Sunday will be a memorable day. The World Cup final will be thrilling and there will be a country winning the World Cup for the first time ever. But July 11th is also memorable for other reasons; it is the 15th anniversary of the events in Srebrenica when some 8,300 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were removed from UN protection by Bosnian Serbs and never seen again.
The coincidence of the date has not passed people by and there have been calls by some for the World Cup Final to include some mark of respect to those who were killed on that day. Ideas have included holding 8,300 seats empty to really highlight just how many people did die.
I have to confess to feeling uncomfortable with the idea. Now, I'm no genocide denier, the evidence is there, the bodies have been (and are still being) found in graves up and down the Drina Valley. Without doubt some of the Serb villages near Srebrenica also suffered extremely but it is not on the scale of the events of Srebrenica, which is why Srebrenica has been classified as a genocide but the Bosnian conflict as a whole has not.
But the World Cup is a global event, for everyone across the world to enjoy. I always feel that Srebrenica is a European tragedy, the scale of which is huge and unforgivable for Europe, but less uncommon in other areas of the world. Honouring the dead at Srebrenica somehow feels to me as placing European tragedy above others and that doesn't seem right. I think of September 11th, a date which will always be connected to the Twin Towers and has become an American date, yet in Chile September 11th commemorates different deaths and events altogether.
Furthermore, I hate sport and politics becoming entwined. It's naive, I know, but sport and events like the World Cup should be celebrations of how we can all get along quite well, even if just for a short amount of time. Should Serbia have reached the finals of the World Cup, remembering the events of Srebrenica would have been extremely political. Some would argue that this was the perfect opportunity to put pressure on Serbia to acknowledge their role in the events of Srebrenica (Serbia have never managed to do so, the closest they have got is an acknowledgement of all the victims of the Bosnian conflict, pointedly including Serb ones). They are right, it probably is. But I would like sport to remain separate from politics, to be a celebration, not an opportunity to impose a political agenda.
Obviously sport is a long way from being untainted. FIFA are frequently accused of incompetence at best and corruption at worst. It is big money and with the money comes less desirable motives. But for 90 minutes I like to think that life can become quite simple for a bit and just boil down to cheering for who you want to win.
So whilst I will be finding time on July 11th to think about Srebrenica and how the families of those killed still feel the raw pain and grief of 15 years ago as if it was just yesterday, I will also being cheering on Spain later in the day and trying to keep the two events quite separate.
You are so right. Sport should be a celebration of the world coming together not a reminder of a war at world.
ReplyDeleteThe 8,300 people who lost their lives should be remembered but not via the world cup. x
I think it's a shame that any remembrance of the genocide in Srebrenica will take on such a deeply political significance, although I realise it's naive to suggest that it shouldn't.
ReplyDeleteBut it was more than anything a human tragedy. Whoever were the perpetrators, whoever were the victims, it was ultimately an horrific example of the depths to which humans can plummet. And it is that which terrifies people and makes them want to brush it under the carpet I think. It is not just Serbians, Hutus, or Nazis who are capable of such atrocities - it is all of us. Under the correct set of circumstances, it could have been anybody.
That does not mean I think that the perpetrators should not be held to specific account, just that I worry about where the desire to shoo the memory away comes from. I'm sure you are right though that a football match is not an appropriate venue for all that grief and anger and denial.
Thanks for another interesting post. Come on Spain!!!
I found this a really interesting post. On the one hand I guess using a world event like the world cup is a great vehicle for highlighting a Tragedy because of all those viewers. And European or not, it is important for people to see what goes on in the whole world, in order, hopefully, to learn from it and not allow it to happen in their part of the world.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I also agree that politicising (did I spell that wrong?) a sport is just confusing.
If the World Cup was being held in Bosnia then I would agree, it would be a relevant exercise.
Im waffling... just trying to put thoughts down as they come--very thought provoking post!!
I think you're right. The events were appalling should certainly be marked, but linking it with the World Cup seems unnecessary. As Michelloui says, if it were held in Bosnia or even Eastern Europe it might be a different matter. And, South Africa has had its fair share of bloodshed too.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile I don't know who to cheer for! I was supporting Germany last weekend because of my German friends, but don't have any affiliation to either Holland or Spain.....
I am just floored that such events can (still) happen under our noses. It's like living in the 18th century sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWow - that really made me think. How horrific - am not sure whether the World Cup would be the right place to mark this though. Tough one.
ReplyDeleteEmily, unfortunately some of us remember only too well what "keeping politics out of sport" was code for in relation to South Africa.
ReplyDeleteA very interesting & informative post. It is thought provoking that some tragedies (Twin Towers) are remembered whilst others are not. Thank you for making me think!
ReplyDeleteReally glad I have found your blog.
Any chance of an email subscription to your blog as I'm terrible using readers!!
