Never Again?

Often called Europe's second Genocide of the 20th Century, and labeled by President Barack Obama as "a stain on our collective consciousness," this year, on July 11, 2010 marked the 15th anniversary of the Srebrenica Massacre where about 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, as well as the ethnic clensing of another 25,000-30,000 refugees, in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by units of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) under the command of General Ratko Mladic' during the Bosnian War.

The date of the "11th" is an important one during commemoration, as it is the official commemoration date of the massacre, and more importantly, on the 11th of every month, Women in Black in Serbia and several mothers of Srebrenica groups in Bosnia hold silent public vigils in conspicuous public space throughout Serbia and Bosnia. The purpose of these demonstrations is to advocate for public and political recongition of Serbian/Bosnian-Serb military/paramilitary crimes agains the Bosniaks in Srebrenica, to call attention to Dutch (and UN/International) culpability for the crimes committed, and to call for reparations & assistance for the survivors and victims' families.

This month, the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, in association with the Noyes Museum of Art, invites the entire Stockton and greater surrounding communities to join us in education, commemoration and action as we honor the lives lost, remember the survivors whose lives have been permanently interrupted, and reflect upon the failures of humanity that made this massacre possible so we may all learn to think and act toward making the well-worn post-Holocaust Mantra "Never Again" a reality.

Woerkom

Dutch artist and activist Jehanne van Werkom (Nijmegen-Holland, 1942) lives and works in the Dutch town of Bussum, outside of Amsterdam. Always an artist, Werkom's work turned political when, on March 17, 1982, Salvadoran paramilitary troops murdered four Dutch journalists. As her consciousness of global suffering and inequity became more acute, the subjects of her work expanded.

Images of the traumatic events that took at least 8,000 lives in the Srebrenica massacre on July 11, 1995 were mounted on large wooden doors to commemorate  Srebrenica's victims and to advocate for the greater Dutch responsibility for the future of the survivors. Woerkom erects this momument in The Hague, Netherlands each July 11th - the offical memorial day for the Srebrenica massacre. Her work has since been exhibited in the Amsterdam Museum of Dutch Resistance, and in the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation in Amsterdam.

A Collage of Woerkom's Art
In the words of Jehanne van Woerkom:
"As a Dutch citizen I am very much aware of the fact that Dutchbat was in Srebrenica. Also in my name...I feel very much ashamed, indignant and angry about the failure of this peacekeeping mission. But what can I do? At least I can be present at the side of the families who bury their loved-ones in Potocari, every 11th of July.

A strange silence has descended over the immense terrain. Only the shovelfuls of earth that come down with dull, heavy thuds can be heard. The ground is trembling. The bangs reflect agains the former Dutchbat base opposite and agains the mountains where the tragedies took place. Dull thuds in our heads. From time to time a scream, muffled sobbing, a sudden movement of people who carry somebody off who has fainted.

In the same way we entered the cemetery we leave it in the end. An endless procession of men, women, children, silent and withdrawn. We leave them again, the 1,327 dead, buried in Potocari so far. The final place of rest for the thousands of victims of the raid on Srebrenica."







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