name
Lejla

born in
Srebrenica

lives in
Haarlem

My father and my uncle fled into the woods. Every night I was on the balcony as a baby to call out to my dad. Only a month later, he returned without my uncle. That is precisely why I think: you do not commemorate alone, but together. I often hear from my fellow Bosniaks that they feel they are the only ones who think about Srebrenica. Yet it is not only my history as a Bosnian, but also my history as a Dutch national. If there is no proper commemoration, there is no learning. I would be right for July 11 to become such a national memorial day as May 4.

name
Amin

born in
Roermond

lives in
Tilburg

My parents are both from Potočari. They have always taught us what happened, while at the same time protecting us. The more interest we showed, the more they opened up. That's how I do it myself. If someone is really interested, then I am willing to tell. Last year I took three Dutch friends to Srebrenica. We stood there in that cemetery. They had no idea. What happened then was pointless. No one has benefited from it. If it will be forgotten, all would’ve been completely for nothing.

name
Zahida

born in
Srebrenica

lives in
Oss

My father walked the Death March. He almost made it. Then he was murdered. Every summer I hear the stories of my grandmothers and aunts. They all have lost children or partners. I am now 25 and haven’t seen a lot of life yet, but many family members have not even been able to reach that age. That's why I'm here. We know we won't get our loved ones back with it, but we won’t feel respected if we don't even dare to admit the injustice that has been done to us. That is why it is so important that people learn the facts.

name
Zoran

born in
Prijedor

lives in
Tilburg

Prijedor is no Srebrenica, but the story is the same: wanting to expunge an entire nation with an eraser, as if they never existed. I read and write about it because I want to give a voice to the oppressed. I want to break the institutional silence. To build a culture of remembrance. And it is good if someone with a Serbian name like Zoran contributes to this cause. The Bosniaks of my age are very open to my name. Our generation is not so convulsive about that. We owe this to the Netherlands as well. I learned to talk here. I don't put things away.

name
Enida

lives in
Tuzla

born in
Hoorn

As someone who is a Bosnian in the Netherlands and a Dutchman in Bosnia, I think it is very important to participate. None of us want anything like this to ever happen again. I myself have not experienced discrimination, but I always try to stand up for minorities. Because people are still oppressed. People are still being separated from their families. I feel the urgency of that problem and want to make others aware of it. I want to call on everyone to be good to each other.

name
Alen

born
Roermond

lives in
Utrecht

All those generations before me have gone to war. And I am the result of that. My education has left me that you never hit first, but if someone hits you, you hit twice as hard. I have never hit anyone, but you can see that you should not try it. That is the Balkan in me. I know the stories of my parents very well. Every time I think about what they went through, I cry. And that will end. The pain stops with me. My children will never feel that pain.

name
Ena

born in
Rotterdam

lives in
Tilburg

Those people are not dead for doing something wrong. Whether you were a good or bad person had nothing to do with it. You could be a surgeon, save twenty human lives and still be killed. My parents were lucky because my little brother at the border screamed so loud that they let them through. Otherwise I wouldn't have been here. That's why I commemorate. Because I don't want other people to feel the same. Refugees from Syria, civilian casualties in Iraq - no one should be allowed to do that.

name
Martin

born in
Ozimica

lives in
Wageningen

My colleagues are also on the Plein. Those men and women with full equipment, heavy vests and armored cars. I am a team leader at the training center of the military police. And I hope to give the students a moral compass. The standards and values ​, which have been brutally broken in Srebrenica. My family went through a war. And the disadvantage of Bosnians in the Netherlands. But I learned from my parents: treat everyone equally. Dare to look at yourself in the mirror to think about what you can do to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

name
Zana

born in
Assen

lives in
Smilde

We are never in the news. How many Bosnian youth are there actually in the Netherlands? We just don't stand out. But I am standing here, with my photo, despite everything my parents have been through. We have been given the opportunity to grow here. Everyone deserves that opportunity. I am proud of my history and my background. I took a lot of that with me. My parents' culture also adorns me.

name
Adi

born in
Breda

lives in
Breda

For 99.9% I commemorate for the people we have lost. But for the remaining 0.1% I am also standing there to prevent it from happening again. As part of my research, I have studied all the Dutch NIOD reports. We also commemorate the mistakes made by Dutchbat, the Bosnian government, the Dutch state and the United Nations. Dutchbat was sent off with a carte blanche. They had to do more than they could handle. This is something you can’t forgive yourself as an international community.

name
Elma

born in
Žepa

lives in
Utrecht

My father was in a Serb concentration camp. My grandfather died in Srebrenica. After the fall of Žepa, my mother almost left us in the woods, my brother and me. She was so exhausted that she could no longer walk. I don't often discuss it with my parents. I don't want to dig into the pit of their suffering. But I incorporate the fragments they tell me into my art. And I keep it colorful, lighthearted even. I bring out the gems from everything my parents and so many others have experienced.

name
Adnan

born in
Srebrenica

lives in
Zevenaar

I was born on July 2. When the city fell I was nine days old. My uncle and my grandfather have been murdered and their bodies have still not been found. My parents like it that I participate in this. It is almost a duty. I don't forget where I'm from and I'm not ashamed of it. In this country, which has given me so many great opportunities, people are also allowed to see what I carry with me. I am not afraid of anything.

name
Merima

born in
Amsterdam

lives in
Amsterdam

My family escaped through the woods. My father-in-law was murdered in Srebrenica. The war continues to haunt us. Even after 25 years, not all missing persons have been found. Every year we bury someone who has been identified. The Dutch government offers hardly any recognition. Srebrenica is not in the textbooks. This affects me. The war and the horrors it brought are tucked away. Dutchbat has failed, just admit it.