ReplyDeleteDon't like the idea of tacky-nating the events of Srenbrenica by linking it to a football game. Wouldn't like an annual Auschwitz memorial marathon either. Two things will be separate in MY head.
ReplyDeleteI think the point was that these major events are planned in advance down to the smallest detail, so the origanisers would have known precisely what other dates coincided with the Final years ago, particularly since the European Parliament passed its Resolution calling for a specific day of commemoration Europe-wide on July 11. And yet there seems to have been no indication on FIFA's part that the clash might warrant at least an acknowledgment and perhaps some discussion.
ReplyDeleteThe request that Adem Huskic, the Bosnian MP, submitted was for FIFA to honour the date with a moment's silence, and I doubt any gesture on FIFA's part, however minimal and unobtrusive, would have been objected to.
FIFA are saying that they aren't going to be commemmorating Rivonia, and so that's why they won't be commemorating Srebrenica. But that's not the point. Whether or not that's genuine no-one at FIFA seems to have been bothered enough to get that message across to the people of Bosnia. That's why people came up with headline-grabbers like the empty seats.
I doubt that the idea that a moment's reminder about genocide is a matter "of European interest only" would carry too much weight in the Great Lakes area. Easy enough to forget already that there was a small event that occurred in 1994 just over a year before Srebrenica. Which was why when we let Srebrenica happen everybody was saying whoops, we must remember, Never Again. And then whoops, Darfur. Never Again.
Emily, I respect you because you are in fact somebody who makes the effort to find the right time and place for the serious as well as the non-serious aspects of life, you've earned your right to relax and enjoy the game. I know very well you're not just irritated about being distracted from the serious business of sport. But other people whose international sporting organisation job description it is to pay attention to the interface with life's rougher edges decided that there was no need for them to bother because they knew that there'd be plenty enough people ready to find the excuse for them that fun is one place, serious is somewhere else.
I too would prefer to see them seperatly, football does not set the tone for sharing such a grave episode. Jen
ReplyDeletehttp://sos1995.com/
ReplyDeleteHorrific, and I confess that I had forgotten that these tragic event happened at all. That's the real tragedy...
ReplyDeleteI have had this post open for a day wondering what the right words were. I can not find them. I am still appalled that this is the world I have brought my children in to
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind Emily, I read this post on Friday night but wanted to think a little more before commenting.
ReplyDeleteI live in Glasgow which is renowned for the political ramifications of supporting one of the "Old Firm" - the two big teams. If you support Celtic then generally speaking you're a Catholic & support Irish independance whereas if you support Rangers you're a Protestant Unionist. Weaved in amongst this we have the Orange and Hibernian Orders, who march through the city frequently.
People have died because of these differences of allegiance. Ask any Glaswegian and they'll tell you to stay away from the city on Old Firm match day.
And so - having experienced all of this first hand - I completely agree with you that sport and politics *should* be kept separate.
On the other hand, I wonder how many people still remember Srebrenica?
VBC - hope the Catalans enjoyed Spain's victory...
ReplyDeleteGappy - It is so hard as the victims do need to be remembered, in a venue that means that no one forgets what happened.
Michelleoui - it is such a shame is that a simple rememberance would be such a political event.
NVG - I think that worried me as well. South Africa certainly had far too much bloodshed.
Expat Mum - What is scary is that we said 'never again' but it keeps on happening...
HCM - I can see that it is but instinctively feel that it isn't.
Owen - you are right, I'd forgotten how much sports and politics had become one in South Africa.
jfb57 - What worries me is that an event such as the Twin Towers would probably have been remembered and that sends all sorts of signals about the value of different nationalities lives. And if you do start marking such events at things like the World Cup where is the line drawn? x number of people killed is ok, but any less than that doesn't count? Maybe you could say something classed as Genocide should be observed, but that wouldn't include the Twin Towers and I can't see the Americans standing for that. And then it all gets very political...
PS - will try to set up an email subscription, but I'm not very techie so could take a while.
myshorterstories - the thing is, how do we make sure that people don't forget about what happened?
Owen - thanks so much for your comment, which, as ever, is far more informed than me. I know I have quite a naive view about sport - but I feel it is a bit like Human Rights. You can't lose sight of the ultimate aim, which is why you must protect the rights of everyone - even if you suspect that they might not act the same if the situation is reversed or if you suspect that they are planning to commit terrorism acts to hurt others (for example). But how to remind people about Srebrenica is a real issue. So many have forgotten. My worry about Srebrenica being European was based about the fact that the World Cup was in South Africa and a continent that has seen more than its fair share of bloodshed and extreme suffering.
ReplyDeleteFIFA didn't think it through though, and that is FIFA through and through. They could have easily avoided the issue or taken steps to ease peoples concerns. Whilst FIFA remains keener on making money it will never manage to do so - and herein lies the biggest flaw with my idealism - the sport is run by people who are not interested in sport for its own sake and muddy the waters with money, business, politics and their own agendas. Have you read the book FOUL! (name of author escapes me right now...)
