About blood and honey

Almost twenty years on from the beginning of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, two Dutch journalists are travelling the country seeking answers to the question, does Bosnia and Herzegovina really exist?

By Marcel van der Steen and Jade van Doornik

Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrates its 20th birtday on March 3rd 2012. However, it is not necessarily a happy birthday; for 1992 also marked the start of a bloody civil war in the heart of the Balkans which left around 100,000 people dead.

Many pertinent questions remain unaswered. Does Bosnia and Herzegovina really exist? What about the people themselves? What do they think about their life in this country, about the past, the present and the future?

Most whom we have met in Sarajevo, thus far, are not interested in the country anymore, especially young students who dream of leaving and building up a new life in another part of Europe. Older people dream of better times with Tito as their Marshal.

Now, twenty years later, it is important to tell the people’s story; to find a modern image of a country that we still associate with violence and grief. And also to investigate – is there a peaceful future for this still-divided country, or is it slowly getting ready for the next war?

It is always hard to find a balance in the stories in a country with so many different stories and views on history. The only way to proceed is collect stories from ‘normal people’ – from Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, Roma, Jews – from the inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We are pleased to present an initial snapshot of images from this young country which still struggles with its ancient and recent past. These stories must be told.

Watching the friendly, Bosnia Herzegovina – Greece, in Kosevo Stadium

Old woman begging near the cathedral in Sarajevo

Young woman and dog sitting in front of the BBI Centar, Sarajevo

Man in a wheelchair eating an ice-cream in Ulica Marsala Tita, Sarajevo

Girls in high heels leaving the Kosevo stadium

To support this photographic journey throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, the artists have decided to collect money through crowd funding. If you are interested in supporting ‘About blood and honey’, please visit:

http://www.indiegogo.com/aboutbloodandhoney

Marcel van der Steen is a Dutch journalist/filmmaker living in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo and working as a freelance correspondent for different Dutch and Belgian media, covering the Balkans. He works for RTL, BNR, KRO, NCRV, VRT, De Morgen, Het Parool etc. To visit Marcel’s website, please click here.

Jade van Doornik is a freelance photographer/reporter, working in the Netherlands for RTV West, RTV Rijnmond, KRO Televisie etc. To visit Jade’s website, please click here.

‘About blood and honey’ is featured as part of TransConflict’s initiative, TransCulture, which aims to showcase efforts to explore and transcend inter-ethnic divisions through a variety of cultural means.


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0 Response

  1. Hello
    There is no question whether Bosnia exists or not. Bosnia has existed and will exist for sure,but different point which you should maybe raise is who is trying to destroy this countries old traditions where all different people could live together?
    Regards

  2. Marko Pavlovic

    As a Bosnian-born Serb, I can safely say that, to me, Bosnia is a stillborn legal entity on a map. This is not to say that I feel any animosity towards its non-Serb citizens, towards Sarajevo, or even its history. Rather, it’s to say that I feel absolutely no attachment to it as a state – my loyalty lies entirely with Serbia. The only use for my Bosnian passport is the right it will grant me to vote in a future referendum to put the country out of its mysery – hopefully peacefully – and wish its Bosniaks and Croats all the best for the future as I align myself fully with Serbia.

  3. Serbo-Canadian of Macau

    Why are all 5 photos purportedly illustrating a “Bosnia and Herzegovina” from Moslem-dominated Sarajevo?

    BTW, Sarajevo of today has 94% Moslems, as opposed to 61% before “indipendence” i.e. secession illegal in terms of the Yugoslav federla constitution…

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