LGBT*IQA Storytelling- Queer Archive Project

15 Jun LGBT*IQA Storytelling- Queer Archive Project

A WACC partner initiative

Throughout the conflict and post-conflict period (1990s-2016) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), ethno-nationalist politics and practices reinforced stereotypical and rigid gender and sexuality roles, resulting in the marginalization of women, minority groups, and LGBT*IQA persons institutionally, economically and socially.

In a groundbreaking initiative to bring visibility to the intersections of gender, sexuality and war during the conflict period, the LGBT*IQA Association Okvir with support from WACC Global curated the stories of survival of LGBT*IQA persons and refugees. 

The archive documents LGBTQ struggles in the Balkans over the past quarter century, with testimonials of 29 activists from Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia during the war and post-conflict years. The archive contains audio visual materials, knowledge maps of LGBTQ rights defenders, digital archives and a digital timeline of LGBTQ issues in the region. The materials have been shared widely via social media, in a travelling exhibition, in public events, community and mainstream media outlets, and an event at the national museum. 

The project led to a collaboration with Whose Knowledge?, a global campaign that aims to correct the skewed representations of knowledge on Wikimedia projects as well as the wider internet. 

The archive is now the main source of historical memory on LGBTQ movements in the Balkans.

Listen to the stories, watch the documentaries and learn more about the archive here,