Srebrenica is Dutch history

The campaign Srebrenica is Dutch History is developed by Bosnian Girl: a collective consisting of four young women: architect Arna Mačkić,  film director Ena Sendijarević, theatre director Daria Bukvić, policymaker Emina Ćerimović. We joined forces to reach an inclusive narrative and commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide in the Netherlands.

On July 11, 2020 it was exactly 25 years since the genocide in Srebrenica took place. More than 8.000 Bosnian Muslim men and underage boys were murdered. The Dutch UN Battalion Dutchbat was supposed to provide protection. This is the largest genocide in Europe since World War II. Srebrenica is Dutch history is a campaign which demands attention for the Srebrenica genocide, the role of the Netherlands and its 25th anniversary in the Netherlands.

25 years after the fall of Srebrenica there is still no national monument in the Netherlands to commemorate this tragedy. For this reason a temporary monument will be built at the Plein in The Hague, the location where the commemoration takes place each year.

Photographer Robin de Puy made 25 portrait photos of Bosnian Dutch women and men of 25 years old. All photographed have roots in Bosnia, but are born or raised in the Netherlands. Their double identity symbolizes the interconnectedness of Dutch and Bosnian history. The temporary monument consists of large format prints of the 25 photos placed in a circle on the Plein. Within this circle the physical commemoration took place on July 11, after which the temporary monument remained there for three weeks.

Collective Bosnian Girl wants to mobilize involved political and social actors to raise awareness and reflection on this history in various public domains of Dutch society by 1) a more prominent place in Dutch history education, 2) the creation of a permanent national monument in The Hague and 3) structural government funding for the annual commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide in the Netherlands. Do you agree with these goals? Sign the petition here.