RSVP below for this in person event.

Join Lina Džuverovic and the Working Group of the Yugoslav Non-Aligned Movement Solidarity Archive, the Documents of Olja Džuverovic for a reading of images and artefacts from the personal archive of the Yugoslav political worker Olja Džuverovic documenting Yugoslav political relations with Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa,  and Angola during the period of decolonisation.

A critical engagement with this archive functions as a case study raising questions about how such archival material may not only rupture imperialist narratives but also destabilise dominant narratives of the Non-Aligned Movement, higlighting the central, yet invisible role of a female protagonist in this history inscribed in patriarchy. Participants will have an opportunity to access some of the material in the archive, questioning what it means to engage with this material from today, and how new meanings can emerge through a collective reading.

The Yugoslav Non-Aligned Movement Solidarity Archive is composed of archival material and photographs of Olja Džuverovic from 1960 to the present. Olja Džuverovic worked for the Commission for Assistance to the Liberation Movements at the Socialist Alliance of the Working People of Yugoslavia (SSRNJ) in 1970s and 80s, and later as a diplomat in a number of African countries. The combination of materials is subjective and incongrous, but equally a testament to Olja’s methodical work, her profound engagement and extensive travels across the region, as both a diplomat and a passionate grassroots activist, supporting individuals engaged in liberation struggles.

The Working Group of the Yugoslav Non-Aligned Movement Solidarity Archive, the Documents of Olja Džuverovic came together in September 2022, initiated by Lina Džuverovic, curator and cultural worker based in London and Vesna Džuverovic, economist and linguist based in Belgrade. Since then, the group invites selected participants to gather for in-depth engagement with the material in the archive. The group aims to learn together from the varied materials in the archive.

Lina Džuverovic is Lecturer in Arts Policy and Management, Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies at Birkbeck University. She is also Co-Director, BIRMAC – Birkbeck’s Interdisciplinary Research in Media and Culture as well as the founder of Birkbeck’s Decolonial Feminist Forum.