Srebrenica Flower monument at UN Square in Vienna - A message of peace and warning

(Patria) - The "Srebrenica Flower" monument will be officially opened on October 24th at the United Nations Square in Vienna, directly in front of the United Nations building. Thanks to the initiative of the Union of BiH Associations in Austria "Consilium Bosniacum" and the support of officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria, Srebrenica and the message of peace and warning will thus become part of global collective memory.

The president of the Union of BiH Associations in Austria 'Consilium Bosniacum', Damir Saračević, emphasizes that the motivation for this monument arose from the need to memorialize and universalize the truth and memory of the genocide in Srebrenica.

"We want Europe and the world to never forget what happened in July 1995. It is our obligation that new generations learn from truth, not from oblivion. Vienna, as the seat of the UN and a city of peace and multiculturalism, becomes the host of a permanent symbol of solidarity and human dignity. The 'Srebrenica Flower' monument, in this context, should be a message to all generations and peoples that genocide must never be repeated, to anyone. It is not just stone or steel, it is our conscience, our voice, and our vow for the future," he emphasized.

The 'Consilium Bosniacum' Union launched an initiative in 2020 to adopt a Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica in the Austrian Parliament. The resolution was adopted in July 2022, after which, according to Saračević, they immediately began working on realizing the idea of erecting a monument. They held the first official meeting on this project in September 2022 with the President of the Viennese Parliament and the Head of the Department for Cultural Heritage of the City of Vienna.

"In the past period, we have received support from numerous institutions, organizations, companies, and individuals. We are particularly pleased that the project has been recognized both locally and internationally as a significant contribution to the culture of remembrance. The unveiling of the monument will be a ceremony that transcends borders. We expect a large number of high officials, representatives of international organizations, and citizens. We invite everyone to attend, thereby sending a strong message that Europe remembers and learns from the past," he said.

As Saračević emphasized, the message of the 'Srebrenica Flower' can only remain alive if it is continuously passed on to others, especially to younger generations, through education, culture, and public activities.

"Our union is here to ensure that remembrance does not remain confined to the past, but shapes a better future – a future in which genocide must never be repeated, to anyone," he stated.

The monument at the United Nations Square in Vienna is the work of a team of artists, led by Hajrudin Dimano, along with Adil Dimano and Anita Zečić. The contractor is the company BauCov from Vienna, managed by Ibrahim and Melisa Čović. The 'Srebrenica Flower' is made of steel, in white and silver colors, measuring 3.8 meters in height and 4.5 meters in width. The base consists of 11 figures, symbolizing the Mothers of Srebrenica, holding a floral structure in their hands – a symbol of innocence, pain, and remembrance. Due to the monument's whiteness, it appears as if the flower is lifting the mothers upwards, which is also the symbolism of this monument. In the center is a prism with text inscribed in three languages (German, English, and Bosnian). This conveys a universal message of truth, solidarity, and dignity to all visitors and generations.