The idea of a memorial is to remember the past in order not to make the same mistakes over and over. In our days, this idea seems more and more important, since us human seem to tend to forget so easily.
I went to the Jasenovac Memorial Site, in the immediate vicinity of the former Jasenovac concentration camp, Camp III (Brickworks). In the Memorial Site the original sites of buildings and execution sites within the camp itself are marked by earth mounds and hollows. The path to the Flower Memorial is paved with railway sleepers. They denote symbolically part of the preserved railway track used to transport prisoners to the camp.
The Stone Flower is maybe the center of the memorial, being a monument that can be seen from far away and make us reflect. It reminds of the the victims of Ustaลกa atrocities during World War II in tho area. The flower was designed by Bogdan Bogdanoviฤ and unveiled in 1966. It was not without discussion since the idea of the flower seemed to neutral at the time.
Being there I think that meaning can be expressed in different ways and a flower can be very powerful considering that it can been the fragility of the peace we have reached.
I’m really happy to have stopped here and take the time to breath this ideas and remember myself that this crimes should never be repeated, anywhere, and that it is in our power to help avoiding them. Differences between peoples, cultures and nationalities should be respected, communicated and taught, and never again allowed to be the causes of crimes against humanity.
I want to conclude by saying that each one of us should build a memorial inside our hearts so that we can always be respectful to and remind us to follow our values.
