#Exhibit of the Month

The work In Memoriam. In Memory of the Heroes Who Fell at the Nistru (1992) was developed within the Center for Culture and Military History and published under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, the Bureau for Reintegration, and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova. Authors: Gheorghe Bălan, Vitalie Ciobanu, Gheorghe Cojocaru.

This work provides a retrospective of the events that led to the outbreak of the war on the Nistru, accompanied by photographs of the heroes who lost their lives in the battles to defend the independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova.

On March 2, 1992, the political conflict in the Nistru region escalated into a true fratricidal war. Under the fabricated pretext of "defending Russia's southern borders," political adventurers from the former Soviet metropolis encouraged Transnistrian separatism by arming secessionist paramilitary groups. At the same time, thousands of mercenary Cossacks and prisoners released early from jails, along with tanks and missiles, were sent against Independent Moldova, in a desperate attempt to revive the fallen empire.

Russia's undeclared war against the Republic of Moldova left behind hundreds of dead and wounded, shattered families, and villages in ruins. More than 50,000 peaceful residents from the conflict zone were forced to flee their homes, seeking refuge from the horrors of war.

For the sake of freedom and the future, Moldova's defenders faced death, enduring the hardships and humiliations of war.

During the Nistru war, 198 soldiers of the National Army and 89 personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs lost their lives, while 40 combatants went missing without a trace, and nearly 300 were left disabled.

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Exhibitions

"Building Bridges Among Communities"

National Geographic Photo Camp

September 5-19, 2023

The National Geographic Photo Camp is a program that teaches young people from diverse communities how to use photography to tell their own stories, explore the world around them, and develop deep connections with others. The second National Geographic Photo Camp in Moldova took place on May 15-19, 2023, in the city of Comrat within the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. This region in southern Moldova is home to most of the Gagauz community as well as other ethnic groups such as Bulgarians, Ukrainians, and Moldovans/Romanians.

The five-day training was moderated by an international team of four photographers, including one from Ukraine. These experts provided 20 young people (aged 18-25) from refugee communities from Ukraine, the Transnistrian region, and throughout the country with a range of innovative tools and techniques for visual storytelling. This camp also built media literacy skills by giving participants the opportunity to experience firsthand how various factors within their control as creators of visual images (e.g. composition, light, color, mood, etc.) affect the story those images convey.

The young people documented a range of local experiences, traditional museums, family events, the only thoroughbred horse breeding farm in Moldova, the everyday work of carpet weavers, wineries, farmers, bakers, and markets. Guided by National Geographic photographers, the young people created more than 30,000 visual stories, some of which are presented in this exhibition. Feedback from previous camps that Internews and National Geographic have conducted in other countries and environments around the world (including in post-conflict societies, refugee camps, etc.) demonstrates that participants are able to think more critically about how photographs shape viewers perceptions of reality and that exhibition attendees gain a more nuanced view of their own society.

The opening the exhibition will take place on September 5, at 17:00, in Hall no. 1 of the National Museum of History of Moldova, str. 31 August 1989, 121A.