Thirty years ago, the world reacted in horror to events in Srebrenica. During the Bosnian War, the town became the site of a massacre that is officially recognized as modern genocide. According to the United Nations, at least 8,300 Muslim men and teen boys were killed or went missing at the hands of the Serbian army.
The mass killing was part of a larger war that took 100,000 lives. It was also part of the reason that thousands of Bosnians, fleeing that war and genocide, settled in St. Louis.
“Most people in St Louis have either met a Bosnian so far, or will meet a Bosnian because the population is so large right now,” said Adna Karamehic-Oates, who directs the Center for Bosnian Studies. She is one of the organizers of the Srebrenica Remembrance Coalition.
Karamehic-Oates and the center collect oral histories and accounts of Bosnians who survived the war. The pain is still raw, even decades later.
“I think it's important to remember that,” she said. “Because most of the Bosnian population in St. Louis is here because they are from areas that were brutally attacked … they carry those stories [and] most people have trauma, most people have lost someone in their family.”
Along with partner organizations, the Remembrance Coalition is hosting several events through the summer to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide. The events conclude with a commemoration at the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum and a community walk through downtown St. Louis on July 12.
The coalition began discussions about the anniversary two years ago. For the group’s members, which include survivors of Srebrenica, the anniversary represents more than just difficult memories.
Elvir Ahmetovic was about 11 years old when the war began.
“I lived in a small, quaint village near Srebrenica, pretty much a careless childhood,” said Ahmetovic. “When the war came to our village, to our little village, it was a complete shock.”
Ahmetovic would experience multiple tragedies during the war. He lost an uncle and a grandfather. His mother was seriously wounded by a tank shell that killed his 4-year-old sister.
In July 1995, he managed to escape the genocide in Srebrenica through a series of events he doesn’t fully understand. Just outside Srebrenica, he found himself in a crowd of thousands waiting to be put on trucks. Families were being separated.
“They were separating boys — 14-, 15-, 16-, 17-year-old-boys — from their families and executing them, or taking them to places of executions,” he said. “I thought that that was my fate as well.”
Instead, a Serbian soldier directed him to get on a truck reserved for women and children. Achmetovic believes it was that soldier’s decision that saved his life.
“Only later it set in with me what had transpired, and what could have transpired,” he said. “But I was lucky, and the man was just doing his job. He was a good-hearted soldier who just really wanted to help us.”
Ahmetovic’s surviving family later resettled in St. Louis. He now works as a public school teacher and serves as a member of the remembrance coalition.
Stories like Ahmetovic’s aren’t rare, said coalition member Nedim Ramic, an attorney.
“It is our responsibility to speak on behalf of those that were killed,” he said. “They don't have a voice these days, so it is our responsibility to keep that memory alive.”
To hear the full conversation about how St. Louis is observing the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, listen to “St. Louis on the Air” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The production intern is Darrious Varner. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
