A/HRC/25/49 African Truth and Reconciliation Commission rightly stressed that the victims and society are not only recipients but also active agents in the process of memorialization: “Symbolic reparations such as monuments and museums are important, but should ideally be linked with endeavours that improve the everyday lives of the victims and their communities. One way of combining the two aims is to involve victims prominent in the design and/or manufacture of monuments…”.42 96. The decision-making process is as important as the memorial itself. The memorialization process, even before the concrete realization of the work, is a decisive step in generating a feeling of community ownership. The Museum of Memory in Rosario, Argentina, is a positive example of how to include different groups and keep the museum relevant through time.43 The museum includes an archive centre and a library that connects the site and people with the local memory of repression and with a broader reading of the crimes of States. According to the director, the goal of the museum is to “create historical consciousness”, which also allows for the evolution of the themes of the museum towards contemporary concerns regarding respect for human rights. Similarly, soon to be opened is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 97. Of crucial importance is empowering victims. This means promoting their recognition not only as victims but as full actors of their rehabilitation and important contributors to wider societal actions to overcome the tragedies of past events. All too frequently, once their testimonies have been gathered, victims receive no feedback on decisions taken and are left within their victim status, rather than being empowered through actively participating in establishing the memorial. V. Conclusions and recommendations 98. Victims of tragic events or mass or grave violations of human rights often call for justice and for a form of memorialization: both are necessary and complementary, one cannot replace the other. However, while the legal aspect of reparations has attracted considerable interest, memorialization is rarely integrated into broader strategies for building democracy and post-conflict transitional strategies. 99. Memorial dynamics are always political processes. Memorializing the past evolves within particular political, social and cultural contexts and is modulated by different political forces, the weight of lobbies, the evolving concerns of society and the interests of key stakeholders. Some monuments are met with indifference, others become places of crystallized emotions and tension and some are removed as a tangible sign of a new era. The principle questions to be asked and debated in the public sphere each time are: what are the specific intended goals of the memorial? Who is it made for? What will be its likely sociopolitical impact? Who participates in its establishment, including in the design, execution and stewardship? Does it include plurality of narratives? 100. An essential element for successful memorialization is collaboration between the authorities, citizens and civil society, especially representatives of those directly affected by past events. Authorities have a key role to play: they have the responsibility of managing the public space and the capacity to maintain monuments 42 43 Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South Africa, final report, vol. 6, section 2, chapter 6, para. 4, available from http://www.justice.gov.za/trc/report/index.htm. Sophie Chapuis, “Mémorial: un objet culturel non identifié”, research paper presented at the University of Art and Design, Geneva, 2011. 19