Prijedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide Panel Exhibit Opens in Williamson County, Texas
The exhibit Prijedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide tells the story of genocide in the Bosnian city of Prijedor between 1992 and 1995. The exhibit honors both the memory of the lives lost in the Prijedor genocide and the experiences of the survivors whose stories are told within the 34 panel series. Thanks to the support of Judge Dan A. Gattis and the staff of the Williamson Museum, the Williamson County Courthouse will host the exhibit’s first stop during its two-year run in Texas.
When the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission was created by the Texas legislature in 2009, it was mandated to work with Holocaust and genocide-related exhibit. To meet this mandate, the THGC is traveling the Prijedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide exhibit to eight cities in the state between 2013 and 2015. The exhibit examines the Bosnian genocide through thirty-four panels that will be displayed in various venues throughout Texas. Citizens are encouraged to visit these exhibits to learn more about a recent genocide that may not be as familiar as others. Teachers are also encouraged to arrange for students to attend and may download and use lessons plans especially created for the exhibit, which will help them meet TEKS related to genocide:
Community advocate and leaders are also asked to encourage residents to attend the exhibit. The document below can be used as a guide to think further about the lessons of the Bosnian genocide:
The Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission hopes to educate citizens about the circumstances that lead to the Bosnian Genocide through the thirty-four (34) panel, Prijedor: Lives From the Bosnian Genocide exhibit at eight Texas venues over the course of the next two years. The new panel exhibit opens this week at its first venue, the Williamson County Courthouse. Genocides begin when intolerant and hateful individuals dehumanize others in a society by putting them into separate and unequal classes and deliberately harming them. According to the Genocide Watch organization, genocides and mass murders led to the killing of more than 170 million people, more than the sum of the deaths in all 20th and 21st century wars combined.
The exhibit Prijedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide tells the story of genocide in the Bosnian city of Prijedor between 1992 and 1995. The exhibit honors both the memory of the lives lost in the Prijedor genocide and the experiences of the survivors whose stories are told within the 34 panel series. Thanks to the support of Judge Dan A. Gattis and the staff of the Williamson Museum, the Williamson County Courthouse will host the exhibit’s first stop during its two-year run in Texas.
The Williamson Museum’s mission is to collect, preserve, and exhibit items relating to the rich culture and heritage of Williamson County. The museum offers free and exciting hands-on educational programs to the public through innovative exhibits, tours, and outreach.
The Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission increases awareness of genocide and the Holocaust through educational programs, advice, assistance, and coordination of groups, events, and volunteers. Chaja Verveer, THGC commissioner and a Holocaust survivor, says, “Our kids need to be taught to recognize and fight bigotry, to stem hatred and prejudice and learn about living together, embracing diversity.” The Prijedor: Lives from the Bosnian Genocide exhibit is open to all Texans, and college students, middle and high school students, and educators are particularly encouraged to attend.
