BENCUN: CULTURE OF REMEMBRANCE IMPORTANT FOR PAST, BUT ALSO FOR FUTURE

VIENNA, SEPTEMBER 10 /SRNA/ - BiH Ambassador to Austria Siniša Bencun stressed the importance of the international multimedia campaign "Learn About the Suffering of the Serb People," organized in Vienna by the Memorial Centre of Republika Srpska, and emphasized that the international public must be reminded objectively and with arguments of historical facts.

He stressed that nurturing a culture of remembrance is important not only for the past, but also for the future.

"At a certain point in history, the culture of remembrance did not have the place it deserved. By sweeping historical facts under the rug for the sake of the idea of brotherhood and unity, some later generations suffered unjustly," Bencun told SRNA.

Today's digital age, he noted, presents a particular challenge, as instant information and disinformation lead to superficial interest among the wider public in gaining an in-depth understanding of issues that would counter attempts to revise history.

"That is why it is good to use different channels, including organizing campaigns to reach the attention of the wider public. True and objective information should contribute to genuine reconciliation in the region and to a future based on respect not only for our own suffering and victims, but also for those of others," Bencun said.

He warned that various attempts to revise or relativize history, which are present today, pose a major danger to a proper understanding of the past.

Head of the Republika Srpska Representative Office in Vienna Mladen Filipović stressed that it is particularly important for young Serbs in Austria to have the opportunity to learn about historical sources and testimonies concerning the suffering of their people.

He also pointed to cooperation with Austrian partners from the media, culture, institutions and business sectors, as well as the importance of the fact that increasing public space is being opened up for discussion of Serb victims.

"Our obligation is to nurture a culture of remembrance and, here in Vienna, to draw attention to Serb victims and the suffering of the Serb people without blaming anyone," Filipović said.

The importance of the campaign for the Serbian community in Austria was also highlighted by Ilija Tufegdžić, a Freedom Party lawmaker in the province and city of Vienna, who noted that neither young Serbs growing up in Austria nor the Austrian public are sufficiently familiar with the suffering of the Serb people, the Memorial Centre of Republika Srpska said.

He stressed that the digital exhibition presents facts about the suffering of Serbs and that it is important to know who did what in order to prevent the recurrence of crimes.

"We can forgive, but we must not forget," Tufegdžić said, stressing that young generations of Serbian descent growing up in Austria must know about the victims among their ancestors.

Austrian writer and publisher Hannes Hofbauer believes that the image of Serbs in the Austrian public sphere has for decades been strongly shaped by the portrayal of Serbs as the "main culprits" for the wars of the 1990s.

He recalled that the outcomes for the participants in the wars varied in different cases before the Hague Tribunal.

"General Ratko Mladić was convicted, while people such as Naser Orić were not convicted or were released very quickly. Likewise, Ramush Haradinaj was not convicted in the long term. This clearly shows how one-sided the view of the events was," Hofbauer said.

The aim of the international multimedia campaign is to make the suffering of the Serb people accessible through documents, archival material, testimonies and digital content to people who often know little about it or are familiar with it through already established historical and political narratives.

The campaign seeks to take the suffering of the Serb people beyond the local framework and introduce it into the European public sphere - in the language of the target audience and using contemporary digital formats.

The campaign was organized in New York in July, and after Vienna it will be held in Rome.