12 adventures in 12 months in 2013: Our first guest post by Martina Sola

I am very excited to share with you a guest post, by a woman whom I am proud to call a friend, Martina Sola. We formed a friendship this past summer when we met in Bosnia, both supporting Women for Women, and honoring the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica.

July 10^th 2012

It was close to 40 degrees Celsius outside. Sweat had soaked through our clothing and dirt was blowing through our hair. People were greeting one another with faint smiles and polite kisses on both cheeks. Bottles of water were being shared; the murmur of other languages mixed in with camera shutter clicks could be heard in abundance. There was a sense of anticipation in the crowd that stood under the golden glow of the scorching sun, but this was no summer festival.

“This is a shame on humanity,” softly spoke a middle-aged women standing beside me on a street near the town of Srebrenica. Steps in front of us, dozens of caskets were being carried out of a factory which marked the former site of a failed UN Dutch peace haven. Each casket carried by solemn, young men contained a few remains of their loved ones which had been discovered in nearby mass grave sites. Each box was draped in green, a symbolism towards their faith which remained steadfast in spite of the horrific atrocities they had faced. The woman standing next to me had been forced to watch the deaths of three of her brothers. Her losses were in addition to another 8,000 men and children who were systematically killed in a matter of days in July 1995. She had been held captive prior to their deaths, beaten and threatened. With intent to remain respectful of her privacy and pain, I asked how was she able to not give in and reveal her brothers’ whereabouts?

Graves of the massacred.

“Had I told them, they would have continued to abuse me just the same.”

My heart skipped a beat. I looked into her sad eyes with all the sympathy I could gather realizing the best I could do was just continue to stand beside her. In that moment, any reservations I had about the foreign surroundings I had put myself in or the discomforts of the day were washed away. I felt grateful for the opportunity from Women for Women International to not only gain first hand knowledge of a significant historical event, but be a symbol of support to those whose lives have been shattered.

Mine field warning

I met fellow Women for Women supporters that afternoon in the town of Srebrenica. Young women who had roots in America, the UK, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, and Bosnia had walked 120 kilometers from Tuzla to Srebrenica as a part of a larger internationally organized march for peace in commemoration of the victims of the area. They walked near mine fields, mass grave sites, picturesque villages, and destroyed homes meeting interesting people along the way. Most shared their passion, some did not…but they continued fearlessly forth alongside thousands of others proving that a greater good can reign.

After the first day of marching, at our host Fatimas farm

Our adventures continued together that night in this tiny town only a few kilometers away from the border of Serbia, a town which US President Barack Obama would later refer to as a place which “forever will be associated with the darkest acts of in history.” Despite the experiences which haunt the minds of those who remain, we were greeted with great hospitality.

Friendships being forged.
Emina Dzavferovic, Colleen Abuhaidar, and Martina Sola

We dined with new friends in local restaurants and mixed with soldiers, locals, political dignitaries, and international visitors in simple cafés.
We were each different but had come for the same purpose and a valuable common
bond was established.

July 11^th marks the official yearly memorial ceremony for thousands who were killed in Srebrenica in July 1995. This year, 520 people were buried along side another 5,000 already resting in the nearby village of Potocari. 2,000 people remain unaccounted. One of the longest ongoing human excavation efforts in modern day history continues in surrounding areas.

It was another fiercely hot afternoon and the town had now filled with thousands who had come to pay their respects. We walked through mounds of dirt which had been dug to make space for the new caskets. Despite the heat, women sat with their heads covered and bowed in prayer. Men greeted one another and stopped to touch the caskets. Politicians arrived with escorts, police kept close watch on the crowd, and all I could think was that this didn’t have to happen.

The remains of a 30 year old man killed in 1995, recovered in 2012.

Graves awaiting the mass burial.

"this is a crime against humanity"

Izzy Clark, Seida Saric, Colleen Abuhaidar, Heather Cox,
Kirsten Grenside paying respects.

A secondary mass grave found in 2007. When Serbian forces
found the world was about to step in, they began to hide the
bodies from the massacres, which is why today, so many bodies
remain missing.

The emotional day continued as we visited two large factories originally meant to be UN Safe Haven’s for refugees attempting to escape Serbian forces. Tragically, they were no place for peace and instead marked the locations where families were dramatically torn apart. All men and young boys were sent to their deaths, some women were thrown into buses, and others were kept behind to service the impulses of enemy soldiers. We continued to a more remote area up narrow, curvy roads and onto nearby mountains which provided breathtaking views. We met with two older women who had lost their entire families and had been participants of the Women for Women program. They offered us simple, yet delicious homemade pastries and traditional Bosnian coffee. We sat on their hand made rugs beside a tiny home where they showed us their garden and shared their stories. At times their voices wavered and their eyes filled with tears. At other moments they teased each other and smiled warmly upon us. Their hearts were broken but the strength of virtue in their spirit remained, and while they thanked us generously for our time, it was each of us who walked away with the gift of hope.

Onwards we went with our journey, returning to Sarajevo, a city filled with layer upon layer of history. The streets were filled with exotic bazaars selling colorful scarves and glimmering copper coffee cups. The beats of Bosnian music could be heard from nearby shops during the day and by night every corner buzzed with the voices of beautiful people. It’s hard to imagine that this was a city under siege, but a look closer reveals scars in the forms of shell marks on buildings, eerily abundant gravesites, and wounds on the bodies or in the hearts of many who I spoke to.

It’s been said that tragedy begets passion and progress forward can be seen. Attending Women for Women International training centers in the heart of Sarajevo and in nearby Zenica provided examples of women who wanted to create. It was visible in the form of the clothing pieces I saw being knitted in partnership with international fashion brands such as Kate Spade and Anthropologie. It was visible in the enthusiasm of women who draped me with beautiful jewelry they had made by hand. It was evident in the intensity of a legal training session regarding farming cooperative contractual agreements. It was seen by the proud support of men waiting for their wives to finish their classes.

The Women for Women International Center in Sarajevo. (Anthropologie scarves being knit)

We finished the week by attending the Sarajevo Film Festival and by taking part in an inspiring dinner with many of those we had met along the way. Gifts were shared, speeches were given, business ideas exchanged, friendships forged, and vows declared to return again.

I think back upon the woman I met during my first evening in Srebrenica standing on the side of the dusty road. An older man walked by the procession with tears streaming down his face. She reached out to him and said,

“Don’t cry…everything will be OK.”

Izzy Clark, Nora Russell, Martina Sola, Colleen Abuhaidar and Kirsten Grenside
outside the Women for Women Center in Sarajevo.

This type of strength is a reminder that while we may not always understand the actions of others, we know where we are now and we have a choice. Women for Women International provides opportunity and through such an organization I have received far more than I could ever give.