NO-OBLIVION Podcast Episode 1 – “The Power of Memory”: A Conversation with Ivana Bodrožić

Welcome to the NO-OBLIVION Multigenerational Debates Podcast. Funded by the EU, the NO-OBLIVION project preserves lessons from the Yugoslav conflicts to strengthen human rights, rule of law and peace across Europe. 

This Podcast is the result of the Multigenerational Live Debates, held in January 2025, where author Ivana Bodrožić and political scientist Vedran Džihić, and the NO-OBLIVION Youth Delegates – a network of around 30 young Europeans – gathered in a intergenerational dialogue to discuss the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, how societies reckon with historical legacies, and what messages they have for future generations.  

In our first episode, acclaimed Croatian writer Ivana Bodrožić shares her powerful story of survival and artistic expression. Forced to flee Vukovar at age nine during the 1991 siege, she became a refugee while her father disappeared in the infamous massacre. Through her award-winning novel Hotel Tito and other works, Bodrožić transforms personal trauma into universal stories of displacement and identity. 

Youth Delegates Antonie Blumberg and Martina Valentini  guide the conversation, discussing how personal and collective memory intertwine, the role of literature in processing trauma, and how younger generations can engage with difficult histories. 

The debate is moderated by Vesna Teršelič, founder of Documenta in Croatia, who has spent decades advocating for truth, justice, and reconciliation in post-war societies.