The Siege of Sarajevo 92-96: Survival Questionnaires

In different parts of the city, people survived under different conditions. They didn’t travel far to find out how others in a different neighbourhood were living. By 1996, we realised it was time to establish a methodological process by surveying ten different areas of the city. All the survey questions focused on experiences of the siege and all levels of survival. But that wasn’t enough to form a complete picture. So, we digitised around 4,637 questionnaires and obtained instant responses to each of the posed questions. This led to major revelations. A sample of 4,637 responses is statistically significant enough that frequent answers could be accepted as indicative patterns. For example: work is the law of survival; you must not think of anything except what’s happening at that moment; if it weren’t for cigarettes, Sarajevo would have fallen; recycling means giving new purpose to objects; people moved around just to avoid thinking about their condition – and that movement became a source of many innovations; many chronic illnesses (like migraines) receded because the body redirected all defence mechanisms toward survival… Today, our collection contains pearls of insight that serve as initial capsules for scientific advancement across various disciplines.

In 1996, immediately after the peaceful reintegration of Sarajevo, our team began preparing the archiving project. According to our plan, the first phase was the Survival Questionnaires, conducted from 1992 to 1996. We recognised that memories fade, that people change their views under various influences, that they die or relocate to other regions, which is why it was crucial to record their testimonies immediately after the war ended. We divided the surveys by districts, aware that life under siege varied significantly between the old and new parts of the city. Survival methods differed even within neighbourhoods, depending on whether there was access to a water source, how much land was available for gardens, whether a house was directly exposed to sniper fire, or whether the area was near frequently shelled strategic points.

We employed a random sampling method and surveyed individuals of diverse genders, professions, and ages, with a particular focus on those from different residential areas. Our goal was to ensure that the testimonies remained fully authentic, without any intention of influencing the outcome. In our effort to construct a comprehensive picture of the four-year siege on every level, from the first to the last day, the selection of questions proved to be a crucial element.

QUESTIONNAIRE FORMAT - LIST OF QUESTIONS

The Siege of Sarajevo 92-96: Survival Questionnaire

• YEAR OF BIRTH:

• PROFESSION:

• GENDER:

• CITY DISTRICT:

QUESTIONS / ANSWERS:

1. What was your experience with the street barricades erected by the SDS (Serbian Democratic Party) members in March of 1992; and did you try to break them down?
2. What was your experience with the street barricades erected by the SDS members in April of 1992: and did you try to break them down?
3. In your experience, what was the role of JNA (Yugoslav People's Army) in Sarajevo during March, April and May 1992?
4. Were you unlawfully deported, exposed to shelling, or were you forced to leave your place of residence during the Siege?
5. In your experience, what was the crime level, and were there any local gang activities in the city during the Siege?
6. In your experience, who was the hero of the defence of the city?
7. How did you obtain a work obligation certificate, passport and/or any other kind of accreditation?
8. The role of media during the Siege? The role of rumours during the Siege?
9. What did you do in your spare time?
10. What kind of work did you do during the Siege?
11. How did you move around the city?
12. Survival – How did you obtain water, electricity, cigarettes…?
13. Did you ever leave the city during the Siege?
14. Did you have your own invention for Survival?
15. Did you (or someone close to you) leave the city with one of the convoys?
16. What was your experience with snipers in the city?
17. Please describe your cellar/basement:
18. Did you attend any of the cultural events in the city, or organize any such events in your neighbourhood?
19. How did you send out messages, make telephone calls and/or receive packages?
20. What was the most important event in your neighbourhood during the Siege?
21. What was your own experience with UNPROFOR and UNHCR during he siege?
22. How did you study? How did you go to school/university? How did you entertain your children?
23. Were you wounded, or close to death?
24. Did you (or someone close to you) have to pay ransom?
25. What do you consider your personal achievement during the Siege?
26. Did you have a pet during the Siege? If so, how did you manage feeding it?
27. Could you describe your "Family Economic Chain" during the siege?
28. How much weight did you lose during the Siege?
29. Did you ever give interviews to foreign journalists?
30. Did you wear special clothes for running from snipers?
31. Did you ever pass through the "Tunnel"?

Note:
All of these projects have since demonstrated that this method is key to documenting events if we want our efforts to serve as a meaningful contribution to the interpretation and understanding of the 1991–1999 period in the former Yugoslavia, for both local and global education. This project has already proven and continues to prove its value as a contribution to the process of truth and reconciliation, as well as to the democratisation of post-war society.