Belgrade show plots path out of Balkan labyrinth of pain
Belgrade — Life in 1990s former Yugoslavia was a nightmare of war, economic collapse and an all-powerful mafia.
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But a new exhibition in Belgrade hopes plunging visitors back into this labyrinth of trauma and suffering may actually help the Balkans find a way to escape its troubled past.
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The show tells how a once-prosperous country was ripped apart by rampant nationalism and devastating violence as much of the rest of Europe basked in post-Cold War optimism and the beginning of the digital revolution.
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'I feel like crying,' Vesna Latinovic, a 63-year-old from Belgrade told AFP as she toured the exhibition, visibly shaken.
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'Labyrinth of the Nineties' opens with a video collage of popular television intros and music videos, followed by a speech from Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, who ended his days in prison being tried for war crimes.
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'We've forgotten so much — how intense and dramatic it was, how deeply human lives were affected, and how many were tragically cut short,' visitor Latinovic said.
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At least 130,000 were killed — with 11,000 still missing — as Yugoslavia spiralled into the worst war in Europe since 1945. Millions more were displaced as neighbour turned on neighbour.
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The collapse
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The exhibition features haunting images of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo under siege, civilians under sniper fire, refugees and concentration camps.
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Those of strikes, worthless, hyper-inflated banknotes and descriptions of the rise of a new class of tycoons and oligarchs reveal a society imploding.
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The labyrinth in the show is meant to be a 'powerful metaphor to show that we entered the maze of the 1990s and we still haven't found the way out,' said historian Dubravka Stojanovic, who co-curated the show.
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At the labyrinth's heart is 1995 — a year when over 8,000 Muslim men and boys were massacred by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica, and 200,000 Serbs were displaced from Croatia in the fall of the Republic of Serbian Krajina.
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That year the Schengen Agreement removed borders within the European Union, but at the same time new borders were being thrown up between the former Yugoslav republics.
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Globe and Mail
a day ago
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For Iranian-Americans, a potential U.S. attack on the regime brings complex feelings
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Prof. Karim said she is 'ashamed' of the U.S.'s behaviour and that of President Donald Trump especially. 'I think the whole thing is absolutely disgusting in terms of international leadership,' she said. She also criticized Israel for suggesting it is time for Iranian people to rise up, calling it 'completely nonsense.' 'People cannot rise up and liberate themselves from an oppressive government when bombs are being lobbed at them, especially at civilians and civilian sites,' she said. 'I think what it's doing, it's going to harden the Islamic Republic.' Mr. Jobrani, meanwhile, has found himself placing his hopes for a better Iranian future not in Mr. Netanyahu or Mr. Trump, but in others who he sees as more determined to seek peace – perhaps European diplomats, perhaps Chinese negotiators, perhaps even Russia's Vladimir Putin or U.S. conservatives like Steven Bannon and Tucker Carlson, who have publicly opposed U.S. entry into war with Iran. 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National Post
2 days ago
- National Post
Belgrade show plots path out of Balkan labyrinth of pain
Belgrade — Life in 1990s former Yugoslavia was a nightmare of war, economic collapse and an all-powerful mafia. Article content But a new exhibition in Belgrade hopes plunging visitors back into this labyrinth of trauma and suffering may actually help the Balkans find a way to escape its troubled past. Article content The show tells how a once-prosperous country was ripped apart by rampant nationalism and devastating violence as much of the rest of Europe basked in post-Cold War optimism and the beginning of the digital revolution. Article content Article content 'I feel like crying,' Vesna Latinovic, a 63-year-old from Belgrade told AFP as she toured the exhibition, visibly shaken. Article content Article content 'Labyrinth of the Nineties' opens with a video collage of popular television intros and music videos, followed by a speech from Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, who ended his days in prison being tried for war crimes. Article content 'We've forgotten so much — how intense and dramatic it was, how deeply human lives were affected, and how many were tragically cut short,' visitor Latinovic said. Article content At least 130,000 were killed — with 11,000 still missing — as Yugoslavia spiralled into the worst war in Europe since 1945. Millions more were displaced as neighbour turned on neighbour. Article content The collapse Article content The exhibition features haunting images of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo under siege, civilians under sniper fire, refugees and concentration camps. Article content Those of strikes, worthless, hyper-inflated banknotes and descriptions of the rise of a new class of tycoons and oligarchs reveal a society imploding. Article content The labyrinth in the show is meant to be a 'powerful metaphor to show that we entered the maze of the 1990s and we still haven't found the way out,' said historian Dubravka Stojanovic, who co-curated the show. Article content At the labyrinth's heart is 1995 — a year when over 8,000 Muslim men and boys were massacred by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica, and 200,000 Serbs were displaced from Croatia in the fall of the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Article content That year the Schengen Agreement removed borders within the European Union, but at the same time new borders were being thrown up between the former Yugoslav republics.
