the US. All they had left was the smell of coffee served in fildžani, her parents sharing it for hours.
During her first visit to BiH after the war, she also visited Srebrenica. Aida met with the family of the Genocide victims, and one of them told her that one of the hardest things for their family was not being able to share a cup of coffee with their loved one who was not with them anymore.  A sentence that a young and talented artist could not forget. She would use this in her artwork, which would later travel the world displaying all the beauty of her roots, but also the cruelty that occurred during the war in Bosnia.
On 11th of July 2006 in Sarajevo, Aida poured the first 932 cups of coffee that were all collected and donated by the Women of Srebrenica organization. This is where her idea to collect 8372 cups representing 8372 souls killed during the Genocide in Srebrenica started. What is more fascinating is that the coffee is prepared and poured on the spot, where casual passers can also participate and, mostly, educate about what happened in Srebrenica in July 1995.
In the following years, the “Što te nema” monument was shown on the same date every year, moving between New York, Den Haag, Stockholm, Istanbul, Toronto, Chicago, Geneva and Venice. As well as its international reach, this year, 2020, was the 15th and last exhibition, as per Šehovic’s wish for the monument to “return to its home” in Srebrenica. The preparations lasted for months and the global pandemic did not stop the artist and her crew from achieving the goal of bringing it home. This was all facilitated by Šehovic’s collaboration with the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Center and Post-Conflict Research Center.
While Aida and her film crew were filming the personal stories of people who donated cups for this project, the Post-Conflict Research Center organized a Srebrenica Youth Camp, four-days activity for 25 youth from 14 different cities across Bosnia and Herzegovina. During this camp, youth were listening to the lectures from prominent speakers and researchers from the fields of transnational justice, human rights, reconciliation and journalism. On the last day, Aida had a lecture with the youth where she explained the whole “Što te nema” project from its roots and where she stressed to them how important it is to work hard and believe in your ideas even when others don’t. Furthermore, Aida explained how will installation setup work on 10th of July and, at that moment, all participants of the Camp, as well as PCRC interns, like me, were not completely aware of the whole project and its possible influence.
When the day came, we were all fresh and ready to work on the monument, ready to put in our all for Aida. We still had yet to grasp the huge influence it would have on us and on everyone who saw it. The morning preparations were slow, as every coffee had to be prepared in the traditional Bosnian way without any short-cuts. At around 10am it was time for pouring the first couple of cups. As Aida poured the first one and the SYC participants continued after her, the silence and tears triggered some awareness of what it was all about and what was to unfold that day. Each cup of coffee would have its story. With each one, we would offer our respect to the victim. Some of the SYC participants lost family members either in Srebrenica or during the Bosnian war in general; they were pouring coffee for their loved ones. There are few moments in life when you are left speechless and all you can do is watch and admire. This was one of those.
As the day progressed, the sun and heat became hard to handle, but no one, during the 12 hours of work, thought of giving up at any moment. One of the most important aspects of the whole installation was explaining what was happening, why we were pouring hundreds and soon thousands of cups of coffee. The curiosity and the questions abounded, as well as the stories shared by those who lost their brothers or cousins, telling of when or what hurt the most. One mother told us: “I appreciate what you are doing here and the respect you are showing for the Genocide victims, but I would like to find just one bone of my son so that I can at least pray on his grave one day before I die.” You hear stories, and you pour coffee with even more and more meaning and understanding. One by one, until the final 9909 cups, the last one poured at sunset.
On the 11th of July, the “Što te nema” monument was proudly standing. Even though there was no more of the crowding around as the coffee was poured the day before, each fildžan full of coffee was still telling its story. In silence. In honour of the victims. As a reminder that what happened in Srebrenica should never happen to anyone anywhere.
The silence of the commemoration day ended in the afternoon of the 11th of July. Survivors, family, visitors, diplomats, politicians – all those who had come to pay their respects had visited the monument, asked questions, and shared their stories. For the volunteers and the participants of SYC, it was time for cleaning, collecting, and counting fildžani.  But before we started, we all took a seat around the fildžani to share our thoughts on what working on “Što te nema” meant for us. Young participants shared their emotions and stories of how they bonded with each other despite their differences; of how, in spite of the difficult weather conditions, they made it through together. Older volunteers shared their tears and war wounds, but with the reminder that the youth sitting around, all these cups should be the ones to work to build a society that prevents anything like this happening ever again. That they should work on speaking the truth, and that proper education was the key. One of the participants asked us to imagine each cup of coffee as a person standing in front of us. This was the moment after which none of us around 9099 of coffee cups could continue saying a word.
As we methodically cleaned and dried the cups, the youth participants continued to share their thoughts about the present situation in their society and their wishes for the future. We had all learned something new, about ourselves, about others, about the simple wish of a mother to find one single bone so that she could bury and pray over her son. It is hard to summarise the whole of the “Što te nema” project, together with being involved in the Srebrenica Youth Camp, but I can say this: peace is something we should respect and protect with all our might.

