Mirsad knew the three days of the March were going to be physically and emotionally demanding; a true test of his fortitude and strength. Mirsad participated in the March of Peace, which has been held every year since 2005 in memory of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide that occurred during the Bosnian War. On July 11th, 1995, Serbian troops overran Srebrenica’s safe zone, which had been established by the UN and occupied by over 450 Dutch UN peacekeepers. Despite these numbers, the Serbian troops took the city. In the ensuing days, an estimated 10,000-15,000 men and boys fled to Tuzla, the nearest Muslim safe haven, located over 60 miles from Srebrenica. It was during that attempted escape that the Bosnian Serb troops would massacre over 8,000 men and boys, their bodies unceremoniously dumped in mass graves in the surrounding woods and countryside. The March of Peace traverses “Death Road,” that same winding, mountainous dirt road between Srebrenica and Tuzla.
The three-day march begins in Tuzla and ends in the small village of Potocari, a suburb of Srebrenica, where the memorial center is located. Mass graves of the remains of those who have been found and identified dot the hillside. In the center of town, a stone wall etched with the names of those who have been identified over the years. On July 11th, the final day of the march, a service is held to honor those who lost their lives. Funerals are held for discovered remains that have been identified through DNA testing over the course of the previous year.
On July 8, 2018, Mirsad joined six to eight thousand other participants as they began their three day trek to Potocari. The crowd included survivors of the genocide and family members of those who lost their lives. Others came from small villages, towns and cities from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Europe and around the world to honor and pay their respects to those who lost their lives during their flight from the Bosnian Serb army some 23 years ago. This was not a time for campaigning, but rather a time to coalesce with survivors and learn their stories, meet family members of those who lost their lives, and speak with people from around the world who had traveled so many miles to be a part of this.
Day one was a mixed day of sun and rain as the participants made their way over the rugged hills and the mountainous road where thousands had fled for their lives. At the end of each day, participants had the option of staying in a makeshift camp along the road or in the homes of those along the march route. Mirsad elected to stay in the homes of the locals, so he could listen to their stories and recollections of those fateful days in 1995. He met a 72-year-old widow who had lost her husband and two sons. He was struck by how positive and upbeat she remains to this day despite her horrific losses. Another elder, experiencing the onslaught of dementia, has virtually lost her short-term memory but can paint a vivid picture of those days in 1995. Mirsad said the stories were endless and immensely touching throughout the journey.
Day two proved to be the hardest physically pushing the participants to their limits as torrential rains released their fury throughout the day. There were steep inclines to negotiate across the hilly terrain. To better accommodate the thousands of marchers, the government had widened the road by cutting trees alongside its edges. Unfortunately, removing the trees also opened the road to flooding. The steep inclines had been transformed into a river of knee deep mud. Many lost their footing, sliding back into the arms of others, unable to regain their balance and needing assistance to get to the top. The feeling of togetherness and community was palpable as strangers—Mirsad included— leaned on each other, both needing and providing the assistance necessary for completing the treacherous 20-mile pilgrimage.
On day three, the sun appeared once again, making travel much safer and less strenuous. The locals brought much-welcomed food and water to the marchers during the final leg of the march. On this last day, Mirsad met a man who had participated in the march for many years. He told Mirsad that entering the village of Potacari would be unforgettable and change his life forever. Mirsad was aware of the mass graves along the hillside and believed that he was prepared for the emotions the site was sure to invoke. However, he was unprepared for the visceral reaction, the onslaught of feeling that he experienced when they arrived on the outskirts of the village. His friend was right: the experience would change his life forever. I spoke with Mirsad about this experience.
Maršom mira sa Mirsadom Hadžikadićem
Mirsad je znao da će tri dana Marša biti fizički i emocionalno zahtjevna; pravi test njegove izdržljivosti i snage. Mirsad je učestvovao u Maršu mira koji se od 2005. održava svake godine u znak sjećanja na žrtve genocida u Srebrenici koji se dogodio tokom bosanskog rata. 11. jula 1995. godine, srpske trupe pregazile su UN-ovu sigurnu zonu Srebrenice i zarobile preko 450 članova UN-ovih holandskih mirovnih snaga. Uprkos tim brojkama, srpske trupe su zauzele grad. U narednim danima, oko 10.000-15.000 muškaraca i dječaka pobjeglo je u Tuzlu, najbliže muslimansko sigurno utočište smješteno preko 100 km od Srebrenice. Tokom tog pokušaja bijega trupe bosanskih Srba masakrirale su preko 8.000 muškaraca i dječaka, a njihova tijela su neceremonijalno bačena u masovne grobnice po okolnim šumama. Marš mira prolazi „Putem smrti“, istim tim vijugavim, brdskim zemljanim putem između Srebrenice i Tuzle.
