The event History Alive on the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina was organized for the second time in the Lindbergh High School in St. Louis, USA.
This project was developed through partnership between Lindbergh High School and the Federation of Balkan American Association (FEBA). The program was intended for the students of the mentioned high school and the aim was for high school students to find out more about the history and the last war in BiH. Eighteen speakers from different parts of BiH participated in the program which gathered more than 200 students, who showed great interest in the topic. Bradley A. Durnell, a history teacher in this school, also contributed significantly to this project.
The speakers talked about their life stories and conveyed specific messages learnt from tragic events of the last war in BIH. All speakers stated that dialogue is the key to success and that people must show more respect and appreciation. Of course, at certain moments it was not easy for the speakers to revive all details of their fight for survival, but their desire and the feeling of responsibility towards the victims were stronger.
“Thanks to FEBA for the invitation and an opportunity to share my experiences from the last genocide, ethnocide and urbicide against the non-Serb population in BiH, with the emphasis on events that took place in Prijedor in the nineties. I am glad that the students were satisfied with what they heard. What surprised me a lot are the words of one student, Alday, and her warm, friendly hug accompanied with following words: ‘Thank you for life advice’. Her words of gratitude are a confirmation of success of this program and my story, as well as the stories of other participants. Organization was excellent, and we owe huge thanks to representatives of FEBA and the Lindbergh High School,” said Refik Alaukić from Prijedor.
“I am honored to be a part of this program. I am very happy because my peers had an opportunity to find out more about our Bosnia and Herzegovina and its past. It is important that the stories of people who survived the war are heard,” said Belmin Husić, one of the students at Lindbergh High School.
“It must be talked more about the history of BiH, in the future we want to pay more attention to these topics. Our aim is to stimulate the exchange of experiences among people, especially among our volunteers and participants. Moreover, we wish to thank everyone for help and support we get from our community in St. Louis,” said Mustafa Đerahović, regional director of FEBA.
(Source: novovrijeme.ba)
