Memory and Justice: www.memoryandjustice.org
Discussion of Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery
When is a memorial site a sacred space, and when is it a civic space? At the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery, the distinction is admirably clear. On one side of the road, all signs point to the sacred: there are gravestones, a mosque, and a generally somber atmosphere. On the other side of the road, where the museum is located, the vernacular design implies civic use. In this way, visitors are given cues as to what behavior is appropriate in what space without having to be explicitly instructed.
Thus far, however, the memorial and cemetery are most often visited by grieving relatives or by dignitaries on anniversary commemorations. Since the war, few Muslims live in the area around Srebrenica, and the cemetery seems to mean little to neighboring Serbs.
Related Site
About this Article
"Discussion of Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial and Cemetery" was posted June 06, 2009 and last updated October 12, 2009.
There has been one comment so far. We welcome yours.
Comments
As a college student, I am fairly new to the field of transitional justice but I am not new to watching the world news; somehow I never heard about this atrocity. This is especially surprising because there have been updates on the Srebrenica massacre as early as 2005. Even the BBC has reported on it as early as 2003. I believe that atrocities such as these should have more of a priority in the U.S. educational system. If everyone learned basic concepts of transitional justice then I believe that when it is time for those individuals to move on to careers in politics or even as janitors it would create a new mindset toward injustices in the international communities.
Either way my ranting does not matter. What does matter is the memorialization and awareness that the Sevrenica-Potocari Memorial and Cemetery creates on the international scene. This cemetery helps to create a sense of accountability in the international community and gives people a meaningful location to morn and share the harmful nature of violent conflict. I am proud to hear from this article that The US government participated in paying for the memorial’s cost.
– TBushnell (Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:43:25 -0500)
Page 1 of 1 pages of comments
via RSS feed