Srebrenica: Opening of the artistic installation 'Million Bones' on Friday

Organised by the Centre for Post-Conflict Research (CPI) and the organisation Art of Revolution, on Friday, 10 July at 2:30 PM in Srebrenica, the artistic installation “One Million Bones” will be opened. The installation will be opened as part of the four-day multidisciplinary youth event “Ordinary Heroes/Million Bones” to be held in Srebrenica from 8 to 11 July, which will also include workshops and discussions educating young participants on topics such as moral courage, art and peacebuilding, media and social change, and memorialisation, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

Emphasising that a tragedy such as genocide is difficult to understand for those who were not part of it, the founder and executive director of the Centre for Post-Conflict Research, Velma Šarić, stated that this project is merely a continuation of the activities the Centre has been undertaking for some time with the aim of remembering the victims of genocide.

- In order to bring the context of that act closer to everyone who is not in any way connected to the genocide, the Centre for Post-Conflict Research has brought this globally recognised project to Srebrenica. We want this installation not only to connect young people with the experiences of victims and survivors, but also to serve as a platform that will allow survivors to share their pain with the world - Šarić emphasised, adding that this will certainly be a difficult and emotional event, but she hopes it will also be something participants will remember for the rest of their lives.

- On this occasion, I would like to especially thank the organisation “Art of Revolution” for generously donating 100,000 handmade bones for this event, which will be designed by local artists into a permanent art installation after the commemoration. The installation will be placed in the Potočari Memorial Centre as a permanent monument to the victims of the 1995 genocide - Šarić added.

The project “One Million Bones” originated in June 2013 when the world watched thousands of volunteers from the United States of America lay more than one million handmade bones in front of the National Mall in Washington as a visible protest against genocides occurring worldwide, as well as mass atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan, Burma, and Somalia. Volunteers from BiH (both entities), Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Sweden, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Costa Rica, Norway, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Australia will participate in the setup of this unique artistic installation, which aims to visually represent the tragedy that occurred as a result of the Srebrenica genocide in 1995.

The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mary Ann Hennessy, said that the Council of Europe is very proud to support such a significant project.

- The Council of Europe was founded after the Second World War precisely with the aim of establishing democracy and human rights, and especially to prevent crimes such as genocide. Genocide is the worst form of inhumanity of mankind, and it is very important that we work not only on education but also on fostering compassion in young people, because only when we establish that empathy in young people can we talk about potential reconciliation - Hennessy emphasised, adding that she hopes other international organisations and government institutions will recognise this project and support it in the future.

Volunteer from BiH, Lejla Bečar, stated that she is very pleased to be part of this project.

Volunteer from the Netherlands, Anna Idzinga, stated that the project is very significant for the survivors in Srebrenica because in this way they will know that young people around the world are thinking of them and empathising with their pain.

- In the Netherlands, not much is said about the genocide, and therefore many people do not know what happened in Srebrenica. By participating in the project, I want to bring my experiences closer to young people in the Netherlands and familiarise them more with the context of the Srebrenica genocide - Idzinga emphasised.