created: April 25th, 2022

author: Valentina Grganović


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Hambašić Family Handicrafts: Furniture That Smells Like Wonder | Balkan Diskurs
Amina Cerić
April 29th, 2022
Elvir Hambašić has turned his interest in wood carving and woodcraft into a unique business, working alongside his children and his wife, Sanida. This family from Donji Ulišnjak, near Maglaj, is one of the few who are committed to preserving culture and tradition by producing traditional Bosnian furniture.
Elvir was the only one of his six brothers to dedicate himself to this craft. Dedication, persistent effort, and practice have enabled him to make a living from this job, alongside his wife and three children. Due to the quality of their unique handicrafts, they have a large number of customers abroad.
It has been 15 years since Elvir started this work. Initially, his shop was registered under “domestic handicraft,” but later, Hambašić decided to register it as a traditional and old craft – namely, woodcarving. Since woodcarving is under UNESCO protection, a Commission had to visit to determine if the work adhered to certain established criteria, such as carving patterns without using any templates and aids. After the conditions were met, the shop was registered. Today, it bears the understated name of “Souvenir.”
His son, Amar, and daughter, Irma, help him selflessly and diligently. In his shop, you can find all manner of woodworking machines, from gluing presses, planers, and combined cutting machines to devices for spinning and processing edges and curves. He has also recently added a saw blade to his collection. Elvir tells us that he wants his children to have a secure job ready for them when they finish high school.
“Due to the hazards, I still can’t let my kids work on the machines. I do that myself. Amar works with a chisel, and Irma is very attached to the craft. I draw everything and give it to them, and they already know which part of the job is done with which tool. I distribute the work between them equally, and I pay for the finished products. By doing this, I motivate them even more,” he says.
The Hambašić family can take orders for a complete Bosnian room, including a sofa, a table, a larger or smaller traditional table known as a peškun, a chest of drawers, an armchair, and a shelf. Of course, each of these pieces is also available individually. In addition, they sell wooden bowls, trays, and smaller objects, which are entirely made by his daughter, Irma. They use walnut wood, cherry wood, and steamed and dried beech for production. Since everything is handmade, each piece takes a lot of time to produce.
“We have small peškuns that cost 100 KM, tables from 350 to 1,500 KM, and traditional sofas, which are up to 2,500 KM. My biggest market is in Sarajevo, but we have foreign buyers too. I must mention as well that my customers are of all religions and national groups. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you are. It is about appreciation for this kind of furniture and wanting to invest money in it,” says Elvir.
The production process begins with choosing a wooden board according to which piece of furniture they will be making. The selected board is transferred to a planer machine and then to cutting and gluing machines. After that, all the parts must be cut out. For example, the board for one table consists of 20 different parts. Elvir outlines them, then Amar and Irma pound, then clean. The gluing process is repeated, and the finish involves fine sanding, painting, and varnishing.
“This job requires effort. It’s the same with any other: if you do it without will and love, then it won’t work. As long as you love it, you will always strive to improve. I like the fact that the workshop is right next to my house, so I can work and rest whenever I want,” he points out.
He also says the work can be very intense – it takes up to 25 days to make one table. Bowls, trays, and boxes take much less time and sell out very quickly.
Elvir’s working hours start at 8 am, and he will sometimes stay in the workshop until 11 pm to finish pieces on time. It is a unique crafting process, and no two pieces will have the same pattern.
Sales were significantly reduced due to the pandemic, but everything is slowly returning to normal. Although this is a family business, Elvir’s next plan is to hire a carpenter to work with the machines. However, the search so far has been unsuccessful. He continues to rely on the help of his children and wife. This team represents the guardians of the old Bosnian tradition.
“I think that this craft will fade away with time and that the demand for the furniture will significantly reduce. However, there is always the possibility that everything will be the other way around, and I would sincerely like that!” says Elvir Hambašić.

