Four Years In Hell

Sarajevo

One always walks down the cobbled streets of the great Ancient city of Rome imagining how life must have been during those times. You see the Colusseum on the right, Palatine Hill on the left, Trevi Fountain in front of you. All the grandeur, all the glory, all the prosperity that was Rome. Whilst walking the streets of Sarajevo in Bosnia, I tried to imagine the exact opposite. A bullet-ridden wall on the right, a half-destroyed building on the left, a Sarajevo Rose (representing six or more deaths by a mortar explosion) in front of me. All the destruction, all the pain, all the suffering.

This city is recovering from an enormous tragedy. The Siege of Sarajevo; a four-year nightmare which resulted in the loss of over 10 000 lives. The longest siege in modern warfare. Can one imagine 10 000 people dead? How must have life been during those times? People walked down the very streets i was now walking just over 10 years ago, but in very different circumstances. Gunshots, explosions, people dying. For four years. The city was surrounded on three sides by Serbians, and the fourth side was blocked off by the incompetency of the UN. A city under siege indeed. The people could not stay in the city, but they could not get out. They were trapped for four years amongst a rain of bullets and hail of rockets.

For me, Sarajevo is a fascinating mix of a city. Not in the 'fascinating' sense of Rome; but a fascination of the impact this city had on me during my brief stay. Despite being to places like Auschwitz where the enormity of the tragedy is even more profound; I couldn't help but feel mixtures of bewilderment, sorrow and regret over the suffering these Bosnians underwent in the early 90's. In the 90's i was a just a small, free child playing joyfully in the unaware streets of Perth without a worry in the world. At they very same time, children my age were running and hiding in these war-torn streets dodging bullets and rockets, trying to lead normal lives. But how could they possibly lead normal lives like mine? I think this is what hit me the most in Sarajevo; trying to understand how people lived in a besieged Sarajevo for four years, while i was on the other side of world leading a safe and happy life at the exact same time.

It was a bit of a surreal experience to merely walk down the streets. The modestly beautiful architecture and peaceful riverfront contrasted with the unrepaired damage of building facades. Everywhere i looked i saw bullet-holes. Even the town-hall, a main building of Sarajevo, the nations capital; still bears numerous scars of war. In vain i tried to picture every bullet piercing the walls of Sarajevo's buildings. I would look to the dominating hills that surround the city. I would imagine a sniper who just last decade was looking at that exact position where i was standing through the eyes of a gun. I imagined him pulling the trigger, and bang! Right behind me was the evidence. Although i could imagine people ducking and fleeing the onslaught of piercing metal, i couldn't comprehend it. This is really what i did while walking. Coming from a near-perfect city called Perth, where our buildings are modern and maintained and our lives carefree, it was strange to walk past a building damaged from bombs and peppered with bullets. Such things do not exist where i come from. I couldn't imagine myself dodging bullets while merely leading my life, walking on the street. It was just something i heard on the news; a world away. It seemed distant, as if it never really happened. Or if it even could happen in the first place. But now i was there where it happened years later, seeing the evidence set in stone; literally.

I heard stories from Bosnians i talked to about what life was like during the war. Living in constant fear, day to day. Here in Perth if i wanted to go to the market, i would go to the market; no worries. But in those days not so long ago in Sarajevo, if i wanted to go to the market, i would think twice... or three times. Stepping outside of these people's houses were matters of life and death. And not just stepping outside; but even merely stepping near a window. I try and look outside my house now. Can i imagine being sprayed with bullets if I were take a step out of my very door? It’s different when we think of it that way. There is no way this can be a normal life. On the face you could argue their lives were normal with bars and shops open. People still had to buy food and such. During the siege a 'Miss Sarajevo' pageant was even held in a basement. How brave these people were to defy their enemies in their face for so long. On the outside they tried to lead normal lives, but beneath this paper-thin layer of life the reality was that they were under constant attack. The snipers were waiting and pouncing at every opportunity.

I admired the Bosnian resolve; it takes much courage to resist such brutal circumstances for four long years. I admired the fact that the Bosnians held out for so long. This was mainly thanks to the Sarajevo tunnel, which provided a means for much-needed supplies, water, military equipment and food to come to the city. As mentioned, the city was almost completely surrounded. How else were its 400 000 citizens supposed to survive? The UN? No, the UN was merely a "peacekeeper" to provide aid. And they couldn’t even do this, which is why the tunnel was built. The entire towns electricity was even supplied by this simple tunnel that passed from Sarajevo, under the UN controlled airport, and to the free Bosnian territory (one narrow piece of surrounding hillside; the rest of the territory surrounding Sarajevo was Serbian-controlled).

