Exhibition to Mark International Day of the Disappeared

Red Cross Exhibition to Mark International Day of the Disappeared

Almost an entire generation has passed since the wars in former Yugoslavia, but for thousands of families, the struggle and heartache persist.

The ongoing anguish of families torn apart by war will take centre-stage in Wellington when Missing Lives, a photography exhibition by award-winning British photojournalist Nick Danziger and acclaimed writer Rory MacLean, opens to the public.

Presented by New Zealand Red Cross, Missing Lives documents the plight of 15 families still waiting to know the fate of their loved ones, decades after being separated during armed conflict.

The families of the missing featured in Danziger’s collection represent only a tiny fraction of the 35,000 people who disappeared during the conflict in former Yugoslavia.

Each year, countless others join the ranks of the disappeared, separated from family through wars, forced migration and natural disasters around the world.

Missing Lives, opening in support of International Day of the Disappeared this Sunday, aims to give a voice to the silenced victims and to pay tribute to the tragedy experienced by so many families across the globe.

New Zealand Red Cross Secretary General Tony Paine says the exhibition is a reminder of the importance of being connected to our families and loved ones and the traumatic impact of separation.

“I encourage people to get along to the exhibition, step into the shoes of people separated from their families, recognise their suffering and be reminded that in war there is no greater loss than the disappearance of those we love,” Mr Paine says.

The exhibition will also highlight the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has been working to trace missing persons in the Balkans since 1991.

Missing Lives

Sunday 30 August until Sunday 13 September

The Black Sparrow, Embassy Theatre, 10 Kent Terrace, Wellington

www.redcross.org.nz/what-we-do/in-new-zealand/stories/missing-lives-photo-exhibition/

ENDS

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