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The siege of Sarajevo lasted 1,425 days. It was the longest siege in the history of the modern world. More than 11,500 civilians were killed. A further 50,000 were wounded. Death was part of daily life. This is not a project about death, however. It is about the experiences of the survivors. Childhood continued under siege. Tens of thousands of young girls and boys grew up in the surrounded town. This is different from growing up free. This project explores their experiences. The Concept War Childhood is an interactive project. Its goal is to present and explore the collective experience of the children of Sarajevo. An open invitation was issued by web-page for people who were children under siege to send brief summaries of their memories in the form of text messages (160 characters). The idea was to tell this generation's story by creating a mosaic of memories out of these short and unique attachments. Realization The idea was quickly embraced by people whose upbringing was spent, in part at least, under siege in Sarajevo. They have remained an integral part of the city. Some 1,600 war children now living in 35 countries round the world responded with their memories in just 3 months. Hundreds of them took an active part in the next phase of the project: talking and exchanging their wider experiences and documents (photos, diary entries, letters, drawings...). The end result will be a book – a treasury of the memories of Sarajevo's children. Contents The book has three parts. The first comprises introductory texts on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, the siege of Sarajevo, and the project. The second, main section of the book is a mosaic of the short recollections gathered during implementation of the project. The third section has a visual focus, bringing together keepsakes: photographs, drawings, diary entries, stories, letters, etc. Symmetry Unique in having been co-created by some 1,600 people, this book also takes a specific approach to the presentation of their memories. |
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