created: April 29th, 2022

author: Amina Cerić


text:
We need greater responsibility for a more inclusive society | Balkan Diskurs
Mirnes Bakija
May 4th, 2022
People with disabilities face many difficulties on a daily basis, and the system often neglects them. Despite the many challenges she faces as a person with hearing impairment, Alma Mujanović has managed to take part in social and professional life, through a hard work and great effort. She says that it is extremely important to work on ourselves, but that our country must take greater responsibility in order to build a more inclusive society.
Almost 20 years since the beginning of the educational reform which included a model for inclusive education, major progress is still needed. However, Mujanović says that there are positive changes taking place, and that Sarajevo Canton is in the lead.
“We are deprived of a large amount of information every day, and it makes life more difficult,” said Mujanović, noting that people who are deaf or hard of hearing are confronted by those who are ignorant about their condition.
Mujanović graduated from the Faculty of Health Studies and has a master’s degree in microbiology. She doesn’t like to talk much about negative experiences. Instead, she likes to point out the positive ones: “There was one beautiful example during the first year of my studies. I wrote a seminar paper and gave a presentation on noise, where I talked about it from my point of view. It was then that I explained how people with hearing impairments are approached and why it is important for us as health professionals to be aware of this. Since then, during all four years of study, I have had a positive experience with professors, assistants, but also colleagues with whom I studied.”
Discussing the widespread lack of knowledge about these conditions, Mujanović explains that people with hearing impairments are often called “deaf and dumb,” which is incorrect and even offensive, because not all those who are deaf or heard of hearing are mute, and vice versa.
Mujanović works in a graphics company. She is active in the non-governmental sector, where she fights for the rights of people with disabilities, focusing especially on those with hearing impairments. She is also a member and consultant of the Youth Advisory Group of the OSCE Mission to BiH, and the leader of the association Sign for a Word, which originated from the Facebook group of the same name.
The association Sign for a Word was created with the aim of raising awareness about the use of sign language. At the beginning, Mujanović and her friend created video content that showed the use of sign language and people’s reactions were very positive. This motivated them to record and publish videos with new words regularly.
“In time, the informal group turned into an Association, of which I am currently the president. In the near future, we plan to hold several workshops, as well as numerous activities that will focus on inclusion. After the pandemic finally ends, which I hope will happen soon, we plan to implement several long-term inclusion projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region,” Mujanović said.
She explained that sign language is not universal, and that each country has its own variation; however, there is an international sign language that allows deaf people across Europe and the world to communicate with one another.
It is also a challenge for the hearing impaired to watch television programs because sign language translation is not sufficiently available. According to Article 10 of the Law on the Use of Sign Language in BiH, translation into sign language should be provided during the live transmission or broadcast of recordings of sessions of bodies and institutions of BiH through audiovisual media. However, Mujanović believes the that sign language translation is still lacking. There are 80,000 people with hearing impairments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and only 14 certified sign language interpreters.
People with hearing impairments face numerous other challenges in everyday life. They often have problems when going to the doctor, for example, because they need to be accompanied by another person in order to be able to communicate. They also struggle when it comes to employment, where they lack opportunities for professional development and advancement.
Since she realized that the society in which she lives needs to change, Mujanović started engaging in activism with the goal of making at least small positive changes.
“People with disabilities need a lot of support, so I decided to fight for change and their status in society,” said Mujanović, noting that people with hearing impairments often face prejudice.
She explained that, in a way, her childhood resembled a phone tag game, where she would hear something wrong and say something that made her feel embarrassed and blame her friends. Later she realized that they did not understand what was going on. Over time, as she pointed out, she learned to explain to people that she is a person with hearing impairment and in that way, make it easier for herself and others.

