For decades, ethnonationalism has dominated public space and political discourse in Croatia, standing in opposition to the respect for human rights and European values—primarily those of preserving peace and ensuring equality before the law. There is also a direct causal link between the wars of the 1990s and the ongoing interethnic hatred and prejudices against those perceived as the (ethnic) "others".
In line with the Youth Initiative for Human Rights' mission to contribute to achieving justice in cases of war crimes, fostering reconciliation within Croatia and the region, and strengthening democracy, the exhibition “The Youth Remembers the Forgotten” was created. The exhibition was designed, developed and realized by those who did not experience the war firsthand but still feel its consequences, those who want to prevent the recurrence of conflicts and build a society based on the respect for human rights, led by tolerant citizens who critically reflect on their country’s past. The exhibition showcases how generations born after the wars of the 1990s perceive the wars’ destructiveness, putting a particular focus on the (forgotten) victims.
“The Youth Remembers the Forgotten” exhibition follows visits to nearly 30 sites of suffering and remembrance from the Second World War and the wars of the 1990s in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It delves into war-related events and themes that are often overlooked in the dominant educational and political contexts. By highlighting the connections between the past and the present—primarily through the exposure of the prevailing and often exclusionary culture of remembrance—the exhibition encourages reflection on the social, political, and cultural issues that shape our everyday lives.
This exhibition is the result of the Initiative’s years-long project bearing the same name. It is also linked to an interdisciplinary study trip taken by students of political science, journalism, history, psychology, photography, visual arts, and landscape architecture from Croatia and Serbia. The trip explored locations marked by cultural trauma from the wars of the 1990s and the Second World War. The exhibition features photographs and factual data documenting sites of suffering, as well as previous memorialization efforts aiming to ensure that they do not become or stay forgotten.
A significant element of the exhibition is the Green Box, containing anonymous thoughts, reflections, and experiences of young people after visiting sites of suffering. We hereby invite you to share your thoughts on what you see throughout this exhibition by leaving short notes and tying them together with the red threads. This will allow you to become part of this journey as well.
This is not an exhibition about the past—it is a call to responsibility in the present. Remembrance is not just an act of memorising; it always presents an active and determined resistance to forgetting.
Financirano sredstvima Europske unije. Izneseni stavovi i mišljenja su stavovi i mišljenja autora i ne moraju se podudarati sa stavovima i mišljenjima Europske unije ili Europske izvršne agencije za obrazovanje i kulturu (EACEA). Ni Europska unija ni EACEA ne mogu se smatrati odgovornima za njih.
Program Impact4Values sufinancira Ured za udruge Vlade Republike Hrvatske.
