To learn more about 'The Bosnian Straitjacket,' please click here.

The younger generation has been roused into activism. Tamara Zrnović, from the Center for Nonviolent Action (CNA), is part of an informal group of activists who have made it their mission to mark sites of suffering throughout the country. 

For Tamara, ‘the future of society and the state is in such a state of collapse that today these obstacles to dealing with the past are everyday.’ The deep divisions within society, whether visible or invisible, constitute the main obstacles to ‘building lasting trust and dialogue, and ultimately building peace.’

In response to the refusal of local authorities to remember the victims, CNA have pioneered a unique form of commemoration designed to directly challenge these entrenched narratives. Marking so-called ‘unmarked sites of suffering’ (‘Obilježavanje neobilježenih mjesta stradanja’ or ONMS) involves the erection of temporary plaques on which is written: 

‘Unmarked place of suffering. At this place, in the last war, people were subjected to inhumane acts. By not letting these events be forgotten, we express solidarity with all the victims, so this never happens to anyone again.’

CNA’s approach subverts the official, selective memory that sanitises the past. ‘When it comes to the current culture of remembrance, the focus is usually on the suffering of people from one's own community,’ Tamara insists, with the suffering of others ignored and even denied. Instead, they want to send a message that ‘every victim deserves respect.’ What is unique about such actions is that ‘they cross the invisible line of demarcation that exists in BiH society, where the goal is to point out that such places exist and to somehow encourage questioning of the war past,’ Tamara explains. 

One challenge they are confronting is a pervasive culture of victimhood that stifles empathy. ‘In our societies where victimization is the most common social pattern when discussing and reflecting on the past, all questions about other people's suffering are perceived as threats to our collective suffering, which results in being placed in defensive positions,’ Tamara asserts, ‘the past is still the main fuel for the consolidation of national ranks, and victimization provides additional octane that prevents crossing the imaginary national borders of memory and suffering.’

This environment profoundly impacts BiH’s youth, who are often caught between inherited trauma and a desire for a different future. ‘I think that young people today have a very difficult time dealing with the consequences of war and trans-generational trauma,’ Tamara insists, with many lacking their own personal views on the past. Many continue to ‘deny the suffering of “the other” and those who are different, and that facts that occurred during the war,’ she continues, ‘they have remained in their ethnically pure groups, and cannot see beyond that.’ 

As Tamara states, war is regularly defined as being ‘defensive, patriotic, liberating, and for the homeland. It is not desirable to speak about those who were ‘imprisoned, killed, tortured or forced to do forced labor for the sake of higher goals, let alone erect monuments that point to this.’ Remembrance is framed by nationalistic narratives that, in her words, ‘emphasise only the defensive character of the war in which “we are the biggest and only victims”.

Their work has inspired others to invite them to mark certain places, including those, in Tamara’s words, ‘where “the other” died.’ One commemoration stands out in particular. ‘We are most proud of marking the place of martyrdom in Bravnice, near Jajce,’ Tamara recalls, where a refugee column of Serbs was attacked in 1995. The site, which was marked on 27th March 2018, has been maintained by the local authorities, who have spoken about why the plaque is there. This experience reinforced a core lesson - ‘sometimes, in order for a place to be marked in a dignified way, people are needed, at least one person who will talk about it.’

For Tamara and CNA, the only path forward is ‘paved with an inclusive and non-selective approach to what happened in the past.’ While they don’t intend to mark every stone in BiH, their approach shows that they ‘have the strength to step out of the segregation that creates a false sense of security.’ They will not give up on building peace, especially with those young people eager to learn from “the other side” and develop empathy.

To learn more about 'The Bosnian Straitjacket,' please click here.

Ian is a writer based in the Balkans. He is the author of 'Dragon's Teeth - Tales from North Kosovo' and 'Luka'. Follow Ian on Twitter @bancroftian.

Currently in: Belgrade, Serbia —  @bancroftian