I've heard a few radio pieces on Srebrenica over the past couple of days, particularly the one which tried to concentrate upon Srebrenica both as the venue for the worst European atrocity since WW2 AND as a town trying to rebuild, look forward and create something now for people to rebuild their lives around. I guess that more pieces in mainstream media around this time of year would be the most helpful thing, but how would that ever occur? But I do hope that people did think, briefly, about what occurred there 15 years ago, particularly those most responsible for ensuring that it doesn't happen anywhere else again.
Jen - as Owen says, as long as it does get seen, bought up, talked about and reflected upon.
Maxabella - That is what is the most scary. Not only how the events that led to Srebrenica were allowed to occur, but also how quickly we all forget that it happened at all.
MH - It is hard to find the words. I guess that we live in a world now where at least people are being bought to trial for their roles in the events and we do try, imperfectly certainly, to do what we can to stop another. We just need not to forget so that we can keep on trying harder.
Vonnie - that is exactly the issue. When politics and sport become mixed it always becomes ugly. But how do we keep people thinking about Srebrenica so that such events do not happen again. Thanks so much for your comment, it really illustrated the point well.
Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteLike Vonnie, I read this and then spent some time thinking about it. How we acknowledge atrocities like Srebenica is, I think, connected to the broader issue of how societies write their own histories -- how we address the most horrific bits, whether we stare them in the eye and elevate them to national or international importance, or just give them an oblique mention and avoid formalising the memory and the crime.
I agree with you that sport and politics are best kept separate, and international celebrations of sport like the World Cup are not the right place to acknowledge a tragedy so European and so politicised. But I wonder if the suggestions to mark the day at the final come more from a sense of guilt that we haven't made peace with that part of our past, and we haven't fully acknowledged it, than they do from any conviction that the World Cup final really would be the best forum for it. I don't think there is a move to fuse the two as much as there is a desperation to do the right thing, finally, and only no one knows what that right thing is.
To my mind, Europe's handling of the events in Srebenica, both 15 years ago and now, speaks to a collective conscience that's uncomfortable with what happened and with our involvement in it. We haven't committed to looking this one in the eye -- despite how local, recent and horrific it is. And I think that until we do openly work it into our history, we're going to find ourselves wrestling with the issue of how to say we remember, on or around the 11 July each year.
I think this is a fantastic post, I really enjoyed it and I applaud you for acknowledging and taking a position on such a delicate issue.
Emily, you're very polite! I'll take advantage and hope you don't mind if I widen the issue a bit away from Srebrenica. This particular issue was just symptomatic of the reality of global sport. The World Cup has raised sensitive issues because we're living in a new world of globalisation - where all aspects of life are dominated by an international network of communications that mixes up issues of sport, entertainment, commerce and ethics.
ReplyDeleteBeijing in 2008 was the "tipping-point" moment, when the international organisers - the representatives of all the world's sporting bodies - who had awarded the event to a country that wanted to use it as the ultimate rebranding exercise refused to insist on the conditions they had attached to the award, that China should show some token respect for human rights. The IOC showed exactly how sport and politics interface with one another.
South Africa was awarded the World Cup for political reasons, to emphasise the message of geographical inclusiveness. Sport simply isn't sport at this level, sport is a matter of international spectacle and above all about the global communications industry that piggybacks on spectacle. FIFA, IOC, etc take great care to ensure that their message of global inclusiveness is readable and uncomplicated. Hence the use of small children as designer handbags for the global communicators and sponsors.
I missed most of the final as I was on my way home on the Underground, but I did catch the beginning. I'd already noticed how in the few matches I'd seen I'd not noticed a single player turn to one of their mascot partners and spare a word for them in that awesome moment when they suddenly found themselves out there in the maelstrom of an enormous stadium with the eyes of thousands and thousands of spectators focused on them.
It must have been terrifying for some of those kids, however much they might have been rehearsed. A lot of them looked somewhat awestruck and confused.
Then last night these baffled-looking kids who'd been led out in the parade weren't even handed over to their minders, they were simply abandoned in the hurly burly of the big shots shoving past them to get on with the important business of shaking hands with the media stars.
Even more sad that these abandoned accessories were the only real South Africans out there taking part in the big occasion - the people for whose benefit all this was supposedly being staged.
The World Cup Final isn't just a global sporting event, it's one of those periodic global messages the world uses to tell itself how it imagines itself to be. The part of the message that spoke about children and the broadcast image was really quite eloquent.
I'm sorry I'm such a miserable cynic but I can actually remember 1978 and the shame as the UK's finest partied and got plastered while people were being thrown out of planes into the River Plate. (Perhaps Michel Platini has vague memories). For all my curmudgeonliness I'm actually delighted that South Africa was nothing like that.