Art and Peacebuilding

En el postconflicto, es poco probable que el arte y la cultura sean una prioridad en la agenda de los negociadores y líderes de la reconstrucción. De hecho, es más frecuente que sean vistos como inversiones que deben dejarse para el final, cuando las necesidades en términos de seguridad, empleo, infraestructura, etc., sean satisfechas (Cohen, 2005). En esta ponencia busco argumentar cómo el arte y la cultura no son una opción secundaria, sino parte esencial en las tareas del postconflicto y la reconciliación. A través de reseñas puntuales en la literatura de paz y conflicto, así como en la práctica de la construcción de paz a nivel mundial, mostraré evidencia empírica y teórica que demuestra por qué el arte y la cultura son fundamentales para alcanzar la paz y la reconciliación.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Tanja Kohvakka, THE ROLE OF HISTORY TEACHERS IN QUESTIONING
THE DOMINANT WAY OF HISTORY TEACHING IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
2. Ángela Campos Fernandez, BREAD AND ROSES: THE ROLE OF ART IN POST-CONFLICT SOCIETIES, RECONCILIATION PROCESSES AND HUMAN RIGHTS PROMOTION: THE CASE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
3. Esma Latić, PARADISE LIES UNDER THE FEET OF MOTHERS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF DISCOURSE ON AND BY MUSLIM WOMEN IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND SERBIA
4. Giovanni Agostini, PROTECTION OF CULTURAL RIGHTS AND IDENTITIES OF NATIONAL MINORITIES: THE CASE OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The following contribution briefly examines the relationship between art and peacebuilding, considering both the role of art in the reflection and in the practice of transforming conflict, and the possibility of framing conflict transformation within an artistic activity. The article briefly introduces also to the other contributions that were included in the issue 1/2021 of Mediares, thereby serving as an ideal introduction to the number.

In November 2017, Ratko Mladic, a wartime leader and a commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, was sentenced by the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal to life imprisonment for the genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the region the verdict was received with conflicting reactions, emphasising yet again how extensive the ethnic division is within the society. Through close analysis of the theatre project Shakespeare's Comedies performed by ethnically segregated youth in Bosnia-Herzegovina, this article aims to understand how Shakespeare's work functions as a vehicle to address the consequences of war and to support the complex process of reconciliation under circumstances in which the issues of war crimes cannot be tackled in a straightforward and direct manner. The study takes a cross-disciplinary approach to research, drawing from theory of reconciliation , applied theatre practice and comedy studies.

This essay examines the contribution that ‘artistic insights’ can offer to the theory and
practice of peacebuilding, thereby taking into account the reflections of two pioneers in the field,
Howard Zehr and John William Cooley. The first Author – widely considered as the ‘grandfather’ of
restorative justice – has often taken profit by his expertise as a photographer, which affected his
perspective(s) on justice both at a theoretical and a practical level. Conversely, Cooley – whose vital
contribution to the theory of civil mediation is mostly connected to binding it to (a classical approach
to legal) argumentation – has reflected on the role of music in the theory and practice of mediation.
He suggested, in fact, a parallelism between being a mediator and a musician (both considered as a
performer and as a composer). Through different disciplines and metaphoric images, both Zehr and
Cooley show how arts can help reflecting on the perspective and angle through which a justice
process is understood, envisioned and put into practice.

UNHCR's Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES) is committed to the systematic examination and assessment of UNHCR policies, programmes, projects and practices. PDES also promotes rigorous research on issues related to the work of UNHCR and encourages an active exchange of ideas and information between humanitarian practitioners, policymakers and the research community. All of these activities are undertaken with the purpose of strengthening UNHCR's operational effectiveness, thereby enhancing the organization's capacity to fulfill its mandate on behalf of refugees and other persons of concern to the Office. The work of the unit is guided by the principles of transparency, independence, consultation, relevance and integrity.

Like the culture from which it arose, the peace which medieval people imagined or represented in texts and images drew on a diverse heritage, of Judeo-Christian, Greco-Roman, and Germanic or Celtic origins. No single image of peace imposed itself, not because peace was of only fleeting concern but rather because the constituent parts of what we now call "medieval society" never fully crystalized into a homogenous civilization that could forge such a consensus. While symbolic expressions of peace-whether by Christian, Jewish, and Muslim intellectuals or by simple artisans-largely built on dominant religious concepts, those images evolved over time and were subject to multiple influences. Of course, the social realities of the medieval age and the vagaries of preservation since then affected the range of peace images available for study today. The vast majority of material and textual remains from the era reflect the interests of the religious and aristocratic powers that financed them, and relatively few artifacts or sources tell us how the majority of the people-rural peasants and working-class inhabitants of cities-imagined peace, peace practices, and the benefits of peace. Yet, a careful study of ritual and social history allows for a few assumptions about popular ideals, which sometimes deviated from elite attitudes or spoke to other concerns. This chapter will concentrate on the most influential themes in the medieval representation of peace, paying close attention to their cultural roots but also to ways in which they might be interpreted differently by various groups in secular and religious life.

