Dr. Kim Sadique is also the chairman of the “Remembering Srebrenica” committee for the East Midlands region and patron of the BH UK Network.
The virtual Bosnian room has been developed as part of a plan to tackle racism in Wales. This action addresses the report of the Welsh Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee (2024), Actions not words: towards an anti-racist Wales by 2030. It provides a clear anti-racism learning opportunity, a tool teachers can use and a model to support teachers in delivering anti-racism education in Wales and beyond, which encourages students to be active, global citizens.
His focus is on the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the virtual ‘representational’ space of the battery factory/base of the Dutch UN battalion/Srebrenica Memorial Center – before, during and after the genocide. Music in the virtual room was provided by Divanhana, artwork by Robert McNeil MBE, plus an insert from Untold Killing, Season 1: Srebrenica – to provide a fully educational experience.
– The Bosnian room provides a platform to see where the genocide took place, connecting with space, events and people. It then presents the what, why, and how of identity-based violence associated with the ten stages of genocide. It facilitates empathy and challenges students to consider what they can do to stand up, speak out and work to build and sustain more cohesive societies. The platform is supported by educational materials – a guide and examples for using the platform. It was really important to me that the Bosnians in the hall, those who survived the genocide and mass crimes, were satisfied with the work done and that we portrayed their lived experiences as faithfully as possible. Emphasizing their voices and experiences was at the center of this project – said Dr. Kim Sadique.
His Excellency, Mr. Osman Topčagić, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Kingdom, responded to the presentation of the virtual Bosnian room in Leicester, who officially opened the ‘virtual room’. Members of the Bosnian diaspora were also present, including dr. Anesa Cerić (Honorary Consul of Bosnia and Herzegovina), colleagues from England (mXreality) and Wales (Cardiff and Vale College), co-chair of the RSUK Welsh Board, Abi Carter, academics from across the UK, and senior police officers.
A message was broadcast and recorded (stating the importance of the work of the Bosnian Room) by Mr. Vanja Filipović, head of the Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to NATO, and welcomed by professor Simon Oldroyd, vice-chancellor and dean of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences of De Montfort University.
(Vijesti.ba)
