Exhibition “Our Woman” – Celebrating the Strength, Memory, and Contribution of Women to Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Through a blend of archival documents, photographs, artworks, and personal stories, the exhibition bears witness to how the women of Bosnia and Herzegovina — often invisible in official narratives — helped rebuild society after the country’s two post-war periods, in 1945 and 1995. Through education, culture, healthcare, social protection, and everyday acts of resilience, these women laid the foundations for recovery and lasting peace.

The opening brought together numerous guests — representatives of institutions, international organizations and embassies, civil society, and the artistic community — paying tribute to generations of women who, across different eras, built peace and carried forward the values of empathy, dignity, and solidarity.

“Women have been and remain the driving force of our communities. Through this exhibition, we want to restore their visibility and recognition they deserve,” said Elma Hašimbegović, Director of the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasizing that the exhibition “brings back into the public sphere those women’s stories that have long been hidden behind walls of silence and invisibility.”

It was also highlighted that the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the first cultural institution in the country to join the Compact on Women, Peace, Security, and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA Compact) — a global movement advocating for the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in all spheres of public life.

“This exhibition dedicated to ‘our woman’ is the first step in that direction. It reaffirms our long-standing mission that a museum is not only a keeper of the past but also an active space of social responsibility and change. The Compact commits us to amplifying women’s voices in culture, peace, and community, fostering inclusion, and promoting the principles of equality and solidarity through our work,” Hašimbegović added.

The exhibition opened on the anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Samra Filipović-Hadžiabdić, Director of the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH, noted: 

“Twenty-five years after the adoption of Resolution 1325, this exhibition reminds us that without the active participation of women, there can be no lasting peace or just society.”

This initiative is part of the broader efforts of the United Nations and its partners to strengthen women’s leadership, advance gender equality, and promote social cohesion as the foundation of sustainable peace. It was jointly organized by the Historical Museum and the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) initiative “Women Lead the Way Towards Peace and Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina (WPS)”, implemented by UN Women, IOM, and UNFPA, in cooperation with the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Michael J. F. O’Mahony, Acting Chief of Mission of IOM Bosnia and Herzegovina, said: 

“Documenting and preserving women’s stories matters because memory shapes our choices. When we see women as artists, peacebuilders, and leaders, we change the way we imagine the future.”  

The exhibition “Our Woman” will remain open to visitors until the end of the month at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.