KATHMANDU

International Coalition of  Sites of Conscience launched 'Shared Journeys', a virtual exhibit that showcases the hidden, lost, or sidelined histories of the Asian region—seven Asian countries, 12 exhibitions by 12 organizations on July 29 on www.sharedjourneys.online.

The exhibition is the collaboration between 12 sites of Conscience in the region and is curated by Radhika Hettiarachchi.

The exhibition featuring photographs, videos and the narratives behind them provide an avenue for visitors to understand and question the significance of history as it is written or taught and the issues and intersections related to race, gender, class, colonialism, and privilege that are now a part of both historical discourse and civil society.

The exhibition is a reminder that one must seek out multiple truths in order to empathize, acknowledge, heal and understand each other. And advocate for a more pluralistic historical narrative of history.

According to the curator's note by Hettiarachchi these exhibits speak of home, migration and exile; the dignity of life and the rights of minorities; the human cost of war and violence that still doesn’t break the human spirit; they restore identities and sometimes contest presumed identity; enforced disappearances and the impact on those left behind; and search for truth and justice. But they also highlight humanity’s connectedness - in our suffering and in our hope - that crosses many divides.

It added, "This exhibition serves to remind us that history is also perspective. These stories are not unique, and their impact is not just localized to a specific country. They are histories of our world. They contribute new depth to our understanding of history and help us question commonly-held beliefs about what we think we know. Jointly taken, the Shared Journeys exhibition reminds us that we must go beyond the single narrative and seek out multiple truths in order to empathize, acknowledge, heal, memorialize and understand each other. They advocate for a more pluralistic historical narrative and to raise our voices to support each other in the pursuit of truth and justice."

The Shared Journeys exhibition includes the work of 12 member organizations of the Asian and Pacific Sites of Conscience Network, representing seven countries. These are Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization, The Liberation War Museum from Bangladesh, The Peace Institute of Cambodia, Youth for Peace, Kdei Karuna from Cambodia, Network of Families of the Disappeared and Voices of Women Media from Nepal, The Herstories Project, International Centre for Ethnic Studies and The Institute of Social Development from Sri Lanka, The National Human Rights Museum of Taiwan and The Tibet Museum in India.