The Sniper Alley series “The Story Behind the Photo“ features the works of Staffan Lofving, who stayed in Sarajevo in 1994. Among other things, he captured two girls, Soraja Zagic and Tijana Kolakovic, who years later recognized themselves in a photograph.
“The Story Behind the Photo, a mini-documentary series, has had six episodes so far, marking the first season. In the second season, we start with Swedish anthropologist and photographer Staffan Lofving. As before, we focus on a single photograph or a series of photographs taken during the siege of Sarajevo. He stayed in Sarajevo for just two weeks in September 1994 but managed to take many photographs of immense importance to our city in that short time. Staffan didn’t stay at the Holiday Inn but lived with a married couple. He wasn’t a war photographer, which gave him a different approach to his work,” said Dzemil Hodzic, who runs the Sniper Alley page.
He added that Lofving spoke about an event he was somehow connected to. Lofving was present when the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) launched a military operation on the infamous Spicasta Stijena. On September 18th, 1994, he was on the streets of the Stari Grad and didn’t know exactly what was happening, but he photographed people observing the events.
“When we analyze retrospectively, we can say that the project was launched because of that cursed Spicasta Stijena, from which my Amel was killed. Our army captured those positions but unfortunately couldn’t hold them,” he continued. Lofving calls his works created during the Sarajevo siege “Imperfect Shots.“
“Without revealing too much, watch what the author himself says about it. The film includes photographs of Sarajevo’s children that are part of our project, which we also tried to present to the audience this way. There’s a beautiful photograph that is the only colored part of the film. It features two girls who recognized themselves through social media. The most important part is that they’re alive and well. Among his works are also photographs of the muezzin of the Emperor’s Mosque, Hafiz Selim Effendi Hosi, calling the azan from the mosque’s courtyard because he couldn’t do so from the minaret due to the security situation at the time,” he added.
He emphasized that each photograph is significant for the history of our city, and with the oral testimonies of the photographers who took them, they become documents that are primarily educational.
“I hope this series benefits society – both those of us who lived through it and future generations, as well as people worldwide who want to learn about the aggression on BiH, the siege of Sarajevo, journalism, and photography in general,” concluded Hodzic.
Staffan Lofving: Memories can come alive with the help of photographs
In an interview, Lofving said he had struggled for a long time to cope with what he experienced in Sarajevo in 1994.
“People were in an inhumane situation during the siege, trapped in a large prison they couldn’t leave. At the same time, they were under attack, without water, electricity, or means of defense. I couldn’t grasp the gravity of their exposure to death and danger during my short visit, let alone help anyone,” he said.
He stated that his hosts took good care of him, as did the people he met, photographed, and interviewed, so he almost always felt safe. He realized how privileged he was to have access to the United Nations’ (UN) humanitarian air bridge. In 2013, a BiH friend asked him to show her the photos he had taken there. He eventually donated them to the Historical Museum of BiH. He was saddened to learn that many of the people were no longer alive.
“Tijana Kolakovic and Soraja Zagic are now in their thirties and follow the Sniper Alley project. They were friends during the siege but lost contact. They reconnected thanks to Dzemil’s work and this photograph,” he explained.
In August last year, he met Tijana. She told him about her childhood during the siege. He communicated with Soraja via email. Next year, he plans to return to Sarajevo because of Sniper Alley. He believes the project is immensely important for preserving the culture of memory.
“I believe that events and people who perished can be preserved in our memories, and memories are a living thing. They can change and even fade, but they can also be revived, sometimes with the help of photographs and our discussions about them. Sniper Alley is a fascinating and significant testament to this,” Lofving said.
Tijana Kolakovic: That past is part of me and always will be
One of the girls in the photograph, Tijana Kolakovic, said her sister had sent her the photograph. She couldn’t believe it. For two days, she stared at it, completely stunned, especially because she has almost no photographs from that period. She met Lofving in 2023 at the same spot in Hrasno. She said it was a special moment she would always carry with her. When asked what growing up in besieged Sarajevo was like from a child’s perspective, she replied:
“I was a little girl, so I remember very little from that period. I mostly recall moments spent in the basement and the hallway of our skyscraper while the sounds of grenades echoed in the background.”
She believes it’s possible to have a normal life as an adult despite experiencing trauma at a young age.
“I left Sarajevo in 1998 and had the chance for a fresh start and creating beautiful memories. While that past is part of me and always will be, my life has gone in a different direction. Still, it’s important to emphasize that everyone’s experiences are different,” she explained.
She also highlighted the importance of Sniper Alley. She said that what Dzemil Hodzic does is immensely valuable for preserving memories and reminding us of everything we went through.
Soraja Zagic: My mother repeated the names and addresses of our family members so they could find them if she died
The other girl in the photograph, Soraja Zagic, was also overwhelmed with emotions when she saw it because she has few photographs from the war. Many were left in her apartment in Ilidza, which she had to abandon after the siege began. She was also asked how she experienced the siege as a child.
“It’s not easy to answer that question. I often wonder how reliable our memories really are. Still, I have some clear recollections of the war, mostly tied to specific events. During the war, I often craved various foods that were unavailable to us, but I would comfort myself by thinking that even if I got something today, tomorrow I would long for it again, and it wouldn’t be available,” she said.
She added that she remembers the shelling and that growing up in such conditions was her “normal.”
“I don’t remember feeling afraid often, but I do remember my mother constantly repeating the names and addresses of our family members. She wanted me to know them so that if she died during a massacre, the rest of the family could be located,” she explained.
For years, she has followed Sniper Alley. She mentioned that she also works on projects dealing with confronting the past and that Sniper Alley is incredibly important because it helps preserve memories and experiences.
“I also greatly appreciate what war photographers have done to preserve our memories and the realities of the 1990s. The important work that Dzemil does with his project is commendable,” she said.
Who is behind the development of the Sniper Alley project
The second season of “The Story Behind the Photo“ was produced by Anna Prokou and Dimitris Sideridis. Director of photography was Emir Jordamovic, sound design was done by Linus Bergman, music was composed by Athar Saeed, and color correction was by Kishore Kanchan, among many others.
“I would like to thank the entire team who made it possible to do all this in the best way. For the new season, we changed the opening sequence, which was created by French artist and art director Heloise Dorsan-Rachet. I also want to thank everyone who supported the project with their selfless donations to our PayPal account. Additionally, I would like to thank ASBIS d.o.o and Admir Bajramovic for their financial support of this series, as well as the director of the Sarajevo Memorial Center, Ahmed Kulanic, who assisted and supported our work. Our friend and project partner Claudia Zini and the organization KUMA are always there to help us, so I take this opportunity to thank them as well,” said Hodzic.
He concluded by thanking his true friend Staffan Lofving, not only for his professional work during the siege but also for the photographs he contributed to his project and his generous donation of all his Sarajevo photographs to the Historical Museum of BiH. Finally, he stated that Lofving’s name would remain inscribed in the pages of our history, Klix.ba writes.