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Belgrade show plots path out of Balkan labyrinth of pain
Belgrade — Life in 1990s former Yugoslavia was a nightmare of war, economic collapse and an all-powerful mafia. But a new exhibition in Belgrade hopes plunging visitors back into this labyrinth of trauma and suffering may actually help the Balkans find a way to escape its troubled past. The show tells how a once-prosperous country was ripped apart by rampant nationalism and devastating violence as much of the rest of Europe basked in post-Cold War optimism and the beginning of the digital revolution. 'I feel like crying,' Vesna Latinovic, a 63-year-old from Belgrade told AFP as she toured the exhibition, visibly shaken. Plan your next getaway with Travel Time, featuring travel deals, destinations and gear. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Travel Time will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Labyrinth of the Nineties' opens with a video collage of popular television intros and music videos, followed by a speech from Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, who ended his days in prison being tried for war crimes. Deeper into the maze, as the multi-ethnic state begins to crumble, nationalist street signs replace socialist ones, inflammatory newspaper headlines hang from walls, and infamous Serbian warlord Arkan even croons an Elvis tune on late-night TV. 'We've forgotten so much — how intense and dramatic it was, how deeply human lives were affected, and how many were tragically cut short,' visitor Latinovic said. At least 130,000 were killed — with 11,000 still missing — as Yugoslavia spiralled into the worst war in Europe since 1945. Millions more were displaced as neighbour turned on neighbour. The exhibition features haunting images of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo under siege, civilians under sniper fire, refugees and concentration camps. Those of strikes, worthless, hyper-inflated banknotes and descriptions of the rise of a new class of tycoons and oligarchs reveal a society imploding. The labyrinth in the show is meant to be a 'powerful metaphor to show that we entered the maze of the 1990s and we still haven't found the way out,' said historian Dubravka Stojanovic, who co-curated the show. At the labyrinth's heart is 1995 — a year when over 8,000 Muslim men and boys were massacred by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica, and 200,000 Serbs were displaced from Croatia in the fall of the Republic of Serbian Krajina. That year the Schengen Agreement removed borders within the European Union, but at the same time new borders were being thrown up between the former Yugoslav republics. 'It was all completely absurd… The wars only brought suffering to innocents, while those responsible were never truly held accountable,' said a visitor called Cedomir, 39, as he left the exhibition. The curators say all sides involved in the wars — including EU members Croatia and Slovenia — deny, downplay or try to forget the crimes. The show is all about stopping sources and testimonies from fading into oblivion, Stojanovic said. 'In every country, we see the same phenomenon — no one speaks of their own responsibility, only the guilt of others. This makes true reconciliation impossible, let alone the building of trust in the region,' she added. 'But every labyrinth must have an exit,' the historian said. 'And this exhibition aims to help people search for and find that way out.' That's why the labyrinth includes a room dedicated to heroes — those who refused to participate in the war — and a room honouring independent media and anti-war activists. Those heroes include Bosnian Serb Srdan Aleksic who died after being beaten into a coma after he stepped in to defend a Muslim neighbour, and Nedjeljko 'Neđo' Galic, a Bosnian Croat, who with his wife managed to get some 1,000 Muslims and Serbs out of Croatian concentration camps near Mostar. It also features moments of joy amid darkness, like swimming beneath a bombed bridge or ravers partying in a shattered country. Hopeful graffiti that appeared on a wartime wall in Zagreb is also reproduced, 'Love will save us.' 'Regardless of religion, nationality or political affiliation, love knows no borders,' Sofia, a visitor from Skopje in North Macedonia wrote in the exhibition's guestbook. 'Labyrinth of the Nineties' is set to be made into a permanent exhibition in Belgrade. It has already been shown in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo and is also open in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, with plans for shows in Croatia and Slovenia in the future.
