Although they have encountered many difficulties throughout their life together, Danijela and Miralem have been living in a happy marriage for 27 years. They proudly point out that love is always the right value to fight for, because when there is love, there is respect among partners.
Olga and Zijad will celebrate 40 years of happy marriage this year. Despite being born in Banja Luka, their wedded bliss and commitment to bringing up two daughters have not been broken by ethnic and religious divisions; not even by the war that raged in Bosnia and Herzegovina for almost four years. The key to the success of their marriage is, as they say, love, respect and compromise, above all.
Three decades after the violent conflicts that claimed thousands of lives and profoundly shaped those who survived, a central question remains across the Western Balkans: how can the voices, experiences, and needs of those most affected be placed at the center of policy and societal action?
For survivors and victims’ families, memorials have a profound significance, but this meaning often does not extend beyond individual communities. Although this form of commemoration is important, experts warn that alone, it is insufficient for dealing with the past.
Memorialization in post-conflict societies is often neglected. At the same time, memory is one of the most efficient tools to define the present and legitimize the current sociopolitical environment.
Public memorialization, which includes the erection of monuments and memorials, is an integral component of transitional justice and dealing with the past.
Alongside turbulent histories and complex peace agreements, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Northern Ireland share another similarity: the rising rates of violence against women and girls.