MIZA HADZIC-MOREAU, Symbol of One, gelatine silver print |
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Wherever we live, whatever our nationality,
the conflicts of the world have entered our daily reality.
Stories of violent death, devastation and terrorism are now
an indelible part of the collective human memory.
In July, 1995, in Srebrenica, a Bosnian silver-mining town,
only a few hours drive from Venice, Vienna, and other major
European capitals, Serbian forces killed nearly 8,000 men,
women and children while in the presence of UN peacekeepers
charged with protecting them.
Ten years after Srebrenica, genocide continues to echo through
an often complacent and even complicit world while people
of conscience try to resist. Since Srebrenica, we have witnessed
genocide in East Timor, Rwanda, Congo, Sudan, the Middle East
and elsewhere. We see new resistances rise while the old fall
away, but the fundamental problems of ethnic hatred and state-sanctioned
murder remain.
How do we respond to genocide and resist oppression in a world
that continually emphasizes and exploits differences between
varied groups of people whether it be along the lines of race,
culture, religion, class, nationality, or sexuality? What
role does xenophobia play in world events?
Why does the "modern" and "secular" nation-state
still deal with crisis by scapegoating certain groups and
allowing violence against them? |
