In a deeply moving episode of the Aegis Trust’s ‘Peace at Risk in Bosnia’ podcast, Aegis founder Dr James Smith speaks with two remarkable women working at the heart of memorialization and community rebuilding in post-genocide Srebrenica.

Almasa Salihović, Director of Communications at the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial Centre, and Amra Begić, Deputy Director of the Memorial, share their personal experiences of survival, return, and working to preserve memory while building a future for their community.

“Working at the memorial, where you have a chance to make the difference for the better future of this place and of this country – it is something that really makes you honoured,” says Almasa Salihović, explaining her decision to return to Srebrenica despite painful memories.

Amra Begić highlights the crucial role of women, especially the mothers of Srebrenica, in driving the creation of the memorial and leading the return to Srebrenica: “Those women are real heroes…They decided to stand up. They decided to fight for justice.”

The episode explores the challenges of rebuilding life in a divided community, confronting genocide denial, and working to create understanding. Both women emphasize the importance of education and preserving factual history to combat revisionism and build a stable future.

“We need to have the facts and the truth about genocide in Srebrenica, crimes in Sarajevo, in Višegrad, in Prijedor, in any other town affected by war where massive numbers of people were killed,” says Almasa Salihović. “We need to have all those facts in schools, in school books.”

This powerful episode offers intimate insight into the lived reality of Srebrenica today, the vital work of the Memorial Centre, and the urgent need for continued international attention on Bosnia’s fragile peace.

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Amra’s mother, Hajra Fazlić, a survivor of the Srebrenica Genocide, who passed away in July 2023.

It is available now on the following link (or wherever you get your podcasts): https://www.buzzsprout.com/1902245/episodes/15865187