The Prijedor Archive Project (PAP) is a joint project from the Foundation for building culture of remembrance in Prijedor (Foundation IKS) and Pro Peace aiming to create a space for research and education with the aim to initiate new commemorative practices and inclusive memory policies while contributing to a community dialogue on war related narratives focusing on the work with younger generations in the city of Prijedor. This is done by collecting archival material, producing research articles, organizing different events and producing pedagogical materials. In the frame of the Prijedor Archive project the exhibition Liberty was produced by the Foundation for building culture of memory in Prijedor (Foundation IKS), Academy VII and Pro Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Liberty exhibition consists from 21 panels with images from the photo journalist Ron Haviv and displays scenes from detention facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina taken in the year 1992 and 1993. Beside scenes of desperation, helplessness and inhuman conditions motive of images are acts of liberation and prisoner exchange moments.
The exhibition was displayed first time in February 2020 in Prijedor gathering survivors and presented the first time when Ron Havivs images were displayed publicly in this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. From the 25th until the 27th October 2021 the exhibition visited Mostar. By choosing a symbolical location, which is a meeting point for youth from both sides of this ethnical divided city Pro Peace and its partners Foundation IKS from Prijedor and the independent news portal tacno.net has enabled the local community in Mostar to reflect on the topic of Liberty through images of an awarded photo journalist. Ex detainees and survivors have visited the exhibition and reflected on the importance of building a culture of memory on this event so that such scenes will not be repeated ever again. The opening ceremony reminded about the importance of the dealing with past process in building sustainable peace.
On the second day of the exhibition a short discussion with students from Sarajevo and Mostar has been organized so that students got the chance to meet the author and discuss about his work.
In times of rising war rhetoric and mistrust between ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina a strong anti-war message echoed with the exhibition Liberty in Mostar addressing the importance of archival projects for the dealing with past process in post conflict societies.
About the exhibition author:
Ron Haviv is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning photojournalist and co-founder of the photo agency VII, dedicated to documenting conflict and raising awareness about human rights issues around the globe. In the last three decades, Haviv has covered more than 25 conflicts and worked in over 100 countries.
For more info please visit Ron Haviv short interview
