Personal Faces of Resistance and Opposition to Oppression in 20th Century in Europe – project successfully accomplished!
Participation: The project involved 1056 citizens, notably 464 participants from Zagreb, Ludbreg, Novska, Pakrac, Rab, Rijeka, Sisak, Slavonski Brod from Croatia; 206 participants from Prilep and Skopje, Macedonia; 90 participants from Udine and Gorizia, Italy; 81 participants from Podgorica, Montenegro; 168 participants from the city of Belgrade, Serbia; including 17 participants from Ljubljana and Maribor, Slovenia; 5 participants from Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Prijedor, Bosnia-Hercegovina; 7 participants from the city of Berlin, Germany; 3 participants from the city of Warsaw, Poland; 5 from France, Spain and Belgium. Location. Dates: The events took place at Goli otok, Croatia, Rab, Croatia; Zagreb, Croatia; Skopje, Macedonia; Gorizia, Udine, Italy; Podgorica, Montenegro; Belgrade, Serbia; Maribor, Slovenia., from 01.09.2015 to 30.04.2017
Short description:
Activities were focused on dealing with history of resistance to various regimes with special focus on the consequences of World War II on socialist Yugoslavia. Specific objectives of the project were: i) Raising awareness on importance of resisting dictatorships in the past and historical significance of different resistance movements to the oppressive regimes, as motivation for young and general public for working on social change nowadays; ii) Affirming approaches based on multiperspectivity through the different narratives and creation of public space in which different narratives will be able to co-exist without bringing into question and without diminishing anyone’s suffering or tragedy; ii) enhancing institutional.official support for attempts and activities related to practices of remembering and commemorating certain events from the past.
Major events were following:
Day of 28.09.2015 was dedicated to initial public Round table “Resistance in Yugoslavia and post-Yugoslav countries in 20th Century”.
Day of 09.11.2015 was dedicated to well attended public events celebrating 70 years of ending WWII and marking international Day against Racism and Anti-Semitism held in Croatia, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia.
Days from 17.06.2016 to 29.06.2016 were dedicated to International Volunteer Camp “Landscape of Memories” on islands Rab and Goli otok.
Days from 29.06.2016 to 04.07.2016 were dedicated to Summer School “Culture of Remembrance in Contemporary Europe” on islands Rab and Goli otok.
Days from 29.06.2016 to 30.06.2016 were dedicated to development of program of Workshop “Faces of Resistance” for young for workshops implemented in Croatia (9.12.2016, 25.03.2017), Italy (14.12.2016), Macedonia (17.02.2017, 11.04.2017), Montenegro (20.10.2016 – 23.10.2016), Serbia (10.04.2017) and Slovenia (06.01.2017).
Day 23.03.2017 was dedicated to Opening of Exhibition “Faces of Resistance” in Zagreb.
Days from 24.03.2017 to 24.03.2017 were dedicated to International Conference Summer School “Culture of Remembrance in Contemporary Europe” in Zagreb.
Dday 10.04.2017 was dedicated to Opening of Exhibition “Faces of Resistance” in Belgrade.
Documenta has successfully organized all planned activities together with Center for Cultural Decontamination Belgrade, Centre for Civic Education Podgorica, Peace Action Prilep, Associazione Quarantasettezeroquattro Gorizia, Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor, Volunteers’ Centre Zagreb, Association Goli otok „Ante Zemljar“. The highlights of the program included: Summer school “Culture of remembrance in contemporary Europe”. Among the speakers were Žarko Puhovski, Ivo Barić, Vanja Seršić, Ulrich Mahlert, Marjetka Bedrač, Štefan Čok, Boris Stamenić, Martin Previšić, Miloš Vukanović, Milovan Pissari, Emreh Rexepi, Borka Pavičević and others. The conference was preceded by an international educational work Volunteer camp “Landscape of memories”, whose participants later joined the summer school. The goal of the camp was to send a symbolic message – “dignified treatment towards victims of repression requires appropriate educational and museum facilities on site”. Victim of complex Goli otok “need to be remembered in a dignified manner, and material remains need to be preserved and memorialized”, especially in memory of inmates suffering during the period from 1949 to 1953 when it functioned as a prison for political opponents during the conflict between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union and its culmination with Cominform Resolution. Work was complemented with various workshops on dealing with the past and culture of remembrance as well as film screenings. The opportunity to contribute was given to a group of artists who prepared art installations (Igor Grubić, Marijan Crtalić, Ana Mušćet, Katija Bušlje, Darko Bavoljak and others). Participants were also addressed by directors Oliver Frljić and Tiha Gudac On June 1 2016, by the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Goli Otok was placed under the preventive protection – the lowest form of recognition of architectural cultural heritage as a whole – after systematic neglect and random devastation that lasted a quarter of century after complex Goli otok as a correctional institution was closed. To raise public awareness on resistance to oppression, video interviews were recorded, later used in workshops, exhibition and dedicated platform “Faces of Resistance”. Exhibition was curated by Nataša Mataušić. Workshop was designated by Goran Đurđević. After International Conference “Resisting Violence and Advocating Right To Justice, Truth, Remembrance” we concluded program with evaluation and planning further steps. We plan further development of “Faces of Resistance” platform. We also encountered some challenges which were successfully resolved. Due to too many other activities Museum of Newer History had to leave partnership, creating space to welcome Synagogue Maribor. Although initial response of volunteers was not high, due to sending applications to VCZ online database to 14 000 registered volunteers and around 400 organi-zations for volunteering. VCZ received 32 applications in total and accepted a total of 21 volunteers and 9 artists.
