Mensur Bektic, the author of the Silver Srebrenica Flower, on the occasion of July 4th – United States (U.S.) Independence Day and July 11th – Day of remembering Srebrenica Genocide, wants to present the President of the U.S. Joe Biden with a large, handmade, Silver Flower of Srebrenica.
In an interview with agency Fena, Bektic explained that President Biden, at a time when genocide was committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), when people were killed, raped, tortured, and dislodged, raised his voice so that the whole world could hear what was happening in BiH.
Support for victims
“I want this Flower to be on the wall of the Oval Office to remind all generations to come that genocide must never happen again and that the U.S. was the one who supported the victims in our country,” told Bektic.
He points out that he has the full support of the Association “Mothers of the Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves” movement, led by President Munira Subasic.
He made this Flower together with his son Ibrahim Bektic, who said that Flower symbolically has the message of hope, innocence, and a new beginning.
“The flower has 11 petals, and in each of them there are seven rolls, which is a symbol of the date of the marking Srebrenica genocide,” said Ibrahim Bektic.
Helping children
Also, he explained that each Flower is made using the traditional filigree technique, which his family has inherited for more than 400 years. The Flower is made of pure silver, which is also one of the symbols of Srebrenica because silver has been exploited in that city for a long time.
“It took me about ten days to make the Flower intended for President Biden. Two days for making molds, and five for filling petals. Everything was done by hand and all the materials used to make this Flower come from BiH, ” Ibrahim Bektic mentioned.
The Srebrenica Flower can be purchased at the BBI Center in the Bektic Jewelry Studio. Its price is 117 euros, which also symbolizes the date of the genocide. About half of the amount is intended for scholarships for pupils and students from Srebrenica and Zepa who are in case of social need. They will be chosen by the Association Movement “Mothers of the Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves”. So far, Mensur Bektic emphasized, they have distributed 71 scholarships of 500 and 700 BAM.
In the end, Bektic expressed hope that in the future he will have the opportunity to help children from that area of BiH through the project, N1 writes.
E.Dz.
