“Traces of Humanity”

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An exhibition by Rémy Ourdan and Damir Sagolj

Hôtel du Doyen
Exhibition design: Laurent Hochberg
4 October to 21 November 2021

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What does it mean to be neighbours during the darkest moments endured by a city, a society, or a nation? What does it mean to become a Righteous in time of war?

In order to create this multimedia exhibition, inspired by a series of articles published in Le Monde in 2019 – an exhibition that combines journalistic reports, historical documents and artistic works, reporters Rémy Ourdan and Damir Sagolj travelled through two cities that symbolise the peoples of the Book and the rifts in today’s world. On one hand there is Sarajevo, the last “Jerusalem of Europe” and the first target of the return of nationalisms on the Old Continent, besieged at the end of the 20th century; and Jerusalem, centre of the world, holy city of the three monotheistic faiths and the epicentre of the turmoil in the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Two cities that have captured the world’s attention and tell a universal story.
In Sarajevo, to start with the arrival of the Jews from al-Andalus, than go to the Purim revolt and the rescue of the precious Haggadah book, than evoke the help given to Jews during the Holocaust as well as the help provided by Jews to the other besieged people during the Bosnian war: this journey in the footsteps of men and women who placed their universal existential values above any conflict related to identity, politics or religion. By recounting these episodes in the history of the Jews of Sarajevo and their Bosniak, Serbian or Croatian neighbours, the authors seek to shed light on traces of humanity.
A tribute to the Righteous.
A tribute to an art of living.

Photo illustrating the article: exhibition at the Hotel du Doyen during the 2020 Bayeux Award event © Julien Buyck – Prix Bayeux 2020