On our first full day in Sarajevo I visited Galerija 11/07/95 with little knowledge of the Srebrenica genocide and the scars it has left on the Muslim Bosniak population. Throughout my time in the public school system in Maine, our focus on world events was primarily limited to both world wars and the Revolutionary War. Though I have always had a strong interest in history, the majority of my knowledge has come through individual research and curiosity. Of course I knew that there had been a former Yugoslavia and that a horrific war had taken place there during the 90s, however beyond that, I knew very little about the conflict. The one key phrase that always stood out to me about the Balkans was what my AP European history teacher had said as he relayed the description of the Balkans as being a “powder keg” during the build-up to WWII.
However, immediately upon entering Galerija 11/07/95, I was faced with a wall covered top to bottom in photos of victims of the Srebrenica genocide. While I stared into the faces of the men and women (mostly men) who had been murdered during July of 1995, I realized that this was a pocket of history that had completely slipped my education. The photo gallery depicted images of bodies piled high in mass graves and mothers holding photos of their dead loved ones, however the photo that made the largest impression on me was one of a Muslim Bosnian woman staring at a poster advertising the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. With her back facing the camera and a slight hunch in her shoulders, this photo conveyed the emotion that this woman was experiencing, without ever showing her face.
In contrast to the Holocaust, which was heavily touched upon in my high school history curriculum, the Yugoslavia war and the Srebrenica genocide was virtually ignored. Though I fully believe that Holocaust education is essential for all global citizens and appreciate my high schools dedication to sharing the horrors of the Holocaust, I felt a sense of guilt and despair in knowing that there was an entire genocide that has been ignored and disregarded by the world at large. Though nothing can heal the wounds that Srebrenica genocide caused thousands of Muslim families in Bosnia, in sharing their stories and bringing awareness to the tragedy, there can be a sense of hope with the knowledge that future generations are being raised with knowledge of past tragedies and the foresight to avoid them. However, if these stories are not being told, how can there be further growth for future generations? Being Jewish myself, I know that I felt hopeful after stories of the Holocaust were shared with my classmates because I felt as though this education helped bring awareness and sensitivity to an event in history that left an indelible mark on my family.
People’s stories deserve to be told. Especially those whose history is often pushed to the wayside and ignored. My time in Bosnia and Herzegovina has shown me the gaps in my knowledge and in turn, helped shape my understanding of a region of Europe that remains a
mystery to most people, and I remain thankful to museums such as Galerija 11/07/95 who are committed to sharing the history of those silenced by the rest of the world.