author: Mirnes Bakija


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Wood Surgery: A woman from Zenica who breathes life into old furniture | Balkan Diskurs
Kristina Gadže
May 6th, 2022
Redesigning and restoring old furniture – that’s what Lejla Selimović, a law graduate, does for a living. The whole idea of the “Wood Surgery” workshop, according to this craftswoman, revolves around the process of recognizing the potential and beauty of discarded furniture, having the ability to aesthetically breathe new life into it, and finally, finding people who are willing to trust in her. For eight years now, Lejla has been turning dilapidated old furniture into modern pieces that are attractive to customers. She began this work, as she says, spontaneously and impulsively, out of pure love.
“I was never interested in practicing law because I’ve always been a more creative type. At one point, while arranging my own living space, I realized that I can get fantastic pieces from old, seemingly dilapidated pieces of furniture. The huge challenge was to start from scratch and dedicate myself to an area I knew almost nothing about up to then. I started researching, learning about wood and design, looking at things in a different way that I hadn’t noticed before. I talked with craftsmen, started buying tools and equipment I didn’t know about until then,” says Lejla. Only when she acquired enough skills did her “Wood Surgery” story begin.
Her usual day involves a lot of dynamics and dedication. “The workshop is located right next to the apartment where I live, so everything is very close. The day begins by replying to messages and arranging orders in my apartment, and then I put on my work clothes and go down to the workshop. So, in addition to organizing the purchase of pieces and materials, arranging orders, and devising new designs, I also do the work of sanding, minor repairs, painting, patination, and countering. I leave the part related to upholstery to an associate who does it in a professional way,” explains Lejla.
Photography, marketing, advertising, finances, and the organization of transport to the customer is also part of her job. The time she spends on one piece depends on the condition in which it arrives and the requirements of the customers, she says. “Sometimes, in addition to sanding, staining, gluing, changing the interior and upholstery, an armchair requires complete disassembly and re-gluing, carpentry, changing springs, and treating holes made by worms and insects wormhole treatment. If there are several layers of different colors on old wood, as is often the case, then everything will last much longer than when the armchair is in its original condition. In general, everything can take between four and seven days, if I do other pieces at the same time,” she continues.
Lejla describes the market in BiH as inhospitable because financial incentives are almost non-existent. Still, she says, there are workshops to empower female entrepreneurship which are useful for networking and disseminating knowledge and experience. “As a woman in business, given the activity I chose, I haven’t received negative comments. Admittedly, it’s still unusual to see a woman working with tools and machines, but the comments are almost always positive and encouraging. I really only have words of praise for my colleagues. We help each other, recommend each other, cooperate. Fortunately for me, I’m surrounded by creative, hard-working people, mostly craftsmen, and there isn’t any typical market competition between us,” adds Lejla.
Her products exude minimalism and sophistication, while she finds inspiration when she sees wasted potential. “I think I visualize things very well and as soon as I see an old piece of furniture, I see the potential. In an instant, I see what it can look like after restoration and I am guided by that feeling. I really enjoy this job which, it’s true, is more of a calling than a job and I believe that it is precisely what I enjoy while doing it that motivates me, so my inspiration never runs out. Certainly, the extremes of where I find an old piece and the place where it ends up are always motivating. I enjoy seeing some piece that has been written off in a new light,” she describes.
Her biggest success so far, she says, is designing and maintaining her own business in a rather harsh environment while starting from scratch. “I used the talent and the need to create and work with my own hands, which absolutely suits my nature making it profitable by offering people services which haven’t been that popular in our market so far,” she continues.
In addition to good product quality, good marketing is also important for success. Lejla attracts an increasing number of fans and potential buyers with her photos on social networks. “Photography and social networks are today what shop windows used to be, as far as I can tell. We tell a story with good and interesting photography and bring ourselves and our work closer to potential clients. Personally, I really like photography and I’m happy that I have enough talent for a solid presentation of my pieces on social networks,” she says.
But Lejla also confirms that the craft is in some ways connected with art. “For me, almost every craftsman is also an artist, considering that we make useful objects that are also decorative. I have a special kind of respect for all skilled and hard-working people—whose work in our country is extremely undervalued and underpaid—because I know how much work and skill it takes, for example, to make a Bosnian carpet or to make carvings in wood or copper,” she points out.
With her furniture, this woman from Zenica also decorated the business premises of others, but she adds that she now mainly collaborates with architects who are looking for specific and unique pieces when decorating interiors. As she says, this is not a job from which she can get rich, but it certainly brings money and interest to many people. Citizens thus recognize the importance of domestic products and recommend the workshop to support a domestic small business backed by women. “I’m the only employee, but as the whole process is very complex, I have a couple of associates for tasks that I can’t do by myself. I have no ambitions to expand to other cities because the concept is designed so that clients bring or order pieces that I make according to their wishes and they are people from all over BiH. I actually have the least customers in Zenica,” she says.
Lejla encourages all female and male entrepreneurs to find something they really like to do, because then they will do well, and when they do well, it will be recognized. “Business is a very challenging adventure, especially for women, so love for the job at hand will make everything easier and more beautiful. They should be ready for a lot of work and sacrifice, but the satisfaction you have after you design and realize something yourself is a unique feeling and can’t be compared to any ‘corporate’ job,” she concludes.
You can see Lejla’s beautiful pieces of furniture on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

