Kilims of remembrance to the Srebrenica genocide victims

TRADITION AGAINST OBLIVION

Hard-working women of BOSFAM wanted to do something to preserve the memory of their loved ones who were the victims of bestialities of the war, and specifically the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.

And again – with the help of tradition and handicraft…

• Thousands of embroidered pillows are a result of the project titled “Write names with embroidery and love…”
• KILIMS of remembrance to the Srebrenica genocide victims and our message:

“To the victims’ families, we owe justice – commemoration to the victims…”

In its work with women, victims of the war, within our project titled “Bosnian Tradition, Beauty and Work”, Bosfam initiated kilim weaving as a form of occupational therapy. A mother, whose minor son disappeared with the fall of Srebrenica, always emphasises that only the kilim weaving helps her to “fight her sorrow”. She is one of many who seek comfort through “picking threads and matching colours”.

Visit our gallery and see each of the kilims of remembrance and hear a story about every persons being respected.

What is the kilim of remembrance?

Kilim of remembrance is a kilim made of panels, where each presents a memory of one victim of the Srebrenica 1995 genocide. By adding new panels, the KILIM OF REMEMBRANCE will grow and preserve the memory of this massacre.

For each missing person, a small kilim of 40×40 cm will be woven. It will be of different colour, motive and with a name written inside it. The woven parts are put toghether and this is how a larger kilim is made. The Bosfam women started: for 20 genocide victims, members of their families, making a kilim of 20 motives and 20 names.

The kilim of remembrance brought attention and led to a wish to carry on working, making the kilim bigger and having it stand as a reminder of the genocide victims, and an obstacle to oblivion.

Why a kilim?

Kilim is a permanent value of our areas, and no matter how some would like to see it gone, it still keeps on, persisting and being valuable. It is the same as the destinies of our dearest, which all flew into one whole – the destiny of the genocide victims. The kilim always reminds to the warmth of home and family, and so it should always and everywhere remind of our family members who perished as the genocide victims. Let it be remembered, not forgotten!

Who weaves the panels?

The objective:

Kilims of remembrance to the Srebrenica genocide victims

(woven by the hands of hard-working Bosnian women in a traditional manner) with thousands of names of the genocide victims; a permanent reminder of the genocide that happened, for the victims not to be forgotten and to never, ever have Srebrenica happen to anyone again.