WHY DO YOU SAY LOVE WHEN YOU MEAN WAR? 2.0 IN KRAGUJEVAC

16 Apr WHY DO YOU SAY LOVE WHEN YOU MEAN WAR? 2.0 IN KRAGUJEVAC

Tuesday, April 21, from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
At the Šumadija Center for Civic Activism “RES PUBLICA.” (Save Kovačevića 24b, Kragujevac)

We invite all citizens, university students, and high school pupils from Kragujevac to join us for the workshop Why Do You Say Love When You Mean War? 2.0

Entrance is free of charge!

As part of the presentation of the second research study on the undue influence behind the rise of violence in Serbian society, and following a series of events across Serbia, Why Do You Say Love When You Mean War? 2.0 is coming to Kragujevac. Starting at 4:00 PM on April 21 at the RES PUBLICA civic activism center, we will share the most important research findings and analyses with citizens, after which a workshop with young people will be organized. The research places special focus on the consequences of the 1990s conflicts and the majority of society’s refusal to confront this trauma.

After the research presentation, we will together with young people question attitudes toward violence present in public spaces and discuss positive artistic practices by which we as citizens can respond to its rise. We will talk about graffiti and murals that promote violence and intolerance, the causes behind their increase, and invite the youth of Kragujevac to respond to such messages on the walls by proposing positive civic actions and public advocacy.

The workshop is aimed at all young people—especially those who do not receive enough attention and care and who are therefore often most influenced by street content, social media, and mass media that encourage violence, social divisions, and intolerance. Together we will question attitudes toward violence in public spaces and discuss positive artistic practices that citizens can use to respond to its increase.

The workshop will consist of two parts—the first will be a discussion on the current state of the walls and reflection on various joint activities that can serve as the community’s response to the present appearance of public spaces, while in the second part the students will work on visual designs—stencils—with the idea of sending positive messages to their peers, elders, and society as a whole. Their works will then be exhibited at KROKODIL’s Center.

The first segment will be led by Milena Berić, the workshop author, while the artistic part of the work with young people will be led by art historian Milan Adnađ.

The event is supported by the European Union.