Trodnevni marš započinje u Tuzli, a završava se u malom selu Potočari, predgrađu Srebrenice, gdje se nalazi memorijalni centar. Grobovi posmrtnih ostataka onih koji su pronađeni i identifikovani prošarali su padinu brda. U središtu grada je kameni zid sa urezanim imenima onih koji su identifikovani tokom godina. 11. jula, posljednjeg dana marša, održava se služba u čast onima koji su izgubili živote. Održi se sahrana onih čiji ostaci su identifikovani DNK testiranjem tokom prethodne godine.
8. jula 2018. godine, Mirsad se pridružio ostalim učesnicima marša– njih šest do osam hiljada, koji su krenuli na svoje trodnevno putovanje do Potočara. Među učesnicima marša su bili i oni koji su preživjeli genocid te članovi porodica onih koji su izgubili život. Ostali su došli iz malih sela, gradića i gradova iz cijele Bosne i Hercegovine, Hrvatske, Evrope i širom svijeta kako bi izrazili uvažavanje i odali počast onima koji su izgubili živote za vrijeme tog bijega od vojske bosanskih Srba prije oko 23 godine. Ovo nije bilo vrijeme za kampanju, nego vrijeme za okupljanje sa preživjelima i učenje njihovih priča, sastajanje sa članovima porodica onih koji su izgubili život i razgovor s ljudima iz cijelog svijeta koji su prešli tolike kilometre da bi učestvovali u maršu.
Prvi dan su se kiša i sunce smjenjivali dok su se sudionici probijali preko neravnih brežuljaka i brdskog puta kojim su hiljade ljudi bježali kako bi spasili živote. Na kraju svakog dana, sudionici su imali mogućnost boravka u improvizovanom kampu uz cestu ili u domovima onih duž rute Marša mira. Mirsad je izabrao da ostane u domovima mještana, kako bi mogao slušati njihove priče i sjećanja na te kobne dane 1995. godine. Upoznao je 72-godišnju udovicu koja je izgubila muža i dva sina. Zapanjilo ga je koliko pozitivna i optimistična ostaje do dan-danas, uprkos svojim užasnim gubicima. Jedna druga starica koja boluje od demencije praktički je izgubila kratkotrajno pamćenje, ali živopisno opisuje događaje iz 1995. godine. Mirsad je rekao da su priče bile beskrajne i neizmjerno dirljive tokom cijelog putovanja.
Pokazalo se da je drugi dan bio najteži, gurnuvši učesnike marša do krajnjih granica izdržljivosti, jer su obilne kiše bijesnile tokom cijelog dana. Učesnici su morali preći preko strmina brdovitog terena. Da bi bolje uslužila hiljade učesnika marša, vlada je proširila put tako što su dali da se posiječe drveće uz rubove puta. Nažalost, uklanjanje drveća takođe je omogućilo poplave. Strme kosine pretvorile su se u rijeku blata dubokog do koljena. Mnogi bi se poskliznuli i pali u ruke ostalih iza sebe, ne mogavši vratiti ravnotežu i trebavši pomoć da se uspnu do vrha. Osjećaj zajedništva i sloge bio je opipljiv dok su se stranci – uključujući i Mirsada – oslanjali jedni na druge, i dajući i primajući pomoć neophodnu za završetak opasnog hodočašća od 30 kilometara.
Trećeg dana sunce se ponovo pojavilo, učinivši putovanje mnogo bezbjednijim i manje napornim. Mještani su učesnicima marša donijeli uvelike dobrodošlu hranu i vodu tokom finalne faze marša. Tog posljednjeg dana, Mirsad je upoznao čovjeka koji je dugi niz godina učestvovao u maršu. On je Mirsadu rekao će ulazak u selo Potačari biti nezaboravan i zauvijek mu promijeniti život. Mirsad je bio svjestan groblja na obroncima brda i vjerovao je da je bio spreman za emocije koje će to mjesto sigurno zazvati. Međutim, nije bio spreman na nagonsku reakciju, nalet osjećaja koji je doživio kad su stigli na rub sela. Njegov prijatelj bio je u pravu: to iskustvo će mu zauvijek promijeniti život. Razgovarao sam s Mirsadom o tom iskustvu.
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