Events list
Event 1
Participation: The Preparatory workshop involved 23 participants including 13 from Zagreb, Croatia; 2 from Skopje, Macedonia; 2 from Gorizia, Italy; 2 from Podgorica, Montenegro; 3 from Belgrade, Serbia; 1 from the city of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Location, dates: The event took place in Zagreb, Croatia from 27.09.2015 to 28.09.2015.
Short description: The aim of the event was detailed planning with participation of all partner organizations
Event 2
Participation: The Round table involved 70 participants, including 53 from Zagreb, Croatia; 2 from Skopje, Macedonia; 2 from Gorizia, Italy; 2 from Podgorica, Montenegro; 3 from Belgrade, Serbia; 1 from Ljubljana, Slovenia; 7 from Berlin, Germany.
Location, Dates: The event took place in Zagreb, Croatia, on 28.09.2015
Short description: The aim of the event was to discuss challenges of documenting and portraying resistance to oppressive regimes.
Event 3
Participation: Two day workshop to agree on the content of web page “Faces of Resistance” and the software to support it, involved 12 participants, including 7 participants from Zagreb, Croatia; 1 participants from Skopje, Macedonia; 1 participants from Gorizia, Italy; 1 participants from Podgorica, Montenegro; 2 participants from Belgrade, Serbia.
Location, dates: The event took place in Zagreb, Croatia from 15.11.2015 to 16.11.2015;
Short description: The aim of the event was to define outline of the web
Event 4
Participation: Two daya workshop to discuss methodology of interview recording and preparation of exhibition involved involved 8 citizens, including 4 participants from Zagreb, Croatia; 1 participants from Skopje, Macedonia; 1 participants from Gorizia, Italy; 1 participants from Podgorica, Montenegro; 2 participants from Belgrade, Serbia.
Location, dates: The event took place in Zagreb, Croatia from 16.11.2015 to 17.11.2015;
Short description: The aim of the event was to agree on methodology and share tasks.
Event 5
Participation: Recording memories of resisters who opposed different regimes and have been oppressed by them. Interviews were recorded with 22 citizens, 9 narrators from Zagreb, Croatia; 3 narrators from Skopje, Macedonia; 3 narrators from Gorizia and Trieste Italy; 3 narrators from Podgorica, Montenegro; 4 narrators from Belgrade, Serbia.
Location, dates: Recording took place in Zagreb, Croatia; Skopje, Macedonia; Gorizia, Italy; Podgorica, Montenegro; Belgrade, Serbia from 15.10.2015 to 01.06.2016:
Short description: The aim was preserving and publishing memories of resisters.
Event 6
Participation: Public events to celebrate 70 years of ending WWII and mark International Day against Racism and Anti-Semitism The event involved 202 citizens, 70 from Zagreb, Croatia; 30 from Skopje, Macedonia; 50 from Gorizia, Trieste, Udine, Italy; 35 from Podgorica, Montenegro; 17 from Belgrade, Serbia.
Location, dates: The events took place in Zagreb, Croatia; Skopje, Macedonia; Gorizia, Italy; Podgorica, Montenegro; Belgrade, Serbia prior and on 09.11.2015;
Short description: The aim of the events was raising awareness on importance of resisting dictatorships in the past and historical significance of different resistance movements to the oppressive regimes nowadays.
