An immersive new digital learning space created to commemorate the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia was recently "opened" at 51Âþ» (51Âþ») by his Excellency Mr Osman Topcagic, Bosnian Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
A collaboration between 51Âþ», Cardiff and Vale College, the technology company mXreality, and Remembering Srebrenica Wales, the Virtual Bosnia Room is a virtual reality education environment which teaches users about the massacre, in which more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys systematically murdered by units of the Bosnian Serb Army in July 1995. In 2005, the massacre became the first legally established case of genocide since the Second World War.
The Room presents three stages of the atrocity – before, during and after - so that learners can contextualise how identity-based hate narratives can culminate in genocide and learn of the consequences of orchestrated violence.
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It has been developed as part of the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and its 2030 Anti-Racist Wales target, it is the latest exhibit to be installed into the Anti-Racism Metaverse educational suite, designed as a collaboration between mXreality and Cardiff Vale College and sponsored by the Welsh Government.
The Metaverse is the First Anti-Racism Further Education curriculum, allowing users to hear the lived experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic individuals and to educate learners about the history of Wales and beyond. Alongside the Bosnia Room is the World Timeline, which provides over 100 hours of history learning content, and a Curriculum Centre, which provides anti-racist learning materials in a recreation of the Senedd.
The project at 51Âþ» has been led by Dr. Kim Sadique, Associate Professor in Genocide Prevention and Education, based on innovative models of genocide education and commemoration she has been developing as part of her research. In introducing the platform, Sadique explained how educators can use “the most cutting-edge technology for learners to experience the sights and sounds, and be fully immersed in, a virtual ‘site of mass atrocities” without leaving the classroom.
She added. “The research on difficult knowledge (genocide, settler-colonial, anti-racism etc) tells us that ‘seeing where it happened’ and ‘hearing survivor testimony’ are both vital mechanisms for learners to gain a deeper understanding, so being able to create a ‘representational space’ that includes both of these was crucial for me.”
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Speaking after the event, Mr Topcagic discussed the vital role the Room can play in educating future generations: “There is always that saying never again. But for never again to happen, we must learn what has happened. Why it was happening? How it was happening? And how to recognise it and confirm it. There is saying for evil to happen. It's enough for good men to do nothing. This platform, can teach people to understand it, and armed with the knowledge, prevent it.”
Yusuf Ibrahim, Assistant Principle of Cardiff and Vale College added: “Virtual environments can do things differently than text because of the immersive engagement of the user. We’ve paid attention to sounds and the placement of items so that people can reflect and think about what they are witnessing. You can go to Srebrenica, but what the virtual space can do is prepare yourself for such a trip, something which is quite emotional.”
Posted on Tuesday 17 December 2024