Memory Landscape / Culture of Remembrance in contemporary Europe. Rab, Goli otok, 17 June – 03 July

Documenta – Center for Dealing with the Past, the Association Goli otok "Ante Zemljar" and the Volunteer Center Zagreb in cooperation with partner organizations from Italy, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia organize volunteer camp “Landscape of Remembrance” and summer school “Culture of Remembrance in contemporary Europe” from 17 June to 3 July 2016 on the islands of Rab and Goli otok.

Through various activities, this project encourages dialogue on resistance to political violence and on remembering resistance in different socio-political contexts. The project activities are aimed at reflecting on and documenting resistance in Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Italy and Slovenia. The advocacy focus of the project is the memorialization of the victims of the Goli otok prison complex and the preservation of the remaining facilities of the complex.

Volunteer camp "Landscape of Remembrance"

Willing to send a message that the victims of Goli otok internment camp should be remembered in a dignified way, and material remains preserved and placed for the purpose of memorialization, we organized a working educational international volunteer camp Landscape of Remembrance from June 17th to June 29th. As part of the camp, 30 international volunteers will decorate the park space in front of the former administrative building in Tetina Bay. Physical regulation of the works of the complex has a symbolic message – a dignified attitude towards the victims of repression demands and appropriate educational and medological contents in situ. In addition to the work on decorating the park, volunteers will go through a series of workshops on dealing with the past and culture of remembrance.

Summer School "Culture of Remembrance in Modern Europe" (programme attached)

At the end of the working part of the camp, volunteers will join the Summer School Culture of Remembrance in contemporary Europe, from 29 June to 03 July, where they will have the opportunity to hear about the memorialization practices of suffering from World War II and post-war socialist and communist regimes throughout Europe from renowned domestic and international experts. The summer school will bring together historians, curators, activists and artists from Poland, Germany, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia to problematize the challenges, opportunities and ranges of memory practices in different national contexts. Through presentations, workshops, study visits to local places of remembrance, volunteers with professionals and interested citizens will get the opportunity to reflect on the dialogue on the state of memory culture in the context of Croatia, the post-Yugoslav region and Europe.

The volunteer camp and summer school are part of the activities on the project “Personal Faces of Resistance and Opposition to Oppression in 20th Century in Europe”, which was financially supported by the European Commission as part of the Europe for Citizens programme (European Remembrance strand).

Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past

Association Goli otok "Ante Zemljar"

Volunteer Center Zagreb

Photo: Darko Bavoljak, Association Goli otok "Ante Zemljar"