The project Activist Heritage-Stories of Women Behind the Conflict and Crisis in the Western Balkans is an opportunity to hear women’s experiences, record untold women’s stories and discover the role of
women in the peace-building process in our region. Together with our partner organization, the CURE Foundation from Sarajevo, artists, citizens, activists, as well as researchers, this time we are focusing on Bosnia and Serbia. Through the study that will emerge from the testimonies of activists, we will leave a lasting mark and memory of
women’s struggles from the 1990s until today. We will bring the stories that come out of the study closer to a wider audience through comics that will be jointly developed by artists from Bosnia and Serbia, as well as through a short film produced by Befem, but also thematic radio shows. We believe that inspiring stories and connecting activists will enable intergenerational exchange of knowledge and inspire and encourage new forms of cooperation in the region.

The final event, the conference, will be a meeting place for representatives of civil society, culture and art, academia, media and politics, and an opportunity to exchange insights when it comes to opportunities for cooperation, greater presence of women in public space and further normalization of relations in the territory of Western Balkans.

We are especially pleased that within the project we will  publish the study _Life without Compromise for Art and Peace, Jelena Šantić: essays, notes, comments_. The publication, which marks the 20th anniversary of Jelena Santic’s death, is a synthesis of interviews with our famous ballerina and peace activist, her engaging texts, appeals for
peace and texts related to the profession, which have been published in various magazines and books.

The project is being implemented with the support of the Balkan Trust for Democracy.

Duration: March 2021 – January 2022