This entire week was spent in remembrance of Srebrenica. I managed to I attended several online commemorations of Srebrenica, and ended with March of peace.
I am proud of all our Bosnian organizations and citizens in the UK who made the effort to attend the commemorative gatherings and to pay tribute to our martyrs in a dignified manner.
Special thanks to the humanitarian organization Remembering Srebrenica, which organized numerous activities. in the UK and who works tirelessly on various projects throughout the year, not just during Remembrance Week.
Also, a big thank you to everyone. organizations and individuals in all countries of the world who made an effort to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in a dignified manner and to give their support to Srebrenica.
Peace march in London
On July 10, 2021, a Peace March was organized, dedicated to to all victims of genocide in Srebrenica and throughout our Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Peace March was organized by Remembering Srebrenica, which has been working for years to raise awareness about the harmful effects of genocide and educate young generations on the issue.
The peace march symbolically sent a clear message about how important it is to choose peace instead of war, and about the importance of mutual respect and tolerance between people, regardless of where they come from. By symbolically stopping in front of religious buildings in London, respect was shown for all religious communities in Great Britain.
Although the occasion for our gathering was sad, it contributed to bringing people from all over the world closer together and getting to know each other. No matter how different we are, there is much in common that unites us all.
For me personally, this was a day filled with emotions.
And not for the first time. I cry at every Srebrenica commemoration, and those deeply repressed emotions come to the surface.
Yet, regardless of the gravity of this day, my heart was full.
While I was looking at our blue-yellow-white flags that were flying and which gave this somewhat gloomy day special significance. And the weather was on our side.
Although rain was forecast, there was almost no rain. Everything went smoothly as we walked through the streets of London, which is returning to normal life after the pandemic.
Three generations of Bosnians and Herzegovinians at the Peace March
All three generations of Bosnians and Herzegovinans, as well as people from many other countries around the world, were present at the Peace March.
What would you say, from 7 to 77 years old.
Our little boys and girls, born in Great Britain they proudly wore BiH flags around their necks.
Among them were Amar and Ajla, who took part in many online and live commemorations by reciting the Srebrenica Prayer.
Among the participants were also students from the BiH supplementary school London.
Children are our future. Because of them we should all work to promote peace, talk about our bloody past in order to learn lessons from our experiences.
They deserve a life of peace, love, tolerance and mutual respect.
That much I could notice while walking in the column. There was no time for individual conversations with everyone, although we really wanted to.
During the worst wave of the Covid 19 pandemic, we couldn’t even see each other.
I saw many dear faces for the first time after more than a year, so this Peace March had a special symbolism.
The oldest among us was Nasiha Bašić (77), a long-time volunteer at BHCUK who tirelessly walked so many kilometers with us.
The wealth of diversity – Support for Srebrenica from all parts of the world
Along with the volunteers from Remembering Srebrenica who are from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Poland, Great Britain, I also met two girls from from South Korea and Uganda, and an elderly man from Egypt.
When I asked them how they found out about this event, they told me that they had friends from Bosnia and Herzegovina. They proudly mentioned the words they had learned from our language, and the names of the Bosnian dishes they like. That kindness and the friendship of our people led them to read more and learn about the terrible genocide in Srebrenica, which occurred towards the end of the 20th century in the heart of Europe.
And it’s London. A multi-cultural city where there is room for everyone. The city that gave me refuge during the difficult years of the war.
And that is Great Britain, a country where so many different events are held to commemorate genocide in BiH. A country that accepted me into its fold and gave me hope for a new life.
Strength of feeling
What to say, when a man is speechless?!
What should we write and do to be worthy of all the victims who are no longer here?!
I am glad that I was one of those who, by walking through the streets of London, showed their compassion and respect for all victims of genocide. As we walked, heavy thoughts often crossed my mind.
God, how did all those who were hungry, thirsty, afraid, and under the danger that lurked on all sides feel?
Those terrible images of the war came back to me when my hometown of Kozarac was burning, when people were forced to wear white armbands in Prijedor, when we ended up in the worst death camps in the Prijedor municipality.
Perhaps because of all this, there is so much empathy for Srebrenica, a city that was a protected zone. A city of suffering, a city that has become synonymous with suffering in the world and has marked our past and our present with sadness.
Unfortunately, many they never experienced freedom, nor saw salvation, nor hugged their loved ones.
And this participation of mine is just a small part of solidarity with the victims and their families.
We are at the end of our Peace March today We paused to pay tribute to all the victims of genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sedin ef. Sahman addressed those present and recited the Fatiha for all our martyrs.
While I was learning Fatiha, I couldn’t help but shed a tear. So mute, speechless.
A tear sparkled in the eyes of many. We looked at each other speechless, we who were lucky enough to survive.
My thoughts are with all those today bury their loved ones after almost thirty years.
My thoughts are with everyone who has lost a loved one in a terrible war.
From today’s Peace March, messages of peace were sent from multicultural London, flying like white birds. I hope they will reach many suffering hearts.
MAY IT NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN AND DO NOT REPEAT TO ANYONE!
Al-Fatihah
I hereby thank all those who responded to this sad meeting, and especially To HE Vanja Filipović, Samra Koričić Mujkić and Jasmina Sarajlić from BiH Embassies.
Special thanks to the volunteers from Remembering Srebrenica, namely: Rameez, Gosia, Hameera, Emma, Farhana, Amy, Edina…
I apologize in advance if I left out anyone’s name.
Semira Jakupovic
