When we talk about the ‘next generation’ in BiH, the conversation quickly turns to the disconcerting trend that so many are leaving to go elsewhere, anywhere. And why shouldn’t they, we ask? They were born to a war torn land where every shaky foundation reinforces the perpetual discord and hinders stable growth. What opportunities can this country offer them? 

This was a topic that I didn’t give much thought to when I moved here 7 years ago. However, now that I’ve settled in, married in, and started a family, I think about what kind of future my daughter will have in BiH. When it comes time for her to decide for herself, will she stay or go? Because of her, when I photographed and interviewed individuals from this project about their futures, I listened with an eager ear, trying to ascertain my own family’s fortunes too.

Just a glimpse at these stories will underscore how many major issues need to be urgently addressed locally. With a closer read though, you’ll be able to hear what I heard: Hope, inspiring individual effort, and a call, or at times a heart wrenching cry, for change. If this generation, who was grown in a soil sown with disunity, can find it in themselves to proudly identify as ‘Bosnian and Herzegovinian’, then my daughter has heroes to look up to. If this generation has even a few who are willing to stay and fight for change, then I will join in alongside them. If this generation has a vision for their country, then we must unite behind them to build a future worth staying for. 

Cat is an American photographer and artist living in Sarajevo. Follow along on Instagram at @catnorman. 

www.catnorman.com

Biography

With thanks to her older sister, Caroline made her first visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina nearly 15 years ago to participate in the reconstruction of cultural heritage devastated during the Bosnian Wars. Since then, she returned to live, work, and conduct research for periods of time and has called Mostar home since 2017. There, she co-owns a tourism company, Sheva Walking Tours, with her partner and is completing her PhD.

Caroline is a Landscape Archaeologist and Historian who specializes in the community-based narrative construction and development of cultural heritage, particularly in locations in which heritage has been destroyed during violence or warfare. While she first picked up a camera and spent time in the dark room in high school, her current photographic interest has grown out of her exploration of cultural landscape. Caroline’s work frames the built landscape from novel perspectives, to inspire locals and international visitors alike to pause and consider the landscapes with which they engage both at home and away.

Experience

My work – whether in the development of immersive walking tours or ethnographic research – revolves around the significance of the personal narrative. Personal narratives may be singular, but they also reflect a secondary story of the community which has shaped and contributed to the lived experience of the individual teller. These stories intertwine the present-day and the past, drawing upon deeply significant cultural and collective memories.

The stories shared with me through my work on the “25 for 25” project emphasized this transcendent capacity of the personal narrative. The intention of the project was to highlight and celebrate the diversity of its participants, and therefore, that of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In my role as the collector of the narratives and images, however, the project demonstrated for me the shared threads that bind each participant with whom I spent time. Despite the participant’s distinct identity as well as locality, upbringing, family, education and more, I heard ideas, critiques, and hopes that were evidence of a shared communal experience of these citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Whereas they may all have been born and raised within a country declared to be at “peace”, participants’ worlds and their relationship with it continues to be influenced by the wars of the early 1990s following Bosnia and Herzegovina’s declaration of independence. The past might be forever present, but increasingly, there is recognition that the youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina need not be defined by it.

Many thanks to Mirna, Dino, Magdalena, Nikolina, Aleksandar, Ivana, Stela, Vesna, Velida, Božo, Antonio, and Maja for sharing your stories with me. I hope that your stories inspire others to share their own.

For information, contact Caroline at cmwisler@gmail.com or follow her on her Instagram profile @placemakinginmostar.