(ST. LOUIS, AP) — Five thousand miles from Sarajevo, a small Catholic college in St. Louis wants to preserve the intimate stories of Bosnian exiles displaced by war in the former Yugoslavia two decades ago.
The Bosnia Memory Project at Fontbonne University began several years ago when professor Benjamin Moore and a colleague created a class on the local immigrant experience. An estimated 70,000 Bosnians live in the St. Louis area, making it the largest such settlement outside the country of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Moore and his students have recorded nearly 60 interviews in an oral history project but eventually hope to have 1,000 entries. He says the project provides a vital historical record for younger Bosnians who grew up in the United States and know little about the country their parents and grandparents called home.
The Bosnia Memory Project at Fontbonne University began several years ago when professor Benjamin Moore and a colleague created a class on the local immigrant experience. An estimated 70,000 Bosnians live in the St. Louis area, making it the largest such settlement outside the country of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Moore and his students have recorded nearly 60 interviews in an oral history project but eventually hope to have 1,000 entries. He says the project provides a vital historical record for younger Bosnians who grew up in the United States and know little about the country their parents and grandparents called home.
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