author: Kristina Gadže


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A New Generation of Balkan Diskurs Youth Correspondents | Balkan Diskurs
Amina Sejfić
May 10th, 2022
At the eighth training for Balkan Diskurs youth correspondents, organized by the Post-Conflict Research Center, young people from 13 cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina learned basic skills in investigative and citizen journalism, as well as documentary photography.
“I applied for the Balkan Diskurs training out of a great interest in documentary photography – I’m interested in that moment that will forever be recorded in photography. On the other hand, photography is a social document of time that can best elucidate the story we will tell in our articles,” said Selmir Smajić from Lukavac.
The eighth training for youth correspondents was held from May 6th to 9th in the Čardaci Ethno Village, with the aim of providing a multi-ethnic platform for promoting the voices of young people on issues that confront stereotypes and cannot be found in other media.
The first part of the training focused on lecturing participants about investigative and citizen journalism, objective and impartial reporting, fact-checking, and interview techniques. After the participants were introduced to different journalistic forms and rules of writing, they did practical exercises, which they described as the most useful part of the training.
Emilio Jarak from Čapljina said that “the best part of the training was the simulation of interviews from the perspective of speakers and interlocutors.” He described the entire training as a step towards his improvement in this field, emphasizing that this is the most useful educational event he has attended.
The second part of the training on the use of photography and visual storytelling was conducted in collaboration with British photographer Paul Lowe. Lowe showed correspondents how to capture moments in photography, as well as revealed tricks for photographing portraits and still life.
“Paul’s lecture was great. Thorough and creative. The photos he showed us are great and everything he told us is very inspiring,” said Sumeja Mehmedović from Kalesija.
An additional goal of the training was to introduce participants to the fight against negative stereotypes and prejudices towards marginalized groups and other ethnicities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. To this end, we showed attendees an episode from the award-winning documentary project “Ordinary Heroes,” produced by the Post-Conflict Research Center and Pinch Media. The story of Salih and Đorđe – ordinary heroes during the war – inspires young people to actively promote positive examples of the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will leave a mark in the lives of others.
“The film showed that the true heroes are among us, in our local communities. These are ordinary people who deserve to be called heroes. When one such ray of light appears in individuals in the times of the greatest evil and eclipse of the human mind, it actually gives hope that good exists in evil times,” said Neda Vukadin from Banja Luka.
After the training, 15 young people will have the opportunity to publish their works on peacebuilding, dealing with the past, human rights, and memory culture on the Post-Conflict Research Center’s multimedia platform Balkan Diskurs, which is available in B/C/S and English. To date, PCRC has trained 120 young people from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, many of whom are still writing for our platform.

