FBU-2018-12-07
Interviewer
Adna Karamehic-Oates
Date of Interview
Fall 12-7-2018
Interview Location
St. Louis, MO
Length of Interview
31:09
Date of Birth
1991
Gender
Female
Religion and/or Ethnicity
Muslim
Description
Born in the village of Hambarine outside of Prijedor shortly before the beginning of the war. When soldiers entered the village, her mother fled with her and her older brother to Prijedor city where her grandmother and other relatives lived. Her father was rounded up, along with the other men of the village, and was executed. This is the report she received from witnesses in the village at the time. Her uncles, who lived in Prijedor, were sent to Omarska. Shortly after this, Samira along with her mother and brother were able to escape to Germany and settled outside of Stuttgart. She lived in Germany from 1992 to 1999, completing kindergarten and first grade. IN 1999, the family moved from Germany to St. Louis. Her aunt and uncle already lived in St. Louis. They moved in with them into an apartment in South City. She remembers rarely seeing her mother as a child because she was always working. Her aunt did not work and she would stay with her aunt and cousin while her mom worked. She made mostly Bosnian friends at school and continues to have mostly Bosnian friends. She speaks Bosnian in the home and considers herself Bosnian and is very close to her culture. She still travels regularly to Bosnia and has family still living there, although she would not like to return to live. She works at a bilingual center as a translator. She has met many refugees who also lost family during the war which has helped her to feel less alone. Her family has never really talked about the impact of her father'ss murder. Her mother never talks about it, and Samira is fearful of upsetting her mother.
Keywords
Hambarine Massacre, refugee, school, singleHambarine Massacre, refugee, school, single mother, familial connection, cultural memory, shared refugee experience mother, familial connection, cultural memory
Pre-War Residence
Hambarine
Wartime Residence
Prijedor
First Country of Residence
Germany
First US Residence
St. Louis, MO
Document Type
Oral History
Collection
Fontbonne University
Digital Format
MP3
Digital Publisher
Center for Bosnian Studies
City
St. Louis, MO
Copyright Note
These oral histories are made available by the Center for Bosnian Studies for research, educational, scholarly, and/or creative purposes only. All uses should adhere to the principle of fair use established under Section 107 of Title 17 the 1976 Copyright Act. More on fair use is available here: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/.
Rights Statement
