At the age of 11, Mersiha Čusto (fromerly Mersiha Begović) saved a child from Bosnia and Herzegovina while they were ice skating on a partially frozen pond at a military barracks in the Czech town of Nyrsko. They were staying at the barracks as refugees during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Non-governmental organizations are helping to educate and empower hardworking Roma women to take an active role in Bosnian society. The Otaharin Citizens Association for Promotion of Roma Education is a prime example. Otaharin’s mission is to increase the levels of education, social and economic integration, and inclusion of vulnerable marginalized groups, including Roma women. The association has given women like Sabira Hašimović a “normal” life.
Women who chose to wear a hijab – the headscarf worn by Muslim women as a religious custom – are sometimes subjected to jokes, negative comments, prejudice, and stereotypes. Usually, they simply ignore this. Instead, they focus on professional and social development, proving that women, covered or uncovered, are not just meant to stay at home.
The siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996) was the longest siege of a capital city in modern history. The daily campaigns of shelling and sniping, targeting the civilian population, were terrible and cruel, compounded by the blockade of humanitarian aid convoys and the severance of any connection with the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the world.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, a small heart-shaped country, has some of the most beautiful rivers and natural springs in this part of the Balkans. According to some traditions, the very name of “Bosnia” comes from the word Bosnae, which is the Illyrian name for the river Bosnia, which flows through our country.
The exhibition “Scarves of Remembrance” was opened at the Srebrenica Memorial Center on July 9th, as part of the commemoration of the 27th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica.