“The power of darkness“

This work is an unworthy homage to all brave women in conflict and war zones.

Great wars have marked the last century, while conflicts are still raging today in various parts of our planet. Degradation of humanity is present in countries affected by conflicts and war.

The project shows the darkness counting in our very existence and a destructive influence of social conflicts on women, but respects their great strength, thirst for life, sublimated in their will to survive. Showing human evil through victim’s stories, „The power of darkness“ opens up to the important topics of the theory of war, such as rape as the weapon of war, violence targeting only women and post-conflict conditions for victims, that usually push women into a deeper inferno. Sexual violence is certainly the most horrific, the most heinous violence, which leaves an indelible mark and deep traumas on victims.

Rape as a weapon of war is a crime against humanity and must be treated that way. Raped women are often marked as “dirty and undesirable”. Traumatized and disgraced, it is very hard for these women to find support, as they are being humiliated and rejected even by their families. Since the rapes are massive, we have entire communities destroyed, and the foundations of entire societies destroyed, collapsing before our eyes.

Women from conflict zones struggle with both psychological and physical trauma. Post-traumatic stress disorder requires serious and long-term treatment, treatment of the entire societies, not only women who have survived the trauma. In that way the weakening of the society, which could oppose the conflict because the foundation of the society is being destroyed. Judith Gardner states women are often systematically raped to give birth to children who will belong to the rapist clan, and it is said that in the traditional society of Somalia, a raped woman is socially dead. Women do not trust the judiciary, they do not trust the state, because there is absolute lawlessness in the conflict zones, therefore most victims remain silent.

SVETLANA DOJCINOVIC