Programme & action: ERASMUS+, Key Action 1: Youth Exchange/summer school
Venue: Zagreb, Croatia
Dates: 5–16 September 2021
Host organisation: Documenta Centar Za Suocavanje s Prosloscu Udruge
Participating countries: Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, Serbia, Spain
Please read the Info-pack, call for participants & daily programme.
Czech team: Filip Lipenský, Polina Sanochkina, Zdeňka Jarošová
Brochure from the project: here
Project report:
Dobrodošli u Hrvatsku! A place where it is always sunny, or so it was in our case. Me and my two Czech colleagues travelled to Zagreb, excited to take part in the project Biographies of Resistance: Meeting with the History of Marginalized Groups, between Oppression and Fight for Human Rights organized by a Croatian organisation Documenta, between 5th and 16th September. Added to us Czechs, there were also 4 people from Greece, Serbia and Croatia a 5 people from Spain and Italy. Quite a diverse group of people, ain’t it?
As the topic would suggest, we did a lot of discussing throughout our many workshops focusing on the problems of underrepresentation of minorities in national histories or, as well, in the forming and reforming of our societies currently, later wondering what could be done about that. That could get boring eventually though, but our wise organisers knew already. That’s why we also visited several places connected to the history of the minorities, such as former concentration camp JUSP Jasenovac, Mirogoj cemetery or the Dotrščina Park in Zagreb. To lighten the mood, we also played several games connected to the topic. It all escalated with us showing our presentations about specific people important to the history of said minorities at our exhibition we opened the final day.
But we also had enough time for ourselves, to bond better with colleagues from other countries, together discover the day and night life in Zagreb. We also had a special intercultural night, which helped us discover a bit, what the others eat and drink, dance and listen to or do.
Overall, I think we were successful in achieving our goal, that being shedding some light on the forgotten parts of our own histories and acknowledging the roles of minorities in them. We’ve learned a lot of historical facts and heard many opinions during those 11 days. But it’s not over yet! Now that we’re back home, we’re ready to delve more into the different histories of our own specific country.
I’d sincerely love to thank EYCB, Documenta and other organisations which helped to make this project happen.
Filip Lipenský
