Mott Communications Officer Maggie I. Jaruzel interviewed Foundation grantees in the Western Balkans who helped coordinate the recent “Truth in Translation” tour through the region. These grantees also attended performances and participated in related "Talk Back" sessions and workshops. Mott grantees share their thoughts and observations below.
The performance was fascinating. It had several layers that can’t all be grasped in only one showing. It was especially attractive the way it was presented as a narrative with the real experiences of the South African actors involved. It seemed that everything corresponded to their lives and what they have been through. In one way that makes it easier for the actors, and in another way that makes it harder for them. We heard narratives from the perpetrators as well as the victims and observers. That resonated with the Croatians because we had all those here.
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| Vesna Terselic |
We recruited a broad range of organizations – victims associations, veterans groups, youth organizations, and human rights groups – to attend the performance. We had our best response from the youth organizations because they have a national network based in Zagreb already involved in dealing with past activities. After the performance, the youth participated in the "Talk Backs" and the workshops. I was quite hopeful because they seem ready to work on the problems that are similar to ones addressed in the performance.
We have had domestic trials for war crimes committed on the Serbian side of the war in Croatia since the beginning of the war. Since 2001, we have also had some trials for crimes committed on the Croatian side of the war. So, more and more, society understands that crimes have happened on both sides of the war.
There were veteran groups at the performance but just being a veteran does not mean one has committed war crimes. Veterans did shooting but that doesn’t mean they committed war crimes either. That is why individualized responsibility for war crimes matters. We had one veteran participate in the workshop in Croatia. He had also been a peace activist but he chose to speak about his identity as a veteran. The actors pointed out that, for some people, that was the most important part of the workshop.
Sixty-one percent of those who participated in a public opinion survey on “dealing with the past” in Croatia, which was done by Documenta in 2006, agreed that everyone who was suspected of war crimes should be prosecuted, regardless of their backgrounds. Support for “dealing with the past” processes is gradually growing. The authorities mostly lack political will for it. But there is more now than there was in the 1990s. Annually, we have 25 to 30 trials for war crimes on both the Serbian side and the Croatian side of the war in Croatia.
For me, the performance and the after events [Talk Backs and workshops] gave me an opportunity to look again at why I do this type of work. It re-energized me.
I have been involved in anti-war campaigns since the beginning of the war and personally concerned about the topic of transitional justice throughout my life. Conflict has always been connected with my family’s history, going back to World War II and even before that. Conflict has always been felt in my family since I was a child. I am the granddaughter of concentration camp survivors, and my family was part of the anti-fascist resistance.
At Documenta, we do a lot of dialogue work so we are used to listening to experiences of other groups. The workshop was rich in content and enabled us to reflect about ongoing “dealing with the past” work. It also led to discussing the possibility of involving actors and directors from Croatia in “justice for victims” efforts.