Culture of rememberance and Jasenovac martirs

Abstract

The paper describes and studies two cases relating to the culture of remembrance of Jasenovac martyrs. The movie Dara from Jasenovac has drawn a lot of attention, achieved high ratings, but has also instigated some sharp reactions in a segment of the public. On the other hand, the exhibition Jasenovac - Camp of Death, Land of the Living, has not been much noticed by the general public although the reactions of the viewers were positive. Both projects were based on the idea "to uncover the name and the face of the victim" and both had received financial support from the authorities, but the public reactions to them were different. The reason for this undoubtedly lies in the nature of the media they used, since the film, unlike the indoor exhibition, has far more influence on the shaping of consciousness and the attitudes of broad public. However, when it comes to perception, we cannot overlook the insistence of the second project on a catharsis and reconciliation - with a strongly expressed Christian, New Testament ideas of penitence and resurrection. A distinctive non-religious dimension of the modern film industry may have prevented implementation of such approach to Dara from Jasenovac. Still, even this angle of artistic reflection is not without controversies, as it opens the door to moral and social issues of participation of the other side in the overcoming of our collective trauma.