11 October 2023
On 4 October 2023, Impunity Watch celebrated its 15-year anniversary in an inspiring evening of meaningful conversation, arts, and food. We hosted a discussion on the power of culture and creativity in harnessing victim-led justice and its crucial role in fighting impunity.
“Justice means different things to different victims. At Impunity Watch, it’s crucial for us to listen to them and understand what their definition of justice is. Victims and survivors inspire us and give us the drive to go on… Art and culture can be drivers to change. Art has the power of bringing solidarity. Culture has the power to strengthen identity.”
— Marlies Stappers, Executive Director
[Catch up on the full Twitter thread here.]
We opened with a video featuring our grassroots partners from around the globe, answering the question–what does a world without impunity, and where justice can prevail, look like to you? Watch it here.
Our panelists from Burundi, the Western Balkans, Syria, and Guatemala shed light on the crucial contributions of different expressions of culture and art in seeking justice.
David Taylor, our Country Director at Impunity Watch Burundi discussed how artistic initiatives can be used to demystify the past and encourage intergenerational dialogue, particularly in the face of imposed narratives. He explained how various community-led ideas, from interactive theatre to photography books, can help provide a platform for young generations to explore their identity, build collective memory of the past, and practise a more informal approach to transitional justice in the face of opposition.
Over in the Western Balkans, Tatjana Milovanovic (Programme Director at the women-led Post-Conflict Research Center, one of our partners) presented a multimedia educational programme that highlights ordinary heroes in times of conflict across inter-ethnic lines. She also spoke about the importance of women’s movements in peacebuilding through the Srebrenica Heroines initiative.
Another of our partners, Khaled Barakeh–Syrian-born artist, cultural activist and the founder of Berlin-based Coculture–spoke about the importance of protecting the dignity and identities of victims whilst raising awareness of their suffering, and elevating their voices through pieces such as Relentless Images, The Untitled Images, and MUTE.
Last but not least, Brisna Caxaj, our Gender programme director at Impunity Watch Guatemala, explored the ways that Indigenous culture and practices can strengthen a victim-centred approach to justice in post-conflict societies. For example, in the Maya Achi case, communities requested murals as part of reparations measures to help preserve the memory of past injustices in order for them not to be repeated again.
Finally, we rounded off the evening opening up the discussion to the audience, and some special guests. Minal Naomi, a multi-disciplinary artist from Sri Lanka and current resident at the Artists’ Safe Haven initiative by Justice & Peace Netherlands, created a live piece of poetry inspired by the word justice, discussing contesting feelings on the notion.
We also exhibited a selection of our photos at the closing reception, which was catered by a family of Syrian chefs at Hummus & Habibis–a company that is “more than just food; it’s also about connection, community, authenticity, compassion and ethical entrepreneurship”.
Would you like to catch up on the full discussion? Check out the recording of the livestream here.
This event was held at The Hague Humanity Hub. We are grateful to the Dutch Foreign Ministry, the Dutch Postcode Lottery, and the OAK Foundation for their support.