Sarajevo, Banja Luka… These names still resonate today with a sad reality: that of the war which ravaged Bosnia-Herzegovina thirty years ago. However, despite the years that pass, the scars of this conflict remain clearly visible, particularly in the way younger generations define themselves and build their future.
Selma and Danilo, two Bosnian students, are a perfect example. Selma, originally from Sarajevo, still remembers the excitement she felt upon arriving in the capital, a place where she finally felt like a majority, surrounded by people of her own ethnicity and religion. For her, this feeling of belonging is inseparable from her own identity.
Danilo comes from Banja Luka, a town located in the Serbian Republic of Bosnia, one of the two entities that make up the country. For him, defining himself as a Bosnian Serb is more than just an ethnic affiliation, it is a way of getting closer to his “motherland” and refusing any division.
However, despite their difference in origin, Selma and Danilo share the same experience: that of a multiple and often conflicting history. In Bosnia, education is marked by this division, with different school programs depending on the entity. The Civil War itself is often missing from history textbooks, leaving younger generations to turn to other sources, such as movies or the Internet, to understand their past.
But this diversity of interpretations of History does not facilitate the construction of a common future. Political elites, often nationalists, use the past to divide the population. Selma and Danilo are aware of this reality, but they refuse to let themselves be separated. They want to make Bosnia and Herzegovina a country where every ethnicity and religion can coexist harmoniously.
Despite the difficulties and tensions that persist, they are determined to stay in their country and see it evolve towards a better version of itself. They refuse to reproduce the pattern of their parents, who sometimes had to flee and start again elsewhere. Selma and Danilo have faith in their youth and their ability to build a better future.
Bosnia-Herzegovina therefore continues to struggle with its past, with this divided collective memory which is struggling to be reconciled. But thanks to young people like Selma and Danilo, who seek to transcend divides and work together for the common good, there is hope for a more united and peaceful future.