About Us

The Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center (BAGI) is a not-for profit charitable and educational organization. BAGI is dedicated to scientific research pertaining to the genocide that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992-1995 and to educate others about the holocaust, genocide and other forms of crimes against humanity.

The purpose of the mission is reconciliation by teaching universal lessons that combat hatred, prejudice and indifference.

The process of reconstruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the common life of all its constituent peoples must begin from the truth about the acts of aggression by Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the genocidal policies which were created in Serbia and enforced in Bosnia, the truth about the genocide of Bosniaks (1992-1995) and conviction of its perpetrators in the Hague International Court of Justice.

    Want to keep up with our events and news? Sign up here.

Follow us!

UPCOMING PROJECTS:

Share your story of resistance and survival! 

The Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center (BAGI) is seeking interested individuals who are willing to share their story about their experiences during the war in Bosnia. BAGI is working on publishing a children's book, and your story may be chosen to be published in the book! Due to the nature of the book, stories will be written through the eyes of a child. Thus, the potential participant must meet the requirement to be of child's age during the war period (1992-1995). There is no cut-off age, however, participants will be selected based on their narrative, and the willingness to work with our writers for the next several months.
Picture
March 23, 2016 – Nearly eight years have passed since the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, the first acting president of the small entity known as Republika Srpska located in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  According to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Karadzic has been indicted on: two counts of genocide, five counts of crimes against humanity and four counts of violating the laws or customs of war for the genocide and aggression that occurred from April of 1992 to November of 1995.  He has been accused of orchestrating a genocidal campaign of ethnic expulsion by forcing Bosnian Muslim and Bosnian Croat civilians to flee their homes through terror tactics that included: sexual assault, relocation, torture, imprisonment and murder among many other criminal acts.

On March 24, 2016, the ICTY will release a judgement in Radovan Karadzic’s case after interviewing over 500 witnesses and spending more than 400 days at trial.  The Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center places a great deal of responsibility on the ICTY to deliver a ruling that will provide justice for the victims, survivors and their families. It is crucial for the communities and individuals who have been affected by ethnic expulsion, sexual assault, torture, detention and murder that they see justice in their lifetimes.  We expect a guilty verdict on all counts of Radovan Karadzic’s indictment as well as the longest possible sentence considering the gravity of his crimes.

It is no secret that the increase in nationalistic rhetoric and idolization of war criminals like Radovan Karadzic in Bosnia and Herzegovina is growing and we are very concerned. We would like for this ruling to be a seed of hope for the multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina that we all believe in. However, in order for that to happen we need more action from citizens, the local police and court system to prosecute perpetrators who have lived the last two decades consequence-free. We are here to hold the perpetrators accountable and combat genocide denial.

As the world awaits the ruling for Radovan Karadzic’s trial, we want to honor and remember the lives that have been lost, destroyed or displaced by the aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina. We see this ruling as an opportunity to advance the process of reconciliation. The pillars of reconciliation are grounded in truth and justice. We believe that the ICTY ruling will be that step towards the truth about the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina and towards the justice that is needed for the victims and survivors of the genocide. We believe reconciliation is possible and we are certain that a guilty ruling will be a step forward towards a just and multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ida SeferRoche, M.S.W., M.A.                  
David Pettigrew, Ph.D.                                 
Refik Sadikovic, M.Ed.
Djenita Svinjar, J.D.                                        
Azra Smailkadic-Brkic, M.A.                        
Danica Anderson, Ph.D.
Belma Sadikovic, M.Ed.

The Forgotten Genocide - April 3rd, 2016
The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Armenia, Bosnia and Syria

What happens when traditions, values, languages and cultural sites are destroyed?

In the aftermath of atrocities, the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is an often overlooked narrative. Join us for
a timely and thought-provoking discussion as we reflect on the legacy of loss and recovery in Armenia, Bosnia and Syria.
Hear from experts working on the ground in each respective country today.

In conversation with..
Dr. Herand Markarian | Adjunct professor, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary of the Diocese of the Armenian Churches. Playwright,
actor, director and poet. Founded the NY and NJ Hamazkayin Theater Groups.

David Pettigrew | Professor of Philosophy, Southern Connecticut State University; Author of “The Suppression of Cultural Memory in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Prohibited Memorials as a Continuation of the Genocide.”

Dr. Michael D. Danti | Academic Director, ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Initiative; 25 years experience directing archaeological projects in the Middle East, including excavations and surveys in Syria, Iran, and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Dr. Patty Gerstenblith (Keynote and Moderator) | Distinguished Research Professor of Law; Director, Center for Art, Museum & Cultural Heritage Law, DePaul University.

Community Partners | Armenian National Committee of Illinois, Bosnian American Genocide Institute, Center for Art, Museum
and Cultural Heritage Law at DePaul University College of Law and Karam Foundation

Please register here: https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/the-forgotten-genocide/

Ticket prices include museum admission:
Adults $12
Seniors (65+) $8
Students (12-22) $8

PLEASE ALSO SEE:
What We Carried: Photos by Iraqi Refugees
Open through June 26, 2016
A photographic exhibition that explores the possessions that recent Iraqi refugees cherished enough to bring on their journey to the United States.

    Help us create better programs! 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

ŠTO TE NEMA nomadic monument 
​Tuesday, July 11, 2017
9AM-9PM

How do we talk about genocide?
How do we heal from genocide?
How do we fight against genocide?

ŠTO TE NEMA investigates these universal issues by commemorating one specific genocide: the systematic killing of 8,372 Bosnian Muslims in the UN-protected safe area of Srebrenica in July of 1995. Serving as an alternative to traditional monuments and memorials, ŠTO TE NEMA generates public memory of the Srebrenica genocide by using different participatory models to make an annual nomadic monument. Permanent materials like stone and bronze are replaced with collected porcelain cups filled with coffee. Passive viewers and bystanders are transformed into allies.

