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"Toolkit - Shining a Light on Sites of Atrocity"

Ten years after the Arab Revolutions of 2011, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) continue to be a crucible of political transition. While several countries in the region have made notable progress toward stability, open society, and democratic participation, others are struggling with violent conflict and repressive, dictatorial governments that support revisionist and exclusive national narratives.

With the goal of preserving historical testament to past atrocities as well as contemporary evidence of ongoing human rights violations, members of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience in the MENA region developed a digital map marking and commemorating these sites. The ensuing mapping project was designed to build the capacity of academics, historians, and human rights activists in the region to carry out this pioneering work and to introduce a mechanism for collaborative work among participating organizations.

A toolkit was designed to detail the map-building process to allow for pan-regional replication of the model for Coalition members and partners worldwide.

MENA Digital Map Toolkit [en] (2.38 MB)

WHO WE ARE

The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience is a global network of museums, historic sites and grassroots initiatives dedicated to building a more just and peaceful future through engaging communities in remembering struggles for human rights and addressing their contemporary legacies. Founded in 1999, the Coalition now includes more than 300 Sites of Conscience members in 65 countries. The Coalition supports these members through seven regional networks that encourage collaboration and international exchange of knowledge and best practices.

Learn more at www.sitesofconscience.org.

The MENA Sites of Conscience Network (MENA Network) brings together 26 members across 10 countries to preserve memory as a universal right, make it accessible to current and future generations, and use the lessons of the past to build a present and a future that protects human dignity and freedom.

Its members come together to address key questions, such as:

What are the mechanisms that societies need to come to terms with the past?
How can a society that was entrenched in a culture of silence and repression rebuild relations and promote trust among citizens through civic engagement and dialogue?
How can memory and memorialization counter revisionist narratives and promote a culture that is based on truth and justice?

While the answers to these questions vary by country, the MENA Sites of Conscience Network comes together with a common goal of preserving memory, making it accessible to current and future generations, and using the lessons of the past to build a present and future that protects human dignity and freedom.

For more information, or to become involved, please contact Justine Di Mayo, Regional Manager for MENA, Europe and Eastern Europe.

PROJECT GOALS

The Digital Mapping and Documentation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) project brought together Sites of Conscience from seven countries to create a pioneering digital map identifying sites of human rights violations in the region. The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience is training the project partners to use this accessible technology to 1) compile data on critical sites; 2) pinpoint their geographic location; and 3) easily store, update and control access to this information. Representatives from the Latin America and Caribbean Sites of Conscience Network, who have worked on similar maps in their region, are serving as mentors for the project, offering their expertise and first-hand experience.