Sabina Tanovic and Ilir Gashi on commemorations and post-war memories in the former Yugoslavia

In this podcast, Peter Vermeersch of KU Leuven talks with architect and scholar Sabina Tanović and awarded activist and storyteller Ilir Gashi how the painful memories of the 1990s Yugoslav wars are used in contemporary commemorations, what are their meanings and uses in today's Balkan societies.

Dr. Sabina Tanović is an architect and researcher specializing in memorial projects that address traumatic histories. She earned her degree from the University of Sarajevo and holds advanced degrees from Delft University of Technology, where she also teaches. Her research focuses on the creation of modern memorials using participatory methods, environmental psychology, and the processes of bereavement. Her book, Designing Memory: The Architecture of Commemoration in Europe, 1914 to the Present (Cambridge University Press, 2019), explores the development of memorial architecture since World War I.

 

Between 2014 and 2017, Ilir Gashi led the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, championing media freedom and journalist safety in Serbia. He launched initiatives like “Cenzolovka,” a portal on media freedom, and a School of Digital Journalism for young journalists. In 2017, he co-founded the Group for Freedom of Media, uniting NGOs, independent media, and activists against government media control. Now, Gashi supports journalists and community-based NGOs across the Balkans, helping them tell their stories more effectively. His frequent travels between Belgrade and Pristina have reignited his passion for writing, inspired by the people and stories he encounters. For his piece The alternative Balkan postal system, Ilir Gashi was shortlisted for the European Press Prize.