One poignant moment for me was when i visited the Sarajevo tunnel. Getting to the Tunnel Museum is in itself an experience; it was built underneath a normal looking house, right in the middle of nowhere (see the photo). This was a museum? The owner of the house was one of builders of the tunnel, and upkeeps the museum. I was the only one in the museum. It was strange being there in the dead quiet of Sarajevo's outskirts.

The owner was happy at first (being winter, i don't think many tourists came to Sarajevo and the tunnel) and showed me what different parts of the museum i should see. After i had done everything i was pretty moved, and i didn’t know if i should ask questions. So i just told him how terrible it was; i was really at a loss of words and i couldn't think of anything really constructive. It is a pretty sobering place. But he continued about talking the tough days. I think he was able to do this since it was only me around; the accompanying silence acting as a facilitator of reflection. And i could tell from the sadness in his eye, the strain in his voice and his weathered face that the memories still hurt. He was visibly upset when he thought of the children that had died. I just stood there looking at the ground, i didn't know what to say. I had never met anyone that had gone through and seen such suffering. I kept trying to picture how he was feeling, but it was impossible, and i would feel empty inside. What could i say? It was just another small step in opening my mind up to the world. Showing me that we are so sheltered in Perth and in our other Western cities around the world; where we are prosperous, safe and free of enemies (barring terrorism). We have no idea of the suffering others have undergone.

This was the impact Sarajevo had on me; showing me the effects of a tragedy that happened during my lifetime but of which i was completely ignorant. Even still, I have only seen these small after-effects of war. How much more intense it must have been back then, or experiencing the grave the poverty of Africa are further steps that will surely have even more profound effects than those i considered in Sarajevo.

But enough about the war. Sarajevo is recovering. The centre is mostly up and running. The scars are there, the bullet holes are everywhere; but the city is lively. Bars are open, restaurants cook delicious Bosnian cuisine, markets are crowded, locals socialise. The city enters the 21st century with optimism, having successfully denied the invasion and attempted destruction of their way of life.

The peaceful harmony between Christians and Muslims here is another thing that i found quite enthralling. Everywhere else in the world there is tension between Christians and Muslims. In some places it is more profound than others of course, but no matter where you are, even in humble Perth, the doubt is still there. But not in Sarajevo. Here churches, mosques and even synagogues stand with 100m of each other. If only the rest of the world was like this.

Budapest, Mostar and Split

Before leaving back to London, i spent a day each in Mostar (Bosnia) and Split (Croatia). Mostar was a bit touristy but since all the tourists were gone (winter) it was pretty dead. But the effects of the war are even more profound here than in Sarajevo, as there has not been as much reconstruction here as in Sarajevo. Split was beautiful. Getting lost out and about in Diocletian's Palace was fun; and the Croatian scenery is stunning! White-stone mountains rising up from of a crystal blue sea; pretty amazing. And even before visiting Sarajevo, how could i forget my stay in Budapest? My second visit, again staying with Rita; the sister of one of my good friends from exchange in Finland. As usual she, Attilia and her sons were so friendly and welcoming. I can't seem to stay away from this city! I enjoyed spending time with Attila again, it would be the last time until he comes and visits me in Perth! But it was here in Budapest where i celebrated my 21st birthday in style. The night before, going to a Tibetan-themed tea-house! That place had some of the craziest but best teas ever!!! One tea was an "apple, raspberry, orange rind, grapeskin, cinnamon, almond and coconut" tea. Imagine that! Thanks to Attila, Rita, Rudi, Zsolt and also to Szonny for another most pleasant stay.

But the most striking thing about those 2 weeks was Sarajevo. It is definitely one of my favourite cities in Europe, and i regret not being able to stay longer (but as mentioned, i had to get my flight). I found the city enthralling with its rich history as a melting pot of Western and Eastern cultures, its heroic story of survival, its food, its music, its women (go Eastern Europe!) and its culture. The people are down to earth and friendly; but the memories of their tragedies are still evident in their faces and their demeanour. To me it seemed that the people were still hurting and suffering from post-war effects, but they were optimistic about a new safe era for their city and their people.

Furthermore, let's not forget that though Sarajevo has survived its share of suffering, there are many places in the world that are facing such suffering this very moment. Is Baghdad now like Sarajevo during the siege? Will i be in Baghdad in 10 years time thinking how could this have happened to this city and its people? Are people right now dodging bullets and hiding from bombs? But we don't think of it that deeply. The wars of the world are distant, merely on television. And we sit at home at our computers, in our peaceful homes, in our safe cities, in our prosperous countries, merely watching the suffering of the world go by.

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