Srebrenica: Kravica

It is estimated that around 1200 men and boys were killed inside the warehouse that is just by the roadside as you drive through Kravica, a village near Srebrenica.

Women from the "Mothers of Srebrenica" organisation came on July 13th to pray and lay flowers to mark 19 years since the massacre. 

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari #kravica

Potocari Memorial Funeral

Every year, on July 11th, a memorial funeral takes place at the Potocari Memorial which is where the men, boys and women who were killed during the July 1995 genocide that took place in and around Srebrenica. This year, 175 coffins were buried. Thousands of families and friends came to pay their respect and to help with the burial.

Thousands of family and friends came to help and to pay respect that memorial funeral that took place in Potocari, near Srebrenica, on July 11th this year.

Srebrenica: Aluminium Factory Dam

At the Aluminium Factory Dam, more then 700 men and boys were murdered during July of 1995.

Survivors of the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica are visiting the Aluminium Factory Dam in memory of the men and boys who were murdered there 19 years ago.

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari #aluminiumfactorydam

Srebrenica: Branjevo Fields

Over one thousand men and boys were killed at the Branjevo Field during the genocide in Srebrenica. They were taken here, killed and buried in mass graves in the area.
Women who survived visited and prayed during the commemoration of Srebrenica this week.

Women from the organisation "Mothers of Srebrenica were praying and leaving flowers in memory of those killed during the genocide in Srebrenica in July 1995

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari #branjevofields

A Long Walk...

A participant of Mars Mira, the Peace March, that takes place between Nzuk and Potocari prepares to start the last day of walking. Mars Mira is the 120km match that takes place between Nzuk and Potocari and follows the route that men, boys and some women took in order to escape the genocide that took place in Srebrenica in July 1995.

Mars Mira is a Peace Walk that takes 3 days to complete and follows the escape route between Nzuk and Potocari. Around 8000 men, boys and some women were killed in around a week in July 1995 in and around Srebrenica.

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari

Potocari, July 10th 2014

The story continues. 19 years after the genocide, Srebrenica commemorate and 175 people are finally laid to rest on July 11th. In preparation, on July 10th, the coffins are trucked to the old battery factory in Potocari, where the UN had their HQ during the war. The coffins are carried out and placed at the memorial ground in preparation for the funeral that will take place the following day.

175 coffins are taken out from the old battery factory in Potocari to the Memorial ground for the burial that will take place on July 11th 2014.

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari

11th of July- Srebrenica, 175 bodies laid to rest.

Every year, on July 11th, in Potocari, the victims of the 1995 genocide who have been identified in the past year are buried. This afternoon, 175 people were laid to rest. The families gather around the graves and pray and mourn their dead.

A woman pray for her loved one at Potocari Memorial ground. July 11th 2014.

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari

175 coffins arrives at Potocari

175 coffins arrived today the Potocari Memorial for this years commemoration and the Burial of the Dead. They are being stored at the warehouse which earlier was part of the car battery factory in Potocari near Srebrenica. During the war, this factory was the HQ for the UN forces.

Family praying at the coffins
#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary #potocari

Mars Mira (Peace March) between Nzuk (Near Tuzla) and Potocari/ Srebrenica.

This year again, the Mars Mira, will take place between Tuzla (Nzuk)  and Srebrenica (Potocari). It is a 120km walk that follows the steps of the men and boys and some women who tried to escape from Mladic's forces in July 1995. The final day, on July 10th, the walk ends in Potocari where the following day, the 11th, marks 19 years since the Genocide took place in Srebrenica. The burial of the dead will then take place in a ceremonial funeral.

In the evenings after each day of walking, survivors shares their stories to the walkers.

#bosnia #srebrenica #genocide #storytelling #marsmira #humanrights #photojournalism #documentary

Preparation of the remains for the burial of the dead.

It is a large task that needs to be done with great care, when you are to prepare the remains of approximately 50000 people. This is what is being done at the memorial in Bisesero.  A ceremonial memorial burial will take place at the end of June, this year, in order to have an official mass grave for the survivors to come to.

Preparation of approximately 50000 remains from the genocide in Rwanda 1994 is in progress at the Bisesero Memorial. The official burial of the dead will take place in late June 2014.

#genocide #bisesero #rwanda #humanrights #memorial #photography #photojournalism #africa

Bisesero Memorial and the dead, Rwanda

Bellow the Memorial in Bisesero can you seethe remains of over 1500 dead people on display. 

It is a rather impressive display of remains you are met with if you visit the memorial in Bisesero. Then again, this is only one of many around the country. Later this month (June 2014) will most of the remains be buried. In the case of the bodies that have already been laid to rest, they will be reburied into the official mass graves.  #rwanda #bisesero #genocide #neveragain #africa #photography

Walking home.