A reflection on the outdoor sculpture of Mindanao artist Kublai Millan, following the field course "Challenges to Peacebuilding in Mindanao," 2015, published in "Reflections," a publication of the Center for Conflict Studies in Monterey, CA.

Part II & III of Networking Currents by Chuck Welch includes an enormous international peace project, a concept quilt of artist made flags stitched together in a banner that was unfurled at Nagano, Japan by AU. Welch's project was also presented in 1985 at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum by the famed Gutai artist, Shozo Shimamoto. Part III includes radio transcripts form the New York City radio talk show. "Artists in the City. The interview features a broadcast form March 1985 that included Carlo Pittore, Buster Cleveland, John Evans, Mark Bloch, David Cole and J. P. Jacob; six NYC mail artists actively involved with international mail art activities. issues present here concern mail art shows, magazines, and historical events.

A través de más de 50 talleres, civiles, personas en proceso de reintegración, militares y policías en situación de discapacidad como consecuencia del conflicto armado tuvieron la oportunidad de explorar en torno a sus fortalezas, memorias de vida y prejuicios. El proyecto se inspiró en la práctica  japonesa del Kintsugi (remiendo de oro en español) que nos invita a no desechar los objetos que se han roto sino por el contrario, a repararlos y a enaltecer sus fisuras y quiebres.

Este proyecto es la apuesta por la reconciliación de la Fundación Prolongar®. A través de este modelo, no solo hemos conectado a tres poblaciones consideradas adversarias en las lógicas de la guerra — civiles, veteranos de la Fuerza Pública y personas en proceso de reintegración — sino también hemos logrado movilizar a la ciudadanía con la exposición museográfica Encuentros Improbables.

Art is understood as comprehensive and advanced human activity that defines human subjectivity and experiences and helps
transcending and transforming the same as a tool for social change. This makes art and related expressions an ideal tool for
educating children by affecting the emotional intelligence and thereby positively impacting global peace. Permeating art in the
existing educational system will also bring out sensitization for cross-cultural transformation. Children from a very early age
understand the vacillating dimensions of peace and conflict. To ensure positive development of emotional intelligence and release
of the outcomes of these structures in children at an impressionable age, art is thought to be the best medium. For facilitating
these expressions WINDOWS project in the south zone of metropolitan Delhi provides organized space for children to develop a
positive understanding of peace, conflict and its determinants and thereby influenceing cross cultural transformation and global
peace. This paper aims at drawing connections between peace-conflict, education, urban children and aesthetic expressions. The
innovative practices followed by the project and the impact of the development of the concepts of peace and conflict among
children are the key focus of this proposition. Art is related to emotional expression, Windows project aims at providing spaces for
urban children to cognize peace and conflict through artistic expressions. The study aims to qualitatively study the WINDOWS
project and its impact on cognition and conceptual understand of peace and conflict through visual expression on urban children
aged6-10 years. The data was collected from a total of total of twelve respondents (N=12;n1=10,n2=2); including two categories of
respondents a). Facilitators and b).Children. The narratives of the respondents accumulated through interview schedule and were
qualitatively analysed. The paper attempts to empirically derive the circular modules that are evident in the strategy of the
WINDOWS program for the meta need of cross cultural transformation and peace.

A tribute to a Spanish Poet Miguel Hernández 1910-1942
A project directed by Eutiquio Estirado
The painted contribution by Andrés Ginestet and it’s description.

This painting is one of the many that Andrés Ginestet does out of an intellectual process that is dedicated to peace.
The memory of Miguel Hernández is spilled with political ideas of the time. The poet then and there was not in a position to abstract from his time, like others were able to do, among them the philosopher José Ortega y Gasset. His humble origin required for other concepts of the self. For this reason, Miguel became a martyr. We can state today and from our perspective that this was unnecessary. But had it not been for his pain never his verses would have filled our hearts with compassion.
And the compassion they wake are the source for progress, also in ideas that lead us out of the “hero-martyr” mentality into a more natural shared vision of the world. We’re –at least part of us- in a safer heaven now.