“When I remember now that very beginning of the war in Grbavica, I remember the tank that was parked in front of our building and the scene where I walk our dog, and one of these Chetniks standing by a tank shirtless with those crossed bandoliers, calling Ava called to come to him, and me, all mad, not giving her to respond,” recalled Selma Strbo.
“I was 6 years old when the war started, and I remember the very beginnings because I was with Selma’s older friends when we lit the first cigarette of which I almost died. What was interesting is that before the war, I liked to eat almost nothing except hot dogs and milk, and as soon as the war started, I was craving for everything. I remember me and Selma walking with my mom while we lived in Svrakino, and a woman was selling tomatoes. Of course, no one would even look at the tomato if it was not a war. I think that mom paid 10 BAM for the tomato, and the two of us ate it immediately on the street.”
Prices at the markets in Sarajevo during the war varied year after year. In ’92, 1 kilogram of beef amounted to 50 BAM, 1 liter of oil was 30 BAM, a kilogram of flour 10 BAM. For the average pension you could buy 2 eggs, and for a salary which members of the Army of BiH had, you could drink 4 coffees or buy a pack of cigarettes.
“When you are 7 or 8 years old, you are generally not aware of what is going on. You feel that something is wrong because you hear parents talking about shooting, you can see photos from the TV, and however, you have no perception of things that are happening around. The first thing that I remember from that time is the flyover of aircraft, basement where we were, which was later SA club, the Unis skyscrapers burning and that at the beginning of the war, I learned to play cards.”
“That beginning and the year of ’92 I remember because when I asked my mom is there anything sweet, she would say that there is no sugar, let alone a chocolate bar. I was not even aware that the war began but as this madness continued and became an integral part of the day and night, we realized what are the shrapnel and bullets.”
Edin Memic spent his whole life in Sarajevo and last year moved to Luxembourg for work. In 1992, he was supposed to start the first grade.
“The beginning of the war turned out good for us because until then there were not many children in our building. When the refugees arrived, I do not know from where, there was also plenty of children that we could play with. My house was always full of children. I remember that the parents went to the neighbors one night, and we’ve got electricity and one of the children was constantly turning on and off the lights so that the police came because they were thinking that it was signal for attack. We usually played all the games possible, but most often we played the war. People were really dying out there, and we played war. While the other children outside Sarajevo liked Roberto Baggio or Michael Jordan, my hero was Juka Prazina after which I got the nickname because I had accreditation with his name.”
Powdered Juice, crackers, Tabasco sauce, Chicken a la King, or maybe something else, instant coffee, sugar, peanut butter, mini toilet paper, matches, two bubble gums and some additional bits and pieces. Every child in besieged Sarajevo knew by heart what is inside the packed lunch. And if you’ve got the money, you would drink a Coke.
(Source: Radiosarajevo.ba)
