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Velma Saric. Photo by BIRN.

Velma Saric, the president of the Post-Conflict Research Centre NGO in Sarajevo, told BIRN that the exhibit will be installed for the genocide anniversary commemorations this week and will then become a permanent part of the Srebrenica memorial.

“This is a vital educational tool and a great symbol. Through this visual exhibition, we wish to commemorate the thousands of victims found in mass graves scattered across the entire region of eastern Bosnia, but also to make sure we have an educational tool in place for younger generation,” said Saric.

The exhibit is part of a project by US organisation The Art of Revolution called ‘One Million Bones’, which is intended to raise awareness about genocides and mass atrocities around the world.

“We have a tragic history in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially in Srebrenica. Bones are part of our everyday life. This is why we believed this would be an important message for us as well,” said Saric, who first saw the project displayed in Washington DC in 2013.

She said that the exhibit will be installed by 100 volunteers from around the region and other parts of the world for the Srebrenica commemoration.

“They will pass the bones from hand to hand and set it up… All of our volunteers, some are from Bosnia, some from Serbia, and some from Republika Srpska. They will work together and cooperate, this is a great thing,” she added.

Srebrenica mayor Camil Durakovic said that the permanent exhibition of the ceramic bones would make a powerful statement.

“Many projects related to the Srebrenica genocide have been done, but very rarely do initiatives come along that have long-lasting impact and plans for future sustainability. This is a historical project that has the power to visually present the consequences of genocide, not only during the commemoration, but also in the years to come,” Durakovic said.

On Saturday, 136 victims of the Srebrenica massacres will be laid to rest at the Potocari memorial centre, where more than 6,000 Bosniak victims are already buried.

The massacres of more than 7,000 Bosniaks by Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995 have been labelled genocide by international and local courts.