During the siege, the continuation of normal life in the city, continuation of creativity, for all citizens of Sarajevo was as important as bread or medicine or water.
This segment in FAMA research period 1992-1996 contains the question "Could you describe a creation of yours?" and interviewees' answers. Sarajevans (in this case: interviewees) created and accepted this model in order to survive: "We were all innovators of our own methods of survival" – as put by one of the respondents.
Sources: FAMA Collection 1992-1996: Oral History, Survival Questionnaire, Sarajevo Life Magazine, archival video and photo collection.
© FAMA Collection - Visual Archives 1992-1996 (Jelena Oksenfeld)
Street vendor: 'People used to read by the light of an oil lamp. I know that young people buying from the street vendor usually asked for the Freud's Interpretation of Dreams. I don't know why, but the older folks sought Adler's Understanding Human Nature; probably everyone wanted to read difficult things to forget about the war and their own difficulties. Plato and Hegel were bestsellers.’