On 13 March, the Centre for Nonviolent Action and the Biber team organised the promotion of the third Biber Short Story Contest in Podgorica. The promotion was held at the Budo Tomović Culture and Information Centre in Podgorica, which was the co-organiser and provided support to the programme.
The following people spoke at the promotion: Lejla Kalamujić, writer from Sarajevo and member of the jury; Nora Verde (Antonela Marušić), writer from Zagreb; Slađana Ljubičić, activist and writer from Novi Sad; and Katarina Milićević, member of CNA and the Biber team.
Apart from promoting the Biber Contest and the previously published collections, the promotion also discussed personal and collective notions of reconciliation, the speakers talked about the need for such processes in their own communities and the obstacles and barriers that stand in its way.
The combination of activism and literature that has resulted in Biber now seems if not inseparable and necessary, then very efficient and effective in working towards the common aim of peacebuilding and a better and freer society for us all.
Speaking about her inspiration for the short story “Limbo in the Summer”, published in the first collection, about her personal need to write it and publish it, Slađana Ljubičić said that Biber is “a great opportunity to combine literature and activism,” as well as providing support and a boost to all those who are thinking about writing stories about peace and reconciliation.
Lejla Kalamujić discussed dealing with the past as an important step towards peacebuilding, adding that for her, dealing with the past meant dealing with herself, her own memories and traumatic experiences. Pointing out that topics of war and reconciliation are quite well represented in the literary production of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the work of relevant literary authors, Kalamujić added that “Biber has become important not just in terms of activism for peace and trust building, but also as a regional point of reference for literature.”
In a society where dealing with the past helps deconstruct established representations of the enemy, where reconciliation is readily discussed and where people take responsibility for their actions, it is easy to see that it is only inhumanity that is our common enemy and that we must fight it constantly and openly. As Katarina Milićević said at the promotion, “Various other cries and messages are often heard. They are very loud. Reconciliation is not discussed openly, except when it is being misused for political gain. When it comes to us who are supposed to live and breathe reconciliation, our voices are very soft.”
Antonela Marušić insisted that stories from Biber should be told and heard more often in our societies and that we should be “implacable in our demands for reconciliation”. The reading of her story “Cipal” from the first Biber Collection left a powerful impression on the audience. The audience was visibly touched and had received plenty of food for thought. At the end, empowered and inspired, they took part in a lively discussion.
I have done that — says my memory
I cannot have done that — says my pride and remains inexorable
Eventually — memory yields
Already the next day, 14 March, at the same venue, the Budo Tomović Culture and Information Centre in Podgorica, it was this epigram by Nietzsche that opened the War of Memories exhibition and best sums up the current state of Montenegrin society when it comes to dealing with the past. Our memory tells us that we took part in the war, but our lofty and forgetful pride tells us that we couldn’t have possibly done so, and finally that others must have done it! This is the most common answer you are likely to receive in Montenegro today, at least officially, when you ask about the past war. That is why the War of Memories exhibition, arriving to Podgorica three years after it was first shown in Vienna, is anything but late, anything but obsolete, in fact, in Montenegro it is sorely needed, and, therefore, always welcome.
The War of Memories exhibition of photographs by Nenad Vukosavljević and Nedžad Horozović, which came out of the project on War Monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina (from 1991) was opened by Davorka Turk, member of the CNA team, who presented the background of the research conducted as part of the project; Tamara Zrnović, member of the CNA team, who introduced the audience to the work and activities of the Centre for Nonviolent Action; and Nedžad Horozović, one of the photographers and member of the CNA team, who spoke about his own experiences while visiting sites of atrocities and monuments. The exhibition was on display at the Budo Tomović Centre until 29 March.
Erasing memories, suppressing them into oblivion or rejecting responsibility for what happened and passing it onto someone else cannot form the basis for coexistence or for building a lasting peace. The War of Memories exhibition addresses these very problems, but not by providing ready solutions. Instead, it opens a window for those who wish to see and create space themselves for acting differently, constructively, with compassion and responsibility.
Extensive media coverage of both events and, interestingly for Montenegrin society, by both position and opposition media, the so-called pro-Serbian and the so-called pro-Montenegrin media outlets, indicates that the need for reconciliation has been universally recognised. All of them, irrespective of their different national prefixes and positions within society that are usually defining, at least for those few days, at least in those few articles and reports, they all became pro-reconciliation.
In fact, the media campaign extended beyond the promotion and opening of the exhibition, with the daily DAN and the Vijesti television station subsequently publishing interviews with authors from the region who participated in the Biber promotion. This is good news in terms of how our activities can take on a life of their own and how their effects can hopefully be spread, and it leaves us with a feeling of content and satisfaction with what we have presented and achieved.
Photo gallery from the Biber promotion
Photo gallery from the opening of the War of Memories exhibition
Some media reports:
Interview with Nenad Vukosavljević, published in the Vijesti daily
Announcements for Biber:
Articles about the Biber promotion:
Dan daily
Announcements for War of Memories: