Genocide Oral History Project Launched in Srebrenica

BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Srebrenica Memorial Centre presented the video project 'The Lives Behind the Fields of Death' on Wednesday at a conference in Srebrenica that highlighted the role of oral history in combatting genocide denial and revisionism.

As part of the project, 100 testimonies of Srebrenica genocide survivors were filmed over the past year. The interviews focus on survivors' experiences before and during the war, as well as their recollections of the genocide, with the intention of showing the culture and customs of the community in Srebrenica.

The director of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, Emir Suljagic, said the stories were important for preserving history, because court proceedings and verdicts do not focus on human narratives.

"We have thousands of stories that should be recorded. It is important for us to have each story recorded," Suljagic said.

Survivors who told their stories as part of the project also donated items associated with their experience or mementoes belonging to people who did not survive to the Memorial Centre for preservation - sometimes the items found next to the remains of their loved ones.

"Our idea is to put their lives before and after the fall of Srebrenica in focus, instead of the constant genocide denial narrative, and show the people behind those numbers and the experiences of family members of people who were killed in the genocide," said BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina's director, Denis Dzidic.

"It is important to insist on showing that this was about human beings and lost families," he added.

Wednesday's conference, entitled 'The Role of Oral History in Countering Revisionist Narratives', was held ahead of the anniversary commemoration on July 11 of the...