It is just 25 years ago since Europe was plunged into a genocide we again ignored.
And just like the Holocaust of the Jews and Gypsies and homosexuals in the Forties the civilised West did not think the Balkans Muslims were worth protecting.
Until too late.
I am indebted to my good friend Onur Gul, of Turkish Airlines www.turkishairlines.com who has family links to Bosnia-Herzegovina, for flagging up today.
As he visited the graveyards in Srebrenica https://www.srebrenica.org.uk/.
Where the massacre of an entire town took place while we turned a blind eye.
I will be back
I had hoped to visit Srebrenica this year after missing out in the Autumn when I went to the Balkans.
With Marian Pilgrimages www.marian.ie to Medjugorje.
And discovered that it was too far from Sarajevo and I didn’t have enough time.
But while they may have been out of sight they were not out of mind.
Sarajevo which was itself under siege marks its own and the greater Balkans wars.
It’s there in black and white at the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide http://visitsarajevo.ba/?lang=en.
And you will get a sense of how the horrors of the war were played out as you take in the audio, video and everyday artefacts and personal testaments.
History revisited
One of the most heartwarming of them all is Arnie’s story. Yes, that Arnie.
For more visit Bosnia-Herzegovina https://www.visit-bosnia.ba/.
And while you search for holiday providers, let me recommend Marian Pilgrimages’ sister company Croatia Tours www.croatia.ie who operate in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
And here are some recollections of my Balkans odyssey… https://jimmurtytraveltraveltravel.com/2019/10/24/sarajevo-revisited/ and What’s the story, Medjugorje? Wouldn’t you like to know