author: Amina Sejfić


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Accepting the diversity and uniqueness of our children | Balkan Diskurs
Almedina Alihodžić
May 11th, 2022
To spread awareness and empathy toward children who are struggling with autism, Ivona Grbešić, from Opuzen with a Dubrovnik address, started the blog “No Ordinary Mom.” There, she describes everyday life with her children, of whom two boys are from autism spectrum disorder.
“I believe that every single voice in this world is always welcome to raise awareness about autism and try to accept the differences and individuality of our wonderful children. I know how much psychological support is lacking when we talk about autism, when we need advice, instructions, ideas,” Ivona states on the blog “No ordinary mom.”
No ordinary mom herself, Ivona Grbešić is a single mother of nine-year-old Laura and five-year-old Tin and Toni, twins diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
“This diagnosis marked are lives, opening the door to a completely different world,” said Ivona, recalling that her pregnancy with the twins was complicated, but the desire to live, both theirs and hers, was greater than any fear.
Around the time the twins were two or three, she began to notice that they were, in some ways, different. Ivona said there was no choice but to seek all the available professional help.
“Autism was diagnosed in Klaić’s children’s hospital in Zagreb and the treatment process itself lasted a week. Apart from speech therapists and educational rehabilitators, the course of treatment includes other examinations in order to exclude other disorders,” explained Ivona. She added that after that, when they received official confirmation of the diagnosis, her new life has started.
In these difficult moments, although her marriage had ended, Ivona was not left alone because she had the support of her mother. “Without asking anything, she stood by me and my children and decided to walk with us through our lives,” said Ivona. She emphasized that this shows that a mother’s job is for a lifetime.
Ivona is happy today because the twins have made amazing progress. She says she often  looks back just to see how far they have come. “I still can’t believe that we made it through that part of the road, which might be the hardest,” said Ivona. She added that she didn’t understand where all that strength came from, but it occurred to her that special people get special missions in life, and hers is autism.
From her experience, Ivona says that solving every problem requires work, discipline, patience, and sacrifice. “We are taking some small steps forward. They may seem small to others actually, but are enormous for us,” explained Ivona. She mentions that the boys received support from institutions, but she also tries to include them in all life situations because, as a parent who has a child with developmental disabilities, she only wishes for her boys to have an independent life one day.
She adds that the boys have progressed a lot in the last three years. While there were some successes that she thought she would never witness, she just needed to keep believing in them.
“I didn’t think I’d live to hear Tin’s voice. So many times, I dreamed of talking with him, of hearing him. Today, he is no longer considered a nonverbal autistic person. He is aware of the world in which he lives and is present. He is heard. And so, we succeeded in that, but we are still working,” said Ivona, emphasizing that she has learned a lot with her children, but also that it takes considerable time for major steps and progress to be made.
The wind at her back, as she said, was also going to the Belgrade clinic, where the boys received all the necessary treatments. “They both go to kindergarten. Toni goes to kindergarten with an assistant, and Tin attends both a kindergarten for children with special needs and normal one. Since last year, they have been involved in sports activities, and I’m glad to see that more and more places are being opened with such activities for children like them,” said Ivona.
Explaining her relationship with the boys, Ivona said that both of them need their own time with her, sometimes one more than the other.
“Although we do a lot of activities together, I’m aware that each of them needs me on their own. So, I try to combine special outings and activities outside the home. A weekend spent only with my little girl, having time for us, or going for walks with Tin, or doing daily shopping with Toni,” says Ivona who, with intuition and love, manages to attend to the needs of each of her children.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is no complete data on how many children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. According to a UNICEF survey, 6.5 percent of children in BiH between the ages of two and nine have developmental disabilities, and a large proportion of them have autism spectrum disorders. In addition to institutional support, psychological support is also very important, as the “no ordinary mom” points out.

