The exhibition “MEMENTO: fragments of the Srebrenica genocide” was opened on Wednesday evening at the headquarters of the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels by the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, as part of activities marking 30 years since the genocide in Srebrenica.
“Despite the monstrous intention to destroy the Bosniak people in Srebrenica, the memory of the killed lives forever, in our thoughts and in our memories – as this exhibition is called,” said Kallas, expressing gratitude to the organizers of the exhibition.
“And just as this exhibition tries to teach us, remembering crimes is not an annual ritual. Remembrance is a daily call to confront hatred, intolerance, and injustice. That is how we destroy the roots of crimes,” added Kallas.
MEMENTO is a series of powerful personal stories, told through artifacts found in mass graves and personal archives. Next to each item is a portrait and testimony of a survivor or family member who lost loved ones in the genocide. Together they offer insight into a deeply personal perspective of the events from July 1995. The exhibition was organized by the EEAS in cooperation with the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) from Sarajevo, the Srebrenica Memorial Center, and the Mechanism’s Information Program for communities affected by conflict in The Hague.
“There are no words to describe our emotions, especially in the face of tireless evil. That is why the images in this exhibition are so striking. A pocket watch marking the moment when time stopped for its owner. The shorts of a teenager, which will never be worn again. The testimony of a woman who even now, after thirty years, searches for her oldest son. I want everyone to remember what happened in Srebrenica,” said Kallas at the opening of the exhibition.
She recalled her recent visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH): “I visited Sarajevo in April this year and all my messages were about action. I spoke about the EU’s commitment to preserving the security of BiH. BiH is part of our European family.”
Velma Saric, founder of the PCRC, emphasized that this exhibition brings powerful stories of genocide and survival.
“It includes personal belongings of victims’ families, items found in mass graves in eastern BiH, and from the route known as the ‘Death March.’ Through these stories, we pay tribute to more than 8.000 Muslim men and boys killed in the Srebrenica genocide. It is a powerful reminder of BiH’s continuous journey toward peace and justice. Through our work, we hope to inspire young people to learn from the past, promote peace, and stand up to hatred and violence – now and in the future,” she added.
Mirela Osmanovic from the Srebrenica Memorial Center stated that “30 years have passed since the Srebrenica genocide.”
“For many, that is distant history. But for us – for the survivors, for the families of the victims, for those of us who work at the Memorial Center – the genocide is constantly present. Not out of a desire to remain in the past, but because justice and dignity are not things you bury and move on from. They are built over time, with truth and care,” she said.
Osmanovic added that “in a time when denial is louder when war criminals are not only defended but openly glorified – when murals replace court verdicts, and silence meets hate speech – this exhibition serves as a reminder that truth is not a matter of opinion, but of evidence and moral responsibility.”
In addition to the exhibition, the documentary film “Samir Mehic Bowie – Letters from Srebrenica,” which tells the story of the life of the Srebrenica guitarist, will be shown in Brussels on July 1st at 6 p.m. at the Bozar Center for Fine Arts. A panel discussion is planned after the screening.
