Kristina Kukolja, an Avondale Bachelor of Arts graduate of 2002, has won a prestigious Walkley Award for her 2010 SBS radio feature ‘Echoes of Srebrenica’.
The Walkley National Awards for Australian Journalism recognise and reward the highest achievements in journalism each year. Kristina won the category for a radio feature, documentary or broadcast special.
Her radio feature ‘Echoes of Srebrenica’ marked the fifteenth anniversary of the notorious Srebrenica massacre of July 1995, when more than 7000 Bosnian Muslims were rounded up and executed by Bosnian Serb forces. The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced seven in 2010 for their roles in what has been deemed the worst mass murder in Europe since the Second World War.
Kukolja’s ‘Echoes of Srebrenica’ is a story of the strength of the human spirit and the importance of justice and truth in the pursuit of reconciliation. It features the voices of survivors now living in Australia Р some speaking for the very first time about their experiences, despite fears of unleashing a past too horrific for words.
The Walkley judges said Kukolja’s work “uncovered new information, brought a story of global significance up to date and managed to personalise the trauma of people through the voices of a few. ‘Echoes of Srebrenica’ displayed detailed research, effective interviewing techniques and subdued production values to reflect the harrowing stories of loss, separation and despair. A powerful and evocative piece of radio journalism.”
Kristina Kukolja was born in Zagreb, Croatia. She migrated to Australia in 1994, studied English and communication at Avondale, and joined SBS in 2008 as a broadcaster with the Croatian language program. She now also produces features for SBS Radio’s flagship news and current affairs program, SBS World News Australia.
Tags: Faculty of Arts and Theology, Kristina Kukolja, School of Humanities and Creative Arts