A young child walking home from the Bisesero Memorial on April 7th 2014.

This little boy is walking home from the commemoration in Bisesero on April 7th 2014. You can see the people at the memorial sitting on the lawn in front of the memorial in the background. The landscape is hilly and beautiful. The history is brutal.
#rwanda #bisesero #genocide #neveragain #africa #photography #nikon #d810 #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #d4 #kigali #webster #aprilseventh

Child and Sheep, Bisesero, April 7th 2014.

This young person is walking home with a few sheep. It is the rain season and it is April 7th, 2014- 20 years since the the start of the genocide in Rwanda.

April is the rain season in Rwanda. This young boy was seeing his family sheep home on the day of commemoration in Bisesero, near lake Kivu. 

#rwanda #bisesero #genocide #neveragain #africa #photography #nikon #d810 #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #d4 #kigali #webster #commemoration #aprilseventh

Bisesero Evening Memorial, Rwanda

A small crowd of men had gathered at the top area of the memorial in Bisesero in order to commemorate 20 years since the genocide took place Rwanda. The village is located in the mountains near lake Kivu. The men are known to be strong- despite that, Bisesero did not escape losing thousands of women, children and men in the 1994 genocide.

On April 7th, the local community was organising an evening Memorial at the top of the Memorial in Bisesero, Rwanda. 

#rwanda #bisesero #genocide #neveragain #africa #photography #nikon #d810 #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #d4 #kigali #webster #aprilseventh #commemoration 

The official Burial of the dead in Bisesero.

Mucyo, the curator at the Bisesero memorial, standing in front of caskets contains the remains of around 50000 people. They will be re-buried into the new official mass grave at the memorial in June.

Mucyo, a survivor of the genocide, lost a leg during the war. Here, he takes time to show us how the memorial in Bisesero is designed to be functional as well as a place to use by the survivors in this small community. April 7th, 2014.

#rwanda #bisesero #genocide #neveragain #africa #photography #nikon #d810 #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #d4 #kigali #webster #commemoration #aprilseventh

Bisesero landscape and lake Kivu

If you ever travel and visit the little village Bisesero in Rwanda, then you will find amazing views of the (1000) hills in the surrounding area. You will also see the beautiful lake Kivu with Congo (DRC) in the background. This is also where resistance was stronger during the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.

Lake Kivu seen from Bisesero with Congo (DRC) in the background (April 2014).

#rwanda #bisesero #genocide #neveragain #africa #photography #nikon #d810 #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #d4 #kigali #webster #lakekivu #kibuye #thousandhills #aprilseventh #commemoration

Rwanda Taxi

Arriving in Kibuye- meet the taxi.. It was not that easy to get both my luggage and camera gear onto the taxi going to my hotel... The ride was only about 10 minutes.

Fast and furious...at least quick and efficient would be my experience of the taxi in Kibuye, Rwanda!

#rwanda #bisesero #genocide #neveragain #africa #photography #nikon #d810 #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #d4 #kigali #webster #lakekivu #kibuye #thousandhills #aprilseventh #commemoration #taxi #motorbike

A rest, after walking a very long way...

Mars Mira is a very long walk, 120km and you walk through the woods, through hills and the temperatures may very well go beyond 40C. But this was the way where thousands tried to escape being killed in July 1995 fleeing Srebrenica trying to reach the next safe area, Tuzla.

A bit of resting feels like the right idea for this man after having walked for two days...one to go. Mars Mira/ Peace March July 2011. 

John at home, in the evening.

The days are long running Landmark Tea Room. And, it is a 7 day a week job, morning to night. Earlier, I showed you his "greeting committee, his dog Libbie! His girlfriend, Jane Ingabire, will also greet him. It is about 10 minutes walk between the tea room and John's house. The TV will run and John will contemplate about how to expand Landmark...!

John and Jane Ingabire at home watching TV

#rwanda #kabuga #genocide #neveragain #africa #photography #nikon #d810 #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #d4 #kigali #webster #home

Révérien Rurangwa, Switzerland, 2014

The other day, I got the chance to meet up with Révérien at his place in Switzerland. He has lived here for a long time and has a Swiss passport. He tells me that, his place, his home, is here, in Switzerland. Not so strange maybe. On April 20th 1994, 43 members of his closest family was brutally murdered in the Rwandan genocide. Just luck, perhaps, saved him from dying. More to come on his story. And, you can read his entire story in his book that he published in 2006. It is available in French, English, Polish and Swedish.
http://books.google.ch/books/about/Genocide.html?id=6agPAQAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y

Réverien Rurangwa, Switzerland, 2014

#rwanda #bisesero #genocide #neveragain #africa #photography #nikon #d810 #documentary #photojournalism #reportage #d4 #kigali #webster #reverienrurangwa