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The ‘Mother’s Scarf’ art installation, part of the Srebrenica Heroines initiative, will open next month at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre as part of commemorations to mark the 27th anniversary of the 1995 genocide of Bosniaks by Bosnian Serb forces.

The installation is a symbolic display of scarves and shawls that women use in everyday life and that mothers of Srebrenica victims use during prayer and commemoration of their loved ones.

“The ‘Mother’s Scarf’ art installation is dedicated to the heroic roles and contributions of Bosnian women,” said Velma Saric, director and founder of the Post-Conflict Research Centre, which is organising the project with the Movement of Mothers of the Srebrenica and Zepa Enclaves association and the Srebrenica Memorial Centre.

The aim is to collect 1,000 scarves from mothers of Srebrenica victims to honour their role in preserving the memory of the genocide. Saric said that most of the scarves collected so far have a symbolic meaning, “from being passed down to them by their mothers and grandmothers to being the scarves they wore as they were escaping Srebrenica in 1995, or while burying their loved ones at the Memorial Centre”.

“We expect to have the installation grow each year as it will become a travelling monument dedicated to the historical strength and role of women during and after the war and genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” she added.

The organisers are appealing for anyone who wants to get involved to send them a scarf by July 5. The installation will open during the programme marking the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide from July 9-10, which also includes the Srebrenica Heroines International Conference.

Since 2020, the Post-Conflict Research Centre and the Srebrenica Memorial Centre have been seeking innovative ways to commemorate the genocide and other war crimes using art, activism, documentary film-making and educational projects. These have includes artist Aida Sehovic’s installation of coffee cups, ‘Sto Te Nema’ (‘Where Have You Been’) in 2020 and the ‘Kilims of Remembrance’ exhibition of embroidered handicrafts in 2021.

Emina Hajdarevic of the Mothers of Srebrenica. Photo: Denis Ruvic.

Fata Huseinagic’s scarf. Photo: Denis Ruvic.

Kada Hotic, vice-president of the Mothers of Srebrenica. Photo: Denis Ruvic.

Fazila Efendic of the Mothers of Srebrenica holds her scarf. Photo: Denis Ruvic.

Melissa Fleming, UN undersecretary-general for Global Communications (left) with Munira Subasic, president of the Mothers of Srebrenica. Photo: Denis Ruvic.

Donated scarf. Photo: Denis Ruvic.

Donated scarves. Photo: Denis Ruvic.

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