Srebrenica Memorial Quilt Visits US, Puts a Human Face on the Massacre

BOSFAM director Beba Hadzic brought the Srebrenica Memorial Quilt to the United States for a multi-city tour to reconnect with the Bosnian diaspora here.

Please see this story from AdvocacyNet for a detailed synopsis, as well as several links for further reading and donations.

Bosnian Women's Day--March 10, 2009

Courtesy of Advocacy Net, a story about a Capitol Hill ceremony for Bosnian Women's Day, featuring Beba Hadzic of BOSFAM.

I most likely will not be able to attend, but I encourage anyone in the DC area who is able to, to visit the webpage and RSVP Elmina Kulasic. If I am able to adjust my schedule, I will be there myself.

Srebrenica Memorial Quilt--Update

The Srebrenica Memorial Quilt has grown since I first posted about it in October, and will soon be moving from St. Louis to Boston:

AdvocacyNet Update on Srebrenica Memorial Quilt

The exact dates have not been announced yet; I will pass those along once I know.

I you have not done so already, please check out Bosnian Family's website:

BOSFAM

If you are considering making a donation to the Srebrenica Memorial Quilt, please remember that not only does the money go to a worthy cause, the quilt is also a work of advocacy. The ultimate destination will be Washington, DC--the larger the quilt is by that point, the more of an impression it will make on legislators.

Srebrenica Memorial Quilt--how to support

In previous post on the quilt below, I included links both to the AdvocacyNet page on the project and the BOSFAM main page. In the interests of convenience, here's a direct link to the page at AdvocacyNet with directions on how to contribute:

Support the Srebrenica Memorial Quilt

Forty dollars is a very reasonable amount. Owen and Daniel are buying a panel, I need to find my wallet and do the same!

Srebrenica Memorial Quilt

I have written previously about BOSFAM, the weaving cooperative operated by and for Bosnian women who lost family members during the war. Many of the weavers lost husbands and sons at Srebrenica. BOSFAM provides them both with the sense of community and family to carry on as well as the opportunity to utilize their weaving skills as a source of income.

The Washington DC-based non-profit group AdvocacyNet is a worthy organization which works to facilitate grassroots organizations developed by locals rather than imposing well-meaning programs onto troubled communities. AdvocacyNet has a long-standing connection with BOSFAM, continuing to send interns to work with the center. I personally own a beautiful kilim from BOSFAM, which I purchased through AdvocacyNet.

Now AdvocacyNet is helping BOSFAM to spread the news about the Srebrenica Memorial Quilt, a commemoration of some of the victims of Srebrenica. The quilt is made of individual panels, each one carrying the name of one victim of the massacre. Relatives of victims can have a BOSFAM member add a panel in memory of their loved one for a $40 donation; there is an option for those of us with no personal ties to Srebrenica to do so as well. I will be making a donation, and encouraging friends and family to do the same.

Although the websites linked above do not specify this, I have been informed that the plan is to eventually bring the completed quilt to Washington DC, to be presented to lawmakers at an event designed to bring pressure to push for the arrest of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Not only will buying more panels benefit a very worthy cause--the larger the quilt, the bigger the impact this planned presentation will have.

Please take time to check out these links, and seriously consider making a contribution. And, most of all, please forward this information and these links to anyone and everyone you know.

Thank you.