Organized in close collaboration between the artist Aida Šehović and the local Bosnian diaspora communities, ŠTO TE NEMA is collectively assembled and disassembled by people on July 11th - the anniversary of Srebrenica genocide - each year, but every time in a different location. The monument consists of a growing collection of fildžani (small porcelain coffee cups) that are continuously collected and donated by Bosnian families from all over the world. Their number increases each year, roughly corresponding to the growing number of bodies found, identified and buried to date. Through dialogue and conversation the public is invited to participate in making the monument by placing the collected cups on the ground and filling them with Bosnian coffee prepared on site throughout the day. Nobody drinks the coffee that’s being poured into the cups as this symbolic gesture of serving coffee to someone who is no longer here is meant to memorialize their absence.

Resisting the implicit acceptance that we have no agency, ŠTO TE NEMA creates awareness, empathy and solidarity, all of which amplify our accountability in the process of moving towards “never again.” Thus far, ŠTO TE NEMA was set up in Boston (2016), Geneva (2015), Toronto (2014), New York City (2013), Istanbul (2012), Burlington (2011), Stockholm (2010), The Hague (2009), Tuzla (2008), The United Nations Headquarters (2007), and Sarajevo (2006).

ŠTO TE NEMA - Chicago PARTNERS Bosnian and Herzegovinian Club of Chicago (BH Club), The Bosnian American Genocide Institute and Education Center (BAGI), The Bosnian-North American Women’s Association (BOSNAWA), Bosnian Islamic Cultural Center (BICC), Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago (ICC), Society of American Bosnians and Herzegovinians SABAH, Bosniaks Cultural Community Preporod of North America, and Association of Srebrenica Survivors (Udruženje Srebreničana). ŠTO TE NEMA is a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST Aida Šehović is a Bosnian-born artist whose work grapples with displacement, loss and trauma caused by war through a combination of ritual and politics. Born in Banjaluka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Šehović arrived to United Stated as a refugee in 1997. She received a B.A. (2002) from the University of Vermont and an M.F.A. (2010) from Hunter College. Her work has been exhibited at the Queens Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, Grand Central Art Center, and the Flux Factory. Šehović is a recipient of the Fellowship for Utopian Practice from Culture Push, the Emerging Artist Fellowship from Socrates Sculpture Park and the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, and was an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center, Santa Fe Art Institute and the LMCC Process Space Residency. Her on-going and recurring monument to the Srebrenica genocide called ŠTO TE NEMA has traveled to 11 different cities in the US and Europe since 2006. This year, Šehović is working together with the Bosnian diaspora communities in Chicago to bring ŠTO TE NEMA monument to their city on July 11, 2017.  She lives in New York City. 

​www.aidasehovic.com

The Syrian Crisis: Impact and Response
​Thursday, February 9, 2017
6:30 PM

The Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center invites you to Syrian Crisis: Impact and Response at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, on February 9th, 2017. 

As the situation in Syria intensifies, we as a community know that it is important for us to stand with those who are displaced by war and genocide. This expert panel will explore the conflict and how refugees are currently being impacted. 

How can we help the millions of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey, Europe and elsewhere?

As the world faces the worst refugee crisis since World War II and the Holocaust, it is a reminder that we must speak out. We must offer compassion to the millions of innocent people who are fleeing brutality.

The cost of human life and loss in Syria is difficult to comprehend. Over 450,000 Syrians have been killed (approximately the population of Atlanta), 50,000 of those children. Another 4.8 million Syrians are refugees, with 6.1 million displaced within Syria. We must raise our voices.

Panelists will include:

Dr. Zaher Sahloul
Former President of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), who has visited Syria to provide medical care in war-torn communities.

Whitney Cross (Moderator)
U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Suzanne Akhras Sahloul
Founder and Executive Director of the Syrian Community Network, which connects refugees with services and fosters relationships with the larger Chicago community.

Tickets can be reserved here: 
​https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/syria/.

Screening of "I Came to Testify"   
January 8, 2017  2pm 
B&H Club  3442 W. Peterson Ave.  Chicago, IL

The Bosnian-American Genocide Institute and Education Center invites you on January 8th, 2017 to a screening of "I Came to Testify", a PBS documentary regarding 16 Bosnian women who were imprisoned in the town of Foča and how they testified against their perpetrators.
​
Join us after the screening for a panel discussion with BAGI board members and community experts.
 
Danica Anderson, Ph.D., is an author, a Forensic Psychotherapist and a current Gender Victims Expert for the International Criminal Court. Dr. Anderson is the founder and CEO of The Kolo: Women's Cross Cultural Collaboration, an international initiative aimed at providing support, psychotherapy and life training for victims and survivors of war, war criminals and offenders of sexual assault.

David Pettigrew, Ph.D., is a Professor of Philosophy at Southern Connecticut State University and a member of the Yale University Genocide Studies Program steering committee. Dr. Pettigrew is a human rights activist who strives, through his research and advocacy, to preserve and honor the memory of the victims of the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to resist genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals in Republika Srpska. 

Senada Cvrk Pargan, BSM, is the President of Bosniaks Cultural Community Preporod of North America. Ms. Pargan is also a well-known Bosnian poet and survivor of the genocide in Srebrenica. She is a tireless activist in the Bosnian community who is working towards cultural preservation and combatting genocide denial.
 
The event will be held in the English language and we strongly encourage students to attend. The event is free and open to the public. 
​
We would like to thank our community collaborators: Preporod and B&H Club.