The Museum of War Childhood has finally got the space allocated by the Municipal Council Stari Grad. The Museum will be situated in the former Social House Logavina. The team that launched the initiative for the founding of the Museum of War Childhood (MRD) pointed out that this is a very important step because permanent exhibition has a great symbolic significance for their work and participants in the project.
“It is important to bear in mind that permanent exhibition is just one of the channels for displaying and communication that MRD uses and that exhibiting is just one of our activities. That is why I often like to say that permanent exhibition is like a tip of the iceberg – only what is the most visible. MRD as a serious institution has a large number of research and educational activities that we continuously expand,” said the initiator and Director of the Museum Jasminko Halilović.
Citizens of BiH who donated their items and visited exhibitions proved how great the significance of this museum is.
“A city without a museum is not a city. Museum industry in BiH is waking up and MRD wants to actively contribute to that. By opening the MRD in Sarajevo, the capital and entire BiH will get a modern and sustainable cultural institution, a Museum that has already started cooperating with the largest museum and academic institutions of the world. Apart from that, citizens of biH will get a place where they can store their childhood. Our previous work confirms that this sort of activity has some kind of therapeutic effect on people. In the end, in the times of new tensions, it is important to raise the voice of peace and reason,” Halilović said.
The value of exhibits in the Museum of War Childhood might be small in material terms, but their true value is priceless, Halilović thinks.
“For example, look at the letter that was written by the mother of one of our participants to her friend. The letter is incomplete because the mother was killed during the writing. When someone keeps that memory of their mother for 20 years and then decides to donate it to a museum collection, then it is clear that these exhibits are priceless. Research work of MRD will be continued even after the opening of the permanent exhibition in Sarajevo. We are currently expanding the activities and soon we will open first research cells outside Sarajevo. already next year we expect the expansion of collection to other post-conflict zones in the world. Ten years from now, MRD will convincingly be the most relevant world archive with this theme,” Halilović said.
The Museum is located in the Logavina Street number 32. A team of experts has been working on interior works for a while now and concrete results will be presented to the public soon. Unlike other institutions, MRD will not have a special opening with pompous fireworks and the like. The reason is that this museum emerged naturally, from people and for the people.
“This museum was created from the streets and cafes. Regardless of the fact that it is recognized in the world and that it stands for something special, it will always be what it is: initiative of people who were children during the war, for the people who were children during the war. Date of the opening is still unknown, but we know that there will be no red carpets and ribbons. First people to enter the MRD will be children of the war and their children, not officials and politicians,” Halilović emphasized.
Signing of the contract on the lease of office space in Logavina Street between the Municipality of Stari Grad Sarajevo and the Association Urban (founder of MRD) is scheduled for Wednesday, September 14, after which works on MRD will officially begin.
(Source: klix.ba)
