Everyday life and situations, but also tradition and history, is the inspiration for young artists across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) who draw murals.
On the walls of buildings, schools, and other facilities, those with whom Radio Free Europe (RSE) spoke draw celebrities, messages of peace, and inclusion.
However, citizens in some cities have been looking at completely different murals on their facades for years, which deepens divisions and hatred. Some of them are murals of Ratko Mladic, convicted of war crimes in BiH in the 1990s, Draza Mihailovic, a Chetnik leader from World War II, the letter ”Z” as a sign of support for Russia in its aggression against Ukraine.
Messages to children in Banja Luka, Gorazde and Cazin
The idea depends on the theme, says artist Boris Domazet from Banja Luka.
”Sometimes an idea comes quickly, by itself, and sometimes a long process in the form of research is needed. I do a lot of work in collaboration with my colleague and friend Milan Stanivukovic, so we mostly look for ideas together,” says Boris.
His greatest inspiration is tradition and culture, but also everyday life and the environment.
Cazin, in the northwest of BiH, is decorated with several murals dedicated to children, mostly near elementary schools.
In the east of BiH, in Gorazde, in 2020, the Peace Mural was painted. On the dilapidated building of the former Student Dormitory in this city, this mural is one of six peace actions that the SEKA Center for Education, Therapy, and Democratic Development realized as part of The Collective of Chosen Generations project.
Where are the war criminals, Chetnik leaders, and some ministers from Serbia?
In December 2021, a mural of Ratko Mladic, convicted of genocide and war crimes before the Hague Tribunal, was painted in Banja Luka.
Even a year later, this mural has not been removed, although the Criminal Code of BiH, as amended by the former High Representative Valentin Inzko, foresees punishments for any glorification of war criminals. The message ”the unification has started and it can no longer be stopped” is written next to Mladic’s drawn figure, RSE reports.
E.Dz.
