This summer, 11 Students and two faculty members are traveling to Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia to learn about the 20th-century history of the countries formerly known as Yugoslavia and begin to unravel the complex reverberations of Conflict. Please enjoy this blog post below from Luca ’26 where he reflects on a powerful day in Srebrenica which exposed students to the stark realities of genocide and resilience through a visit to the memorial center, personal stories from survivors, and moments of reflection, before returning to Sarajevo for a lighter evening exploring the old town.
Our second day in Sarajevo started with an early wake up (classified in the summer as before 9:30am), and a bite of breakfast before our departure for Srebrenica. The 3-hour bus ride consisted of winding roads, taking us up and over multiple mountains and giving us beautiful views of the towns, valleys, and rivers below. Though the natural scenery was breathtaking, it was impossible to miss the many damaged and abandoned stores, factories, and homes on the way, a direct result of the war on, or abandonment of homes by, Bosniaks (Muslim Bosnians). When we arrived at the Srebrenica Memorial Center, our guide, Arnel, showed us a documentary and photos, explained maps, and brought us to thousands of names of those whose lives were brutally taken at the hands of Bosnian Serb forces. Everyone who guides at the memorial is part of a family impacted directly by the events at Srebrenica, and we learned from Arnel that his father was one of only about 3,000 men who survived the trek north towards BIH-controlled territory. The most powerful part of the memorial for me personally was the cemetery, which consisted of thousands of white obelisk-shaped gravestones (white according to Muslim practice) for the 8262 victims (identified by 2013) of the massacres that took place there in July, 1995.
Following our visit to the memorial site and an accompanying exhibit about the column of 15,000 men and boys from nearby villages who tried to reach safety through the forested mountains, we had a personal interaction through lunch with a local family. Senad and Melisa had prepared a beautiful Bosnian lunch for us, and we all enjoyed it under the shade, trying unique meats, coffee, and a delicious homemade cake at the end of the meal, along with a big pot of Bosnian coffee. During conversation (translated by Arna) over dessert we came to learn that this family had suffered terrible losses during “the 90s,” as people refer to the war, especially during the Srebrenica genocide. Senad lost his brother and father, while an uncle was one of those members of the column who managed “to cross”; Melisa’s father was also killed during the column’s walk through the mountains towards help. However, their mothers – among the many Bosnian women often lauded by Arna as heroes for returning- chose to move back to Bosnia to attempt to rebuild and create a life for themselves. Senad’s brother was 16, an innocent, defenseless teenager condemned to death at the hands of merciless Bosnian Serb forces whose leader, Karadžić, had instructed them to “Create an unbearable situation of total insecurity with no hope of further survival or life for the inhabitants of Srebrenica.” In talking about genocide denial, segregated education systems, lack of economic opportunities, and political stalemate and corruption, Senad seemed less bitter than resigned, pointing out that his children (9 and 14), will need to live in this society and would be hampered in doing so if always thinking about their neighbors as the enemy. After an emotional goodbye, our group departed for our return to Sarajevo, many stunned by the sorrows that we had seen and heard about from people directly affected, and glad to have the ride back to the city to process our feelings.
That evening, groups of students had the chance to roam the old town and choose their own dinner: some groups made bold choices such as KFC while others tried Prague-style gel-filled donuts; one group dined on gelato, candy, and soda – all in all, a terrific use of the local shops and stores offering traditional Bosnian dishes(!) The night finished with a group debrief, and excitement for the following day, when we would get more perspectives, of both the human and scenic kinds.
