The “War of Memories” exhibition was on display at the Kragujevac Youth Centre from 12 to 24 March 2018. Already at the opening it was clear that the exhibition had created a buzz in town, that it was being discussed, and that many people from Kragujevac came to the opening. Thanks to our local partner in Kragujevac, Gordana Jocić, a reporter and founder of the Centre for Peace Initiatives, the exhibition was also visited by many educators, which will turn out to be important for the course of the exhibition in Kragujevac.
The opening was attended by our associates from Kruševac, Veroljub Smiljković and Aleksandar Sokolović, both war veterans active in peace work. Apart from the photograph authors who spoke at the opening, Nenad Vukosavljević and Nedžad Horzović, the floor was spontaneously given to Aleksandar Sokolović who told the visitors that he was very young when he participated in the war in Kosovo where he was seriously wounded and that this was his motivation for engaging in peacebuilding.
Already the next day, Goran Joksimović, the head of the Šumadija Schools Administration, sent an invitation to all schools in the city to bring their pupils to the exhibition because he recognised in it a clear message for peace. Pupils visited the exhibition in the days to follow, including those of the Kragujevac First Gymnasium who had lessons in history, philosophy, civic education, religious instruction, etc. at the exhibition. Talking to them about subjects they were essentially unfamiliar with, given that wartime atrocities are rarely included in the school curriculum, Katarina Milićević from CNA and Gordana Jocić from the Centre for Peace Initiatives shared their personal stories of what war was like. About how nobody expects it, but it does not come suddenly, about how we need to recognise and react to all forms of violence in society while there is still time.
Even we were somewhat surprised by the number of visitors to the “War of Memories” exhibition in Kragujevac, the great media interest, numerous individuals who saw the exhibition and posted about it on social networks.
The photo gallery from this event can be viewed HERE:
Some reports from the media: