Bosnia After the War Essays

Tenacious Roots
By Hajrija Hasanbašic
April 2000

From the period of 1992-1995, our adolescence, most of us still have nightmares. In one, my eight-year-old cousin, Hesna, and I go out into the garden to have some fresh air. A neighbor comes to get some water from the pump. Hesna, like all little girls, insists on helping her. In the next second, my mother is cradling Hesna in her arms, the child limp, her brains splayed against my mother's shirt. This is war. It's still hard to feel safe anywhere, and it's hard to trust unfamiliar people. The toll on society has been devastating.

There are approximately 12,000 invalids in our country, about 5,000 with a loss of limbs. Most of them served in the army. Because of their disabilities, many cannot work. They haven't received proper rehabilitation. Nor has the government provided adequate pensions.

The economy is struggling. There's over 50% unemployment. Many factories are idle. For those lucky enough to work, a recent average monthly salary is quoted at 270 DM. However, at the low end of the scale, a modest apartment in Sarajevo costs 300 DM. Many people have to rely on stipends from their families abroad. Others are living off their savings.

A lot of people left during the war. Some cannot return because their homes are in ruin. Even with the Dayton Agreement provision to reclaim lost property, there are complications. Sometimes current residents are unwilling to vacate.

Other Bosnians prefer to remain abroad where conditions are better. Moreover, this allows them to support their families here. Many young people have to leave if they find opportunities in other countries, so they send money back.

We risk become a land of old people. In this atmosphere, many couples choose to have no more than one child, so the birthrate is declining.

This is a bleak scenery, but Byron's lines in "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" give me hope: "The tree hath lost its blossoms, and the rind, / Chopped by the axe, looks rough and little worth, / but the sap lasts," (qtd. in Dizdar). Despite the destruction, we Bosnians are a vital, resilient people.

Work Cited
Dizdar, Srebren Poezija engleskog romantizma. Sarajevo: TKP Sahinpasic, 1999. 177.