Remembering Srebrenica

Sarajevo blog: Day 3
Emdad Rahman

TODAY WE MET three families who have benefitted from receiving cows which have greatly helped them generate an income to support themselves. We were welcomed with open arms at each locality and afforded the most amazing hospitality.

For the families the gift of a cow has been a game changer which results in recipients becoming donors themselves. The ripple effect throughout each neighbourhood is a marvellous spectacle to witness in terms of the positive changes being achieved in true knock-on domino fashion.

It was a truly humbling experience for us to spend time with our hosts, who welcomed us into their homes with open arms.

We met ten year old Amir, a national treasure who, when not studying at school, rears farm animals and has a flock of one hundred sheep, as well as other animals. This has turned him into a national celebrity, attracting media attention and many followers to his exceptional skills as a gifted farm hand.

Rofikul and I have been to Auschwitz, and our next stop triggered morose memories of our visit to the Nazi concentration camps.

We visited the The Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, which is officially named the Srebrenica–Potočari Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the 1995 Genocide. It was set up to honour the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. The death count exceeds 8,000, and the number of bodies discovered rises continuously with regular grim discoveries of mass graves, mostly male Bosnians.

The permanent Exhibition “Srebrenica” Gallerija 11/07/95 at the Memorijalni centar Srebrenica-Potočari is based in what used to be a battery factory. Its sombre surroundings host the Wall of Death and portraits of the victims (Association of Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa)

There is a Srebrenica portrayal which maps the genocide and also a genocide Film Library (Cinema for Peace foundation). Yes, a mass and horrific genocide took place in Bosnia as the world looked on in silence. An art instalment sums up the mindset of those hell bent on dehumanising the vulnerable. It reads…
No teeth?
A mustache?
Smel (sic) like shit?

Bosnian girl!
This is a controversial art piece titled Bosnian Girl by Šejla Kamerić and inspired by graffiti scrawled on the walls of army barracks in Potočari. This is the very location where thousands of victims were rounded up from neighbouring villages and detained before being sent to their deaths.

This is a vital monument for the future of Bosnia. The key in remembering the past to reshape the future landscape is education and awareness to ensure that future generations can learn from their history, work to unite in harmony and ultimately reject hate, banish intolerance and shun extremism.

•Help us raise funds to buy more cows:
http://www.bosniatrust.com/donate

•Read earlier posts in this blog:
Team Bosnia touchdown
Meeting the workers