Cultural trauma processing

Giving back their identity to the 1748 Croats still missing since the war. A great exhibition. Foto: Eurojournalist(e) / CC-BY 2.0

(KL) – In the hectic times we live in, we have almost forgotten the terrible war in the former Yugoslavia, which only ended in 1995 and in which Croatia suffered thousands of casualties. To this day, the fate of 1,748 missing Croats remains unclear, and it is impressive how Croatia is processing this collective trauma through culture. This exhibition pays tribute to the survivors and victims and underscores the importance of collective memory and international understanding of the suffering that has shaped Croatia’s recent history. Croatian Foreign Minister Grilić Radman also came to Strasbourg with Ambassador Toma Galli for the opening of the exhibition, lending it even more weight.

Gordana Špoljar’s works are oppressive and convey a clear message: war is the worst and most inhumane thing imaginable. What if Croatia’s approach to overcoming such trauma culturally could serve as an example for others? Minister Radman also said that Croatia is now in a position to help others overcome their trauma, and the example of his country, which itself experienced the horrors of war some 30 years ago, makes this approach more than credible.

Instead of perpetuating hatred, Croatia has decided to take a positive path, to call things by their name, to give the victims a face and a name, to not sugarcoat anything, and to draw the right conclusions.

It is therefore hardly surprising that Croatia has set itself the task of visibly promoting European values in the region – Minister Radman recently visited various countries in Croatia’s neighborhood to convince them of the advantages of Europe.

And so, thanks in part to the excellent work of the Croatian delegation in Strasbourg, a country scarred by war is becoming a proactive member of the European family. Especially in tense times like these, it is important to create counterexamples and look positively toward the future. That is exactly what Croatia is doing – hats off to them!