Together with our partners, the Austrian branch of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) and Diakonie Austria, we gathered a group of 18 participants from Austria, Germany and former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina) in Sarajevo from 09th until 14th of March, 2012.
Our partner and friend, Boro Kitanoski from „Peace Action“ Prilep, Macedonia, joined the training team and commonly we developed the concept of this seminar.
This seminar was a specific step of CNA in the field of international exchange, an area of interest which we plan to intensify in future. With this seminar we intended to create an open and constructive space where characteristics and similarities of Austria, Germany and former Yugoslavia could be compared, where experience, dilemmas and thoughts on dealing with the past in the particular countries could be shared and where ideas and needs for future cooperation and initiatives could be raised.
The majority of participants is professionally involved in dealing with the past, reconciliation, peacebuilding and/or nonviolence, i.e. within the work of NGOs, within research projects or work for media. Their knowledge, experience, dilemmas and challenges provided the basis for the methodological course and content of the seminar.
The single seminar modules consisted of presentations about processes of dealing with the past in the particular countries, critical assessment of memorial examples, plenum discussions about different models of peacebuilding and reconciliation, work and exchange in groups about good practices in dealing with the past, a guest lecture on memory cultures and politics in Europe and excursions to memorial sites of Sarajevo and the museum of the Battle at Neretva in Jablanica.
During the seminar, but also in the breaks and evenings, a lively exchange and a high interaction between the participants could be watched. In addition many persons talked about their personal experience in the war or shared intimate personal doubts and challenges with others. This can be seen as indicators that the seminar was perceived as a safe space for exchange.
These are only some of the questions with which the participants “entered” the seminar:
• What do you/we expect from DwP?
• The question of collective guilt?
• Is it easier for losers of wars to change than for winners?!
• Why is the issue of DwP so strong in Ex-Yu? (Seems to be stronger than in other regions of post-conflict)
• Who are the victims in former Yugoslavia?
• What is the interdependence between victimization and taking responsibility?
• What do you lack in this (DwP) process in Austria?
• Do fallen members of „Wehrmacht“ have monuments and cemeteries with symbols?
• What are you satisfied with and what are you unsatisfied with in regard how the DwP process went in Germany?
Many of these questions could be opened and addressed during the seminar and understanding for post-war situations, difficulties of reconciliation processes and the dimensions of dealing with the past processes in general was developed. Still the feeling left that there is a need for more and deeper exchange and learning of this kind. This is especially referring to thoughts on the relationship between reconciliation and dealing with the past, analysis of current models of memorialisation and more learning about the context of certain countries.
Similar needs were also raised in the feedback and suggestions about the methodological approach of the seminar by the participants. This might thus be an important direction for future activities of CNA in the field of international exchange on dealing with the past and similar issues.
The seminar showed that such kinds of opportunities for exchange are also in the future useful, especially as this group composition (participants from Austria, Germany and former Yugoslavia) was specific and rare.
The topics of peacebuilding, reconciliation and dealing with the past are still of high actuality and importance in all explored regions, especially in former Yugoslavia due to recent wars, but also in Austria and Germany. The seminar showed that these topics cannot be determined by a certain deadline, but are in fact ongoing processes that need continuous personal commitment and critical reflection and questioning of people.
Some quotes from the participants from the evaluation:
“I am more aware that we are not alone in the dealing with the past process, I have more people to ask about certain topics.”
“The experience (of the seminar) will enrich my personal life, especially according to sensibility towards certain topics.”
“It was a safe room so everybody was allowed to talk about whatever he/she wanted to.”
”The level of listening and personal interest for each individual participant was high and respectful.”
To the question “With which steps in your learning process are you satisfied?”, two persons answered: “Learning the complexity of the process of memorialization, what question must be addressed, with whom or with what we must reconcile?”
“Deepening understanding of dealing with the past in former Yugoslavia as well as in Germany and Austria. Connectedness of personal and peace work approaches to dealing with the past.”
& Diakonie Austria
In cooperation with Internationaler Versöhnungsbund