name
Petar

born in
Utrecht

lives in
Utrecht

The Netherlands and Bosnia have a violent history with each other. I am a product of both. My father is a Bosnian Croat who met my Dutch mother here. Our families are very close. My mother's brother is now with my father's sister. I have the best of both: pride and discipline, without any blinkers. I ask for this openness with this cause. My last name is not Markotik. Everyone knows how to pronounce Rakitić and Modrić at the World Cup. I don't call someone named Niels van de Boom Niels Boom. It's not that hard. It’s a matter of wanting to.

name
Minela

born in
Srebrenica

lives in
Krimpen aan den IJssel

Just before the fall of Srebrenica she saw a Dutchbatter in the camp, he was not older than 22. My mother remembers how much pity she felt for that boy, who was just crying. While she was carrying two children. I think: how, how can you put yourself in the position of another at that moment? When I see those war images my blood starts to boil. From an early age on I can’t stand injustice. At school I made sure it was brought up. But Srebrenica did not appear in the history books. That is why I hope that this cause will also bring to bear on something in education.

name
Nedžad

born in
Srebrenica

lives in
Bussum

Even though I was only born there, I still feel that strong connection. One day I will live there. Sooner rather than later. My goal is to get people to return to Srebrenica. To create employment opportunities. Because otherwise we have lost. I strongly believe that I will succeed. The city is almost dead, but there is a very small flame. And that gives me hope. One day that city will be ours again.

name
Hana

born in
Purmerend

lives in
Volendam

A war has no winners. Only losers. My father has lost his brother. But my parents did not pass any pain down on to me. But they did make me realize where I come from. As I grow older I feel more and more Bosnian. I value the beautiful customs and traditions. The people are warm. They’re happy with small things. I am really a family person. I will also teach my children Bosnian. And if I get the chance, I might live there, to give something back.

name
Adnan

born in
Rotterdam

lives in
Rotterdam

We are the invisible migrants. We are absorbed in the crowd. That is the Bosnian in us: adapting to the ruling party. My father has clear views indoors, but outside he is more careful. While as a Rotterdammer I have my heart on my sleeve. That's why I say it honestly: Srebrenica has become a political game. A business model. Some benefit, the others watch. This cause is a counterbalance. To create awareness not only of Srebrenica, but of everything that still goes wrong in the world: African Americans, the Rohingya, the Uyghurs.

name
Azra

born in
Rotterdam

lives in
Zuidland

My parents came here without knowing anyone. They did not know how their family was during the war. Here they had a deaf child. But they never chose the victim role. They taught themselves and my sister sign language. They put so much energy into it. That is why I am where I am. And I am also there for them, when they start telling their stories. Which I will pass on to my children. I struggled with my three identities: Bosnian, Dutch and deaf. But like my parents, I choose to always make the most of it. I want to communicate with people and I am getting better at it.

name
Adnan

born in
Den Haag

lives in
Gorinchem

I work well with the Serbs in my company. But it is impossible for them to recognize the genocide. They know it, but don't want to say it. I myself have been spending every holiday in Bosnia for years, to find my grandmother's body. She died during the war in Srebrenica, but the question remains where? I want to find her before my mother dies so she can close the book. I remember my grandmother every day. With this cause I want to ensure that all those others also know what happened there, without having to look it up.

name
Amra

born in
Rotterdam

lives in
Rotterdam

Even though I am a white migrant, I have faced discrimination. Because of my name, because of my religion. And my parents fled from it. Later, a mass grave was found in Prijedor where all the higher educated, the doctors, the intellectuals, lay in layers. That inspired me to learn and speak out about oppression and social inequality. By doing so I can show solidarity with visible minorities, who are not seen as Dutch, even if they have lived here for generations. The war taught me to be aware of how we talk about people from different backgrounds. Because words have an impact. Positive or negative.

name
Elvir

born in
Srebrenica

lives in
Arnhem

I wear my father's ring, who died in Srebrenica. And a cigarette box which was found near his body, in which he had scratched my name. I have that too. Every year I visit his grave at the large cemetery in Potočari. And then I figure out what I would do if I had millions. Because someday, if we are all stronger and financially independent, we can change the country. I would start with the infrastructure. I’d also build asphalt roads around Srebrenica, for all those villages in the mountains. I want to ensure that Bosnia is accessible to everyone.

name
Lejla

born in
Srebrenica

lives in
Den Haag

My parents, who have experienced Srebrenica, still bear the pain. Also because it is not part of Dutch history. My idealistic side says: recognition would ease that pain. My realistic side says: that is not going to happen. My parents gave up everything. That's why I did two studies at the same time, sat on student committees and worked besides everything. My life has to make up for what they have lost. And the story has to be told. Otherwise, the generation that does not learn anything about it will soon be in the cabinet - and fatal decisions will be made again.

name
Amil

born in
Almelo

lives in
Zoetermeer

My family is from Mostar. That's a big city. But Srebrenica? That is much smaller. And more than 8,000 men have been murdered. I have no words for that. Bodies have still not been found. And the worst part is: those people were innocent. We are here for them. They can no longer speak up. But we do. And our generation will pass on to the following generation: ‘Your grandparents went through the war. Do not forget it.'

name
Arijana

born in
Tuzla

lives in
Vught

Every year, all family members from all over Europe return to Sarajevo. A coffee and a pita in the morning, lovely. But for my parents, everything is still before, during or after the war. My father was in a camp and was severely abused. In the Netherlands, he was rejected for his panic attacks. My mother has very sad days as well. As a child, my brother and I had a hard time. We didn't understand why they did it that way. Now we do. So I am also here to show my parents that I will never forget what they and so many others went through.