A/HRC/25/49 G. Museums of history/memory 74. As they are able to recreate displays and exhibits from a collection of items that can be reinterpreted, museums of history/memory have greater flexibility for addressing the complexities of narratives and for integrating various perspectives. 75. Museum collections are the result of selections. As most museums are perceived to speak with an authoritative voice, they too may be used to promote political agendas or to defend community interests through the presentation of a particular narrative. A positive development is that more exhibitions today are authored and personalized, stressing that the curator’s narrative is a viewpoint rather than an objective truth. Museums and curators may face particular difficulties when they are subject to political control and financial pressure and it is crucial to ensure their independence within the framework of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, as set out in articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 76. The manner in which museums refer to the past varies significantly. While history museums are expected to address the past, following the deontology of their academic discipline, putting events and people into a wider perspective and context, memory museums are expected to focus on celebrating events and paying tribute to people, including victims. No clear-cut distinction seems possible however, and history/memory museums and memorials have become more and more intertwined. One trend is to create museums and documentation centres near memorials to provide additional information on the context and/or more space for victims to express their own perspective or exhibit specific (personal) items. All such initiatives usefully contribute to providing a plurality of complementary viewpoints on the past. 77. Some curators see their work as curating stories for the people themselves concerned, who participate in the design of exhibitions. Allowing those concerned to participate in historical research and writing is to be welcomed and promoted. The collection by peace museums of testimonies and items from people who felt uncomfortable testifying before a truth and reconciliation commission is one example of how museums can facilitate the emergence of additional stories. 78. One difficulty is when museums emphasize trauma as a perspective on world events, resorting to personalization, psychologizing and emotion. The haze of emotionality through which individual stories are filtered makes it difficult to understand the larger political context. 79. A specific issue needing attention is when, to evoke deeper emotions, the authenticity of exhibits has been jeopardized. For example, in one case, it has been reported that a false floor was fabricated underneath hundreds of victims’ shoes to leave a greater impression. For its part, the authenticity of the famous door of no return of Gorée Island, Senegal, presented as the door through which slaves would walk to be boarded on ships, is disputed by historians. H. Managing the remains 80. After the killing of more than 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica in July 1995, the international community made a major effort to develop techniques of DNA identification of bodies. Today, the remains of more than 70 per cent of the thousands missing in the wars of the former Yugoslavia have been identified and returned to their families. However, in many countries, where a large number of people have died in wars or internal conflicts, sometimes decades ago, applying such cutting edge techniques is financially or otherwise unfeasible. Consequently the default policy has been to do nothing. 16