AHS-2018-03-21
Interviewer
Isaiah Minner
Date of Interview
Fall 10-21-2018
Interview Location
St. Louis, MO
Length of Interview
1900-01-01
Date of Birth
2000
Gender
Female
Religion and/or Ethnicity
Muslim
Description
Born in St. Louis to parents who are both from the Srebrenica region, Parents moved from the area in around 1998 after the conclusion of the war, Parents experienced quite a bit of tragedy but still do not speak about it, Told one story about her aunt who was taking care of livestock with her father in a rural area of Srebrenica when he was taken away by Serbian soldiers, Visits Bosnia every other year with parents who always speak about how all the areas remind them of memories from their childhoods of the war, Identifies as Bosnian American and most of her friends are Bosnian, Tends to speak English to her friends but almost always Bosnian while at home, Experienced a life where she had to translate a lot for her parents, While her grandmother was in the hospital she would stay in the hospital to translate which was difficult as her grandmother ended up passing away, Parents are not able to help with homework or things she struggles with as they do not know the language which leaves her to either find a solution herself or ask her brother, Practices the faith of Islam and continues the traditions of Ramadan and Bajram, Wears the Hijab when praying but the decision on if to wear if all the time is an individual choice, Depending on how religious your family is you might be more religious yourself, When visiting Bosnia enjoys the food but still misses some American foods, Belives that the Bosnian community is open and accepting of others but there is a language barrier that prevents interaction in most cases, Hopes that in 70 years that Bosnian culture is still practiced and not the traditions are still carried out, Hopes that Bosnian is still spoken and that the Bosnian community has not Americanized completely.
Keywords
Srebrenica, St. Louis, Islam, Traditions, Bosnian Culture, New Generation
First Country of Residence
United States
First US Residence
St. Louis, MO
Document Type
Oral History
Collection
Affton High School
Digital Format
MP4
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