Event 7
Participation: The Preparation and putting up the travelling exhibition on personal faces of resistance to different oppressive regimes (“Faces of Resistance” held in Zagreb in March 2017 and Beograd in April 2017). Opening and follow up events during exhibition involved 213 citizens, including 145 from Zagreb, Croatia; 1 from Skopje, Macedonia; 1 from Gorizia, Italy; 2 from Podgorica, Montenegro; 97 from Belgrade, Serbia.
Location, dates: The events took place in Zagreb, Croatia and Belgrade, Serbia from 1.11.2015 to 30.04.2017. Short description: The aim of the event was raising awareness on importance of resisters contribution.
Event 8
Participation: Advocating conservation of “Goli otok” and other remembrance sites involved 22 citizens from Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia;
Location, dates: Advocacy activities took place in Goli otok, Rab, Zagreb, Croatia from 01.01.2016 to 30.04.2017
Short description: The aim was to insure full protection of the sites, as preventive protection of Goli otok was declared on 01.06.2016
Event 9
Participation: The summer school “Culture of remembrance in contemporary Europe”. The event involved 63 participants, including 36 from Zagreb, 7 from Rab, 5 from Rijeka, 1 from Sisak from Croatia; 2 participants from Prilep, Macedonia; 2 from Gorizia and Trieste, Italy; 2 participants from the Podgorica, Montenegro; 4 participants from Belgrade, Serbia; 1 participant from the city of Maribor, Slovenia; 1 participant from Berlin, Germany; 1 participant from Sarajevo, Bosnia Hercegovina;
Location, dates: The event took place in Rab, Croatia from 29.06.2016 to 3.7.2016
Short description: The aim of the event was exchange of experiences and affirming approaches based on multiperspectivity.
Event 10
Participation: Two day planning session to discuss preparation of education workshops for young The event involved 23 participants including 5 participants from Zagreb, Croatia; 2 from Skopje, Macedonia; 2 from Gorizia, Trieste Italy; 2 from Podgorica, Montenegro; 3 from Belgrade, Serbia; 1 from Maribor, Slovenia. Location, dates: It was held on Rab, Croatia from 29.06.2015 to 30.06.2016
Short description: Developing outline of workshops with title “Faces of Resistance” for young and plan implementation
Event 11
Participation: International volunteer Camp “Landscape of Memories” on Goli otok and Rab involved 30 volunteers from Ludbreg, Sisak, Zagreb, Rijeka (23), Germany (2), Belgium (2), Spain (1), France (1), Poland (1);
Location, dates: Volunteer activities took place in Goli otok, Rab, Croatia from 17.06.2016 to 29.06.2016
Short description: The aim was clearing of island landscape and increasing visibility of neglected memory site. It was reported widely in the media.
Event 12
Participation: Preparation and conduction of educational workshops on oral history and resistance involved 282 participants: 25 from Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia; 164 from Prilep, Macedonia; 25 from Gorizia, Trieste, Udine Italy; 27 from Podgorica, Montenegro; 25 from Belgrade, Serbia; 16 from Maribor, Slovenia
Location, dates: 14 Workshops were held in Zagreb, Croatia; Prilep, Macedonia; Gorizia, Italy; Podgorica, Montenegro; Belgrade, Serbia; Maribor, Slovenia from 01.11.2016 to 30.04.2017
Short description: The aim was accepting new information and knowledge on oral history methods and on importance of resistance during oppressive regimes.
Event 13
Participation: International Conference “Resisting Violence and Advocating Right To Justice, Truth, Remembrance” involved 80 participants from Zagreb, Croatia (55); Skopje, Macedonia (1); Gorizia, Italy (1); Podgorica, Montenegro (2); Belgrade, Serbia (5); Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina (4); Priština, Kosovo (2); Brussels, Belgium (2); Warsaw, Poland (2); Ludwigsburg, Germany (1)
Location, dates: Advocacy activities took place in Zagreb, Croatia from 24.03.2017 to 25.03.2017
Short description: The aim was enhancing public and institutional.official support to practices of remembering.
Event 14
Participation: Evaluation Workshop involved 15 participants: 7 from Zagreb, Croatia; 1 participant from Skopje, Macedonia; 1 participant from Gorizia, Italy; 2 participants from Podgorica, Montenegro; 3 participants from Belgrade, Serbia;
Location, dates: The event took place in Zagreb, Croatia on 25.03.2017.
Short description: The aim was to evaluate cooperation and plan further steps.
