Schoolchildren from Mereside Primary School in Shrewsbury joined with Shropshire Council and faith representatives in an interfaith ceremony to commemorate the Srebrenica genocide, on Tuesday 7 July at 10am, at the memorial cherry tree planted outside Shirehall in Shrewsbury.
Remembering Srebrenica cherry tree planting ceremony
The ceremony is held every year at the tree, which formally commemorates the role of the armed forces in humanitarian efforts including the genocide that befell the Muslim community in Srebrenica. This saw 8,000 Bosnian Muslim people, mainly men and boys, brutally murdered because of their faith.
During the ceremony, there were three Srebrenica prayers, one for each of the world faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, as well as the lighting a memorial three-wick candle symbolising these three world faiths.
Cathy Landau from the Telford Interfaith Council shared the story of Hatidza, as a personal story of how a mother lost her husband and sons in the genocide; Imam Sohayb Peerbhai, for South Shropshire Interfaith Forum, then read the Jewish prayer for Srebrenica.
Cllr Dartnall read the Christian prayer and talked to the children about their school values and how these link in with the messages of respecting each other’s faiths. The children themselves read out prayers and some of their flower promises, as well as helping to light the candle before placing their promises on the tree.
Mark Cosens for the Shrewsbury Interfaith Forum then read the Muslim prayer to bring the ceremony to a close.
Srebrenica tree promises
Cllr Dartnall said:
“It was lovely to spend time with the children from Merlin Class at Mereside, who even though they are year 5, they really understood and were able to share their school values and reflect with us about how these link in with the theme of “We Are Here” as well. Their prayers and promises were really moving and they are a real credit to their school”.
Cllr Andy Hall, portfolio holder for children and education, said:
“I am absolutely delighted to hear that the ceremony went so well and that it was such a meaningful occasion for everyone involved. It sounds as though the children, school, and representatives from the different faith communities all played an important part in making the event so special. The children’s readings and flower promises must have been particularly moving.
“My sincere thanks also go to Cllr Dartnall for her unwavering support and commitment to this important work. Her contribution and advocacy are greatly appreciated.”
The Srebrenica Flower is a symbol of remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide in Bosnia. Its eleven petals represent the day the genocide began, on 11th July 1995. Their white colour represents the innocence of its victims. The flower’s green centre represents hope for justice and recognition of the genocide.
Our focus is also upon the humanitarian role of the armed forces, with the tree planted to commemorate not only the liberation of Bergen-Belsen in WW2, in which the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry were involved, but also the continuing role of service men and service women, at Srebrenica and in other genocides and conflicts around the world since then.
Remembering Srebrenica is a charitable organisation whose aim is to raise awareness of the genocide in Bosnia and bring people together to tackle hatred and help build safer, stronger communities in the UK.
For more information, please see resources on the following websites
Remembering Srebrenica website: www.srebrenica.org.uk
HMD Trust website: www.hmd.org.uk
