12/07/2024
Remembering Srebrenica: Event Summary
Attending the Srebrenica Remembrance Day event was deeply moving. The solemn atmosphere underscored the gravity of the 1995 genocide, where over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed in Srebrenica. Speeches and survivor testimonies powerfully highlighted the importance of remembering and educating others to prevent such atrocities from happening again.
At the event, a survivor shared his story of losing his arm to electrocution while collecting cooking supplies for his mother. His harrowing account highlighted the brutal realities he faced. Despite his trauma, he emphasized the importance o
f remembering and sharing these stories to prevent future atrocities. His testimony was a powerful reminder of the human cost of violence and the need for ongoing vigilance and education.
Another highlight of the evening was the school children reciting poems, which added a poignant touch. Their poems
honored the victims of Srebrenica and drew parallels to current genocides, including Palestine. This highlighted the universal message of the event: the need for remembrance, empathy, and action to prevent future atrocities. The inclusion of these young voices emphasized the importance of educating the next generation about genocide and the ongoing fight for justice and peace worldwide.
~ Sulaiman, Campus attendee
The Bosnia Genocide
11th July is Srebrenica Memorial Day. Fifty years after the world said “Never Again” to the horrors of the Holocaust, genocide took place on European soil.
The genocide at Srebrenica is a stark symbol of man’s inhumanity against man. Prior to the breakup of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina encapsulated the interconnectedness of humanity. It was renowned for being a melting pot of cultures in which Muslims, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Jews, and those of other faiths and no faith lived side by side and in peace. Sarajevo, the capital, was known for being the “Jerusalem of Europe” as the only European city to have a Mosque, Catholic Church, Orthodox Church, and Synagogue in the same neighbourhood.
However, the rise of ultra nationalism ripped apart the fabric of communities as Bosnian Serbs sought to create a greater Serbia and following a campaign of dehumanisation and ethnic cleansing, around a hundred thousand Bosnian Muslims were murdered with over 8,300 men and boys murdered in the town of Srebrenica alone, over two million people displaced, and around fifty thousand women systematically raped in what the UN termed as the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.
The driving force behind the campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing was built upon the belief that one group was superior to the other and created divisions based on this ideology.
Let us remember those who were killed in Bosnia and let us remember the parallels being witnessed in Palestine.
Resources
Listed here are some resources from Remembering Srebrenica which centre Bosnian voices:
Remembering Srebrenica 29th Anniversary commemoration pack
Please engage with these resources and share them with your friends and family. Please also organise with those in your local area to attend the memorial services that are being held this week.
