Beyond Silence – Empowering Voices for Justice and Memory

April 3, 2026

Cover photo: Ferdi Limani

DokuFest and Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo (HLCK) successfully completed two project activities, a public DokuTalk panel discussion delivered during DokuFest under the “Dealing with the Past” programme, and a series of teacher training workshops focused on transitional justice education and classroom methodology. Both activities contributed to the project’s objective of strengthening understanding of transitional justice and supporting education and public dialogue on justice, memory, and responsibility.

A public panel discussion titled “Beyond Silence” was held as part of DokuFest’s Dealing with the Past programme, that addressed conflict-related crime trials and accountability, truth-seeking processes in the Western Balkans, the role and limitations of international justice mechanisms, and the relationship between past conflict and present political and social realities.

Key thematic points raised by speakers included: (a) the continued influence of unresolved conflict on current public life and political discourse, (b) concerns regarding inconsistency and selectivity in international approaches to conflilct-related crimes accountability, (c) the role of intergenerational transfer of narratives and attitudes, including the influence of families and educational environments, and (d) the role of film and storytelling as tools for reflection and documentation, without positioning them as direct instruments of reconciliation outcomes. The activity was delivered as a public event and served as an open forum for audience engagement with transitional justice themes through discussion.

You can watch the DokuTalk BEYOND SILENCE HERE

In collaboration with HLC Kosovo, DokuFest also conducted a series of teacher training workshops within the project framework. A total of 49 high school teachers from 14 municipalities participated, representing Albanian and Bosniak communities. The trainings introduced core transitional justice concepts, including memory, truth, accountability, and responsibility, and focused on how these topics can be approached in school settings in a balanced and inclusive way.

The training methodology combined conceptual input with classroom-oriented practice. Sessions addressed how teachers can manage sensitive historical themes and facilitate discussions in ways that reduce polarization, support respectful participation, and create a safe learning environment for students. Teachers worked on practical approaches for handling difficult questions, guiding classroom dialogue, and connecting transitional justice themes to civic education and human rights learning outcomes.

Audiovisual materials were used as part of the training approach. Participants watched the documentary THE WALL, which depicts continued separation of Albanian and Serbian students in a school context, and used the film as a basis for structured discussion and lesson planning. Teachers then worked in groups to develop facilitator guides and lesson units, adapting the film’s themes, such as segregation, memory, and the impact of conflict on education, into teaching materials aligned with different subjects. The outputs produced during the workshops are planned to be made available through DokuFest’s Teachers’ Digital Library, supporting longer-term use by educators beyond the training sessions.