Elma Dandić, Blagaj, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Ajla’s War Memoirs
Author: Elma Dandić
My name is Ajla, and I belong to the generation born before the last war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We were fortunate to live life to the fullest until the arrival of the greatest evil – WAR. This noun shattered dreams, youth, and lives. The war replaced our plans for education, going out, and relationships with fear, suffering, camps, persecution, grenades, and the graves of loved ones. The war divided us into factions.
In 1992, just after finishing high school in Mostar and planning my further education, reservists arrived in my southern Herzegovina region. People said they came from neighbouring Serbia. Arrests began, Čapljina was shelled, and fear consumed me. My fear intensified when I experienced the horrors of the HVO camp in Čapljina in 1993. Life in that closed-off place meant nothing, where people went without food and water for 72 hours, imprisoned simply for having different names and praying differently.
After leaving the camp, I returned to Blagaj, my mother’s birthplace. This place was once filled with beautiful childhood memories: swimming in the Buna River, the aroma of my grandmother’s pie, and the comforting touch of her ageing hands. Sadly, war destroyed everything. Blagaj became a target of both the east and the west, where countless grenades fell, and it became a place of darkness. Around 25,000 refugees sought refuge in this small town, where innocent lives of children, women, and the elderly were lost. Each explosion meant death.
Food convoys faced numerous challenges. Even the ones that made it through were insufficient for the needs of all the people in Blagaj. I remember my brother and I surviving for 49 days with only 800 grams of flour. From a simple mixture of flour and water, we made uštipak (a fritter), a wartime Herzegovinian delicacy, just enough to sustain us for a day. I often dreamed and longed for home-made warm bread and the fragrant peasant soup our mother used to make. People were desperate, helpless, and lacked basic necessities. Every passing day became more unbearable. After three and a half years, the war conflict finally ended. I returned with my family to my homeland, the place where my roots lie – the place I call home. In the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, people suffered and perished on both sides.
Today, nearly 30 years later, people have resumed a semblance of normalcy. The war’s divisions have faded, and people reconnect and move forward. For us, the “ordinary people” who survived the war, regardless of which side we were on, this country provides ample sunlight and the freedom to live a normal life. However, politics and established politicians exploit the people to maintain their power and enjoy privileges that are unparalleled elsewhere. It is disconcerting when politicians mention phrases such as “land divisions,” “secession,” or “war,” which evoke fear in any normal person who has endured the horrors of war.
Through my work, which involves engaging with young people, I strive to teach and convey the atrocities and hardships of war. I emphasize that peace is the only viable option and that coexistence, respect, and mutual understanding are invaluable. The most significant lesson I have learned is the importance of being human. When working with young people, it is through personal actions that determination and strength of will are best demonstrated.