author: Almedina Alihodžić


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Memento: Srebrenica-Potočari’s new oral history exhibition | Balkan Diskurs
Hunadda Sabbagh
May 13th, 2022
I had heard his story before. In fact, I had read and re-read it dozens of times already. But, as I listened to Ahmed Ustić’s Death March story, there was no way of quelling the strange paralysis that I had felt when I first read the account of this young man’s horrifying six-day journey for survival.
In the far corner of the cavernous hall of the former car battery factory, there is a photograph of a man in a bright orange jacket. He has deep, kind eyes. I stood staring at his face, then at the item of clothing he held in his hands, and back into his eyes.  I was rooted to the ground, listening to his story narrated in my ears. I had heard his story before. In fact, I had read and re-read it dozens of times already. But, as I listened to Ahmed Ustić’s Death March story, there was no way of quelling the strange paralysis that I had felt when I first read the account of this young man’s horrifying six-day journey for survival.
About a month before that moment, I was handed the immense responsibility, along with my colleague Alexandra, of working on the English translations of the Memento exhibition stories. I say responsibility, because there is no other way to describe the feeling of being presented with such personal accounts – of painful memories, of loss and agony, of lives left devastated – to examine and edit. The responsibility of simply reading women tell of their murdered children and husbands, of the near starvation experienced as refugees, is immense.
Memento is an oral history project curated by the Post-Conflict Research Center and the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Centre. It brings together personal objects and personal stories that attest to the struggle for survival that took place in Srebrenica in 1995, as a methodically-planned and swiftly-executed genocide was carried out.  Large panels carry the portraits of ten women survivors – those from Srebrenica and the surrounds whose relatives were murdered in the genocide – and ten men who survived the Death March – the long journey on foot from Srebrenica to the Free Territory. Their haunting survival stories are told through audio headsets, and, along with their portraits, we see objects both belonging to the Death March survivors themselves, or left behind by murdered loved ones.
Velma Šarić, PCRC’s founder and director, explains how they were able to use the Memorial Center’s database of victims’ families and survivors to find the storytellers, working closely also with associations of mothers of Srebrenica and a group of Death March survivors. With the help of fixer Enver Šehović, himself a survivor, each one of the 30 subjects were interviewed twice by Saric, the stories meticulously fact-checked and compiled with the guidance of oral history experts, before being whittled down to the final 20 stories.
The objects – some of the many donated to the Memorial Center by family and survivors – were the inspiration for the multimedia exhibition. Those whose stories form the exhibition, the people who donated these precious objects, attended a private visit before the public opening. In the words of Šarić, this exhibition gives their loved ones a voice and a name, rather than being just a number and a statistic.  “I think that is the most crucial part of this project,” she adds. “It was emotionally tough for the subjects to see and hear their stories told, but they were thankful that they were being told in this way.”  The exhibition will be permanently displayed in the Memorial center and transferred soon to an online portal for those unable to visit the site itself.
The simplicity of the portraits, taken by exhibition photographer Armin Durgut, reflects the starkness of the bare walls they border on the northern side of the old factory. Take a headset and listen, and you are stilled.  Stilled by the men’s retelling of days of walking, unarmed, through forests and across rivers, under almost constant bombardment; of friends and brothers, fathers and grandfathers, killed on the way; of the gruesome horrors witnessed. Stilled by stories of women left alone in the world, faced only with the search for dismembered remains.
The preservation of such stories is powerful beyond measure. Genocide scholar Dr Gregory H. Stanton, in a webinar organized by the team behind the Sto te nema commemorative monument, urged us that stories, above all, are our most useful tool against genocide denial. Narrative is how we learn about the world, both as children and adults. All the more reason for me to feel that the task of weaving a flowing narrative out of the Srebrenica survivor interviews was a huge responsibility.
The exhibition will soon be available online – a crucial point of access in these difficult times of restricted movement.  As a permanent exhibition, however, it carves out a precious space and moment of memorialization. Spaces dedicated solely and exclusively to the memory of a past that must not be forgotten are invaluable. Such spaces of memory, of knowledge, of reflection, are often the product of more work and struggle than we ever see.
As Emir Suljagić, director of the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Centre reminds us, memorialization is an expensive endeavor.  Preserving and sharing the facts and the memory of what occurred in Srebrenica, of the people who were killed as well as those who survive, is especially expensive compared to the ease and swiftness with which the genocide took place. This is a past and a reality that must never be forgotten, especially in the face of rampant denial.  “If there is something that is perhaps a little closer to my heart than other segments of the commemoration, it is the Memento exhibition,” says Suljagić. Under his direction, this exhibition now means that human stories behind the everyday objects – the cigarette cases, the ID cards, the photographs – will forever be preserved.
I am grateful and moved for the small contribution I could make to this work. Watching people listen to the exhibition was a privilege: the burly bikers in their Marš Mira t-shirts, mothers and grandmothers in their white headscarves, whole families, small children, the subjects themselves – the people whose lives were, and remain, directly and forever darkened by the events of 25 years ago. The responsibility I had felt as I picked apart the grammar and turns of phrase transformed into utter humility, respect, and an overwhelming sense of privilege. As one of the very few foreigners present at the 25th genocide memorial, I will forever be humbled. I will forever carry the message that the genocide in Srebrenica was avoidable, that we must not forget it, and that the people of Srebrenica must not be left behind. We must listen to their stories and learn.

author: Hunadda Sabbagh