July 19, 2015

Making the invisible visible

tags:	#11.07.1995, #anti-militarism, #feminist, #Srebrenica, #Women in Black, #zene u crnom
by:	Deniz Zehra Tavli

Commemorative culture is an unpopular term in Serbia: According to the feminist and anti-militarist network Women in Black Belgrade (Zene u crnom Beograd), Serbian society has still not dealt enough with its recent national history including military violence and state organized war crimes during the Balkan Wars.

Women in Black is a world-wide network of women committed to peace with justice and actively opposed to injustice, war, militarism and other forms of violence. From the beginning of their work in October 1991, Women in Black Belgrade have made visible non-violent resistance to militarism, war, sexism and nationalism by organizing around 700 peaceful public actions on the streets and squares of the Serbian Capital and beyond, built a women's network of solidarity in a male-dominated culture, organized peace education and demanded demilitarisation and disarmament.

A permanent confrontation with the past is a great focus of Women in Black Belgrade: They were one of the first and loudest groups in Serbia commemorating the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, committed by Serbian paramilitary groups in July 1995 in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica. They demand a public debate about Serbia's responsability in this and many more cases.

Support this great collective of brave women fighting for a different perspective! Help them to establish a commemorative culture in Serbian society and provoke necessary public debates around violence and war!