Bužim – a small city with 20,000 inhabitants in Bosnia and Herzegovina – is populated with a large number of twins of over 200 pairs.
World-renowned media agencies, such as Reuters and Der Spiegel, transmitted news today of the Bosnian town and the phenomenon of “twins” which adorns it.
When Nedžib’s wife, Emira Vučelj, gave birth to twins in the midst of the war in Bosnia, it was impossible to purchase quality baby strollers; their hometown, Bužim, was blockaded by enemy troops.
Nedžib attempted to borrow strollers from their neighbors, but they unfortunately borrowed their strollers to another family. When he contacted the receiving family, they told him that these strollers were forwarded, and that they do not have them anymore.
“Then I realized how many twins were here,” said Vučelj, a former teacher and journalist, who has launched an initiative to declare Bužim “The Twin City”.
Investigating the phenomenon, he discovered that during the war, from 1992 to 1995, at least 21 pairs of twins were born. Local officials supported Vučelj’s initiative, hoping to attract visitors to this picturesque town in north-western Bosnia, located between green hills and clear streams, and where most people live on the harvest of raspberries and chestnuts.
“We could organize annual meetings of Bužim twins, which would be the first of its kind in the country,” said Bunić, the mayor of Bužim.
Attempting to trace the twins from Bužim who left the city during the war, Vučelj started a Facebook page – “Bužim – grad blizanaca” (Bosnianfor “City of Twins”). Based on initial responses, he believes that he is on the trail of about 200 pairs of twins.
Given the events of the war in B&H, many parents have left the city along with their children, potentially resulting in so much lost data. However, the habitants of this city still deeply believe that there is a long tradition of the birth of twins.
“I remember years ago when almost every class in the school had twins,” said Hodžić Zumreta, the registrar in Bužim.
The habitants of the city are struggling to explain the phenomenon of twins in Bužim. Kemal Dizdarević, the father of 17-month twins, says that there is a “tradition” of giving birth to twins in his family and the family of his wife.
“I hope they will grow up to be good athletes. They can grow up to be anything, just not politicians”, said Dizdarević.
