A survivor of the Bosnian War shared his experiences at a special Cumberland Council organised event to mark Srebrenica Memorial Day 2024 earlier this week (Monday 8 July).
The public event, held at the Civic Centre, Carlisle was an opportunity to learn more about the Bosnian War and the genocide at Srebrenica and remember this significant episode in modern history. It included guest speaker Jasmin Dajic.
Councillor Elaine Lynch, Cumberland Council’s Executive Member for Lifelong Learning and Development also spoke at yesterday’s Council meeting (Tuesday 9 July). She said:
“This year marks 29 years since the genocide at Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina in which over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered in what was described by the United Nations as ‘the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War’.
“That is why it is imperative that we never forget the horrors of 1995.
“The lessons learned from Srebrenica are that hatred and intolerance can flourish if left unchallenged even in an integrated society like Bosnia and Herzegovina, where people of different faiths had lived peacefully together for hundreds of years.
“The 11th of July has been designated as the official day of remembrance for the victims of Srebrenica. During this week each year, communities across the country honour the victims and survivors of the genocide, and pledge to create a better, stronger and more cohesive society in the United Kingdom.
“I was honoured to welcome a survivor of the Bosnian war for a remembrance event. Jasmin Dajic. He spoke honestly and poignantly about his experience, and how much gratitude and joy he has for his life safe in Manchester where he lives with his wife and two children.
“The genocide in Srebrenica is truly one of the darkest moments of human history since the Second World War, as thousands of innocent lives were taken as a result of nationalism which fuelled hatred against Muslims.
“By confronting this dark chapter of our collective history, we can reaffirm our commitment to tackling prejudice and discrimination and remind ourselves of the need to strengthen our resolve so that “never again” is truly meant.”
The Srebrenica Memorial Day event was organised with the support of AWAZ Cumbria, Dr Tony Foody, a History Teacher at Keswick School and Mohammed Dhalech.
Remembering Srebrenica is committed to educating young people about the Srebrenica genocide and the valuable lessons that we must learn for our own communities.
They have developed a range of free resources which are available for free download, explore the links below to find the resources that would best suit your needs. These are available on the Srebrenica Memorial Day website.
To commemorate Srebrenica Memorial Day 2024, some of Cumberland Council’s buildings were lit green between Friday 5 July and Tuesday 9 July.