On May 13, 2019, the exhibition 'Once upon a time and never again’ opened in the premises of the Documentation Center Kosovo. This exhibition was initially intended to remain open for a one-year period, a duration we had also agreed upon during the research and collection of items with the families of the children. It has been and remains essential for us that the content and representation of the exhibition as a whole first met the expectations of the families of the victims and evokes empathy and dialogue in the general public.
It is difficult to describe the collective reaction to the exhibition on the opening day; in a few moments, the exhibition space turned into a place of memory and gave hope for healing.
After a year, not only did the exhibition not close, but it expanded with the stories and other belongings of the children, brought by other families, who despite often having the only items to remember their loved ones, decided to be in the exhibition as an undeniable testimony of their interrupted lives.
In these 5 years, thousands of visitors and foreign delegations have visited the exhibition and become aware with this important narrative about the war. The exhibition will continue to be open to the public at the ‘Hivzi Sulejmani’ City Library in Dardani until a new and more suitable space is found.
