“It is wrong to think that young people do not want to know”

ROBERT BOTTERI - editor-in-chief of Mladina from 1987 to 1997, and since then creative director of Mladina [Slovenia]

GENERATION OF LIVED HISTORY

The war does not end with the cessation of the conflict. Survivors continue to carry it deep inside them. The way post-war society relates to war affects individuals and shapes transgenerational memory.

• How has the generation that lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region during the wars in the former Yugoslavia – and especially during the genocide in Srebrenica – experienced and shaped this history in the past 30 years: through personal memories, reflections, but also through narratives in the media, films, books, textbooks and rituals of remembrance?

"Unfortunately, the memories of the events of thirty years ago are fading more and more and would disappear into the oblivion of history if it were not for current events in the region. The old spirit of bigotry and intolerance is coming out of the bottle again. We are human beings, inclined to suppress painful experiences, especially if they did not directly affect us or our loved ones. We prefer to remember the good times. Most people fondly remember summer vacations on the Adriatic during the socialist era, rather than the wars that followed in the Balkans. There are few who really believe that we have learned enough from history and that there is still a threat of violence repeating itself. The accelerated pace of everyday life and new conflicts around the world blur the view of one's own past. Memories live on only through books, films and theater plays that still talk about those unfortunate days."

A GENERATION BORN IN HISTORY (THOSE BORN IN 1995)

Thirty years later, we are once again witnessing the shaping of history amidst political manipulations of narratives. That is why transgenerational memory is required to carry a culture of remembrance and responsibility to the truth – in the name of future generations who must learn how peace is built and preserved.

• How does a generation born in the year of the Srebrenica genocide today understand this history? And how did growing up in this heritage shape their sense of identity, memory, and responsibility?

"In my area in Slovenia, young people born after 1995 know almost nothing about these events. Only those with family ties to those affected sometimes learn something from their parents or relatives. This is not taught in schools. History often ends with the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. There is no talk of interethnic conflicts during the Second World War in this region, nor of socialism — and the wars of the 1990s do not even occur. Modern consumer society does not want to bother with traumas and the prescribed medicine is oblivion. But it's a stereotypical view. Even today, there are future intellectuals among young people who want to know, understand, shape the attitude. The Youth Theatre in Ljubljana recently staged a play "Boško and Admira" – a true story of two young people of different nationalities, in love in the midst of the war in Sarajevo. It was directed by a director born in 1998. Her view is different: she not only wonders what happened, but also whether we learned anything. Not only those who lived through the war, but also we, who watched it from a safe distance."

TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY DYNAMICS (1995-2025)

Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina is still marked by war traumas. Prevailing ethno-national policies keep citizens in fear, under constant threat of a new war – for their own interests. Politics has instrumentalized trauma.

• How – and whether – generations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the regions that lived through the wars in the former Yugoslavia, especially the events of 1995, and the generation born that same year have shaped mutual understanding of the past? To what extent are their views aligned today – and how do they differ?

"I recently rewatched the movie 'QUO VADIS, AIDA?' on the occasion of the imminent commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the genocide. Young people were invited. Many heard about this tragic event for the first time. The screening was followed by a conversation with young people born in the 21st century. Otherwise, the older ones teach the younger ones what happened and how they should understand it. But this time it was different. There was a silent but strong condemnation – not only of our generation, but of the whole world. How could we let this happen? Did we do everything we could to prevent this tragedy? It is wrong to think that young people do not want to know. We're the ones not giving them a chance to familiarize themselves with that time. We created that reality – not them. And maybe we are afraid to be asked once: 'What did you do during the war? Have you done all you could to prevent evil, or at least to diminish it?'"

REGIONAL FUTURE: TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY, HERITAGE OR TRAUMA (2025-2055)

Thirty years after the war, ethnic identity still dominates the civic. In post-war society, the structure of ethnically divided space often makes civic initiatives impossible, as they are automatically attributed an ethnic sign.

• How could political, social, educational and cultural development in Bosnia and Herzegovina – and more broadly in the region – affect how transgenerational memory will be preserved, reinterpreted or denied in the next 30 years?

"Society often acts as if it is better not to remember, because if you ignore the problem – it may disappear. That is why it does not try to seriously deal with the understanding of that time in schools. Print media, unfortunately, have become so benign in relation to social networks that they no longer have a serious impact on forming opinions. And social networks do not encourage in-depth communication – it is not clickable. It is dominated by angular extremes, a black-and-white picture of the world, and attention is measured in seconds. Only culture can have a lasting impact and prevent memories from slipping into oblivion. Movies, books, and theatrical performances leave a deeper mark. Two hours of film or theatre are often the best way to understand, question and form your own view of that time."

GLOBAL FUTURE: TRANSGENERATIONAL MEMORY, INDIFFERENCE OR REVISIONISM (1995-2025-2055)

In the modern world, geopolitics is rapidly conditioning historical narratives and transgenerational memory – openly trading influence in conflicts and party choices through daily-political revisionism.

• How could global political disruptions, conflicting international historical narratives, and changing norms on justice and human rights shape the ways in which knowledge of wartime events from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the region will be transmitted, challenged, or withheld across generations over the next 30 years?

"In 1990, just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, ideologies and fascism seemed to have come to an end. But already in the following days, the war in Yugoslavia began. Fascism returned – in its worst form, including the genocide. And we all, after Auschwitz, repeated loudly: Never again. Today, 30 years after Srebrenica, history seems to be repeating itself. Everything that seemed to have calmed down in the new century and that conflicts, at least in Europe, were being resolved peacefully, and the states of the former Yugoslavia beingtogether again in the European Union, evaporated overnight. The spirit of violence is awakening again. The atmosphere of war, killing and exalting one's own nation over others is reborn. Once again, heads are turned and genocide is not noticed in our vicinity. Once again, the narrative boils down to the fact that these are "troubled areas" where escalation occurs every now and then. Once again, we all pretend to be Dutch and do nothing to stop the genocide. But what gives hope that the whole world has not become numb are the young people. In Slovenia, young girls are at the forefront of the protests against the war in Palestine. They are radical and call a spade a spade. They will not allow indifference, let alone revisionism. These young women are memorable today."



The opinions and insights expressed in this text reflect solely the views of the author. We publish these contributions to encourage reflection and open space for diverse perspectives on the topic of transgenerational memory in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.