More than 6,000 participants of the Peace March left this morning from Nezuk towards Potočari, where on July 11 they will attend the funeral and burial of ten victims of the genocide in Srebrenica. This is the twenty-second time that survivors, witnesses, descendants, as well as those who have nothing in common with this region, embark on a journey along a 100-kilometer route, which in July 1995 led to death, but also to free territory. With one goal – the culture of memory.
Once a way of salvation, today the March of Peace. Some people are very familiar with these trails. To those who managed to reach the free territory in July 1995. For Selma Redžić-Mujić, this is not just a hike. More than three decades ago, she walked through this forest in fear and uncertainty, fighting for her life. Today, he walks the same path with his children.
He wants to convey another important lesson to them – that the truth and victims are not forgotten.
“I survived. I tried to cross twice, and only the third time we managed to reach the free territory. We talked to the children about it. They agreed to go on their own, on my husband’s initiative, we started. The youngest child is two years old, so we’ll see how long we can last,” said Selma Redžić-Mujić, a participant of the Peace March from France.
Steps dedicated to loved ones
Among the thousands of participants is Mirela Muratović, who came to the Peace March from Australia. She lost both parents in the genocide. For her, every step along this path is an act of remembrance and honoring those closest to her.
“I lost both parents in Srebrenica. My father died on the way through the forest in 1995, and he was buried in Potočari in 2010. We still don’t know anything about my mother. Today I am here to pay my respects to my parents, but also to all the victims of Srebrenica,” she tells Federalna TV.
Memory is a permanent obligation
On the other hand, those for whom the Peace March has been unavoidable for years point out that the first time led to each subsequent one. Because memory is an obligation.
“Emotions are present every time. Some may think that it is simple for us, to just get together and go, but it is not so. Every time we relive everything. The more we come, the harder it is,” said Peace March participant from Srebrenica Almir Ibrahimović.
Raif Meštrovac from Jajce says that he is especially pleased with the increasing number of young participants.
“Every year more and more of us come. We are glad that the youth come too. We always bring eight or ten young people, as many as we can,” Meštrovac emphasized.
Young people preserve the culture of memory
Among the thousands of participants this year, there is a large number of young people. This is precisely what gives the organizers hope that the culture of memory will continue to live on in the generations to come.
RS Vice President Ćamil Duraković pointed out that the presence of the descendants of the victims is particularly important.
“I was with a group of children of Srebrenica fighters who founded their own association. These are the first descendants of those who lost their lives or were killed on this journey, that is, those who survived, but today due to age, they can no longer follow the March with the same intensity. They are the ones who guarantee that the culture of memory will be preserved,” emphasized Duraković.
Arrival in Potočare
On Friday, the participants will arrive in Potočare, where they will join the commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the genocide. Their steps will then stop, but the message they carry along the entire route of the Peace March will remain the same: The victims will always be remembered, and the truth will never be forgotten, Federalna writes.
