3.3. Una Bejtović | Perceptions - Then & Now
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B/H/S FAMA Collection
1.
PROLOGUE
2.
BACKGROUND
3.
PERCEPTIONS - THEN & NOW
3.1.
Enes Zlatar Bure
3.2.
Nedžad Begović
3.3.
Una Bejtović
3.4.
Amina Begović
3.5.
Adi Sarajlić
3.6.
Sabrina Begović-Ćorić
3.7.
Srđan Jevđević
3.8.
Haris Pašović
3.9.
Vesna Mišanović
3.10.
Amra Zulfikarpašić
3.11.
Amina Begović
3.12.
Fuad Babić
3.13.
Riad Ljutović
3.14.
Prof. Rešad Arnautović
3.15.
Arijana Saračević Helać
3.16.
Selma Hodžić / Sanina Rizvanbegović
3.17.
Prof. Ognjenka Finci
3.18.
Ferida Duraković
3.19.
Dr. Bakir Nakaš / Dr. Vesna Čengić
3.20.
Mladen Jeličić Troko
3.21.
Maja Tulić
3.22.
Dragan Rokvić
3.23.
Šemsa Mehmedović
3.24.
Adnan Harambašić
4.
INTERACTIVE SURVIVAL MAP
5.
REFERENCES

The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-96
MAPPING A BESIEGED CITY
The Art of Survival #1
The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-96
AHEAD OF FEAR
The Art of Survival #2

☰

3.3.

Una Bejtović

"Dining table loaded with nothing"

During the siege of Sarajevo, hunger was the reality of everyday life. All food supplies were quickly used up, markets were almost empty, and citizens began to plant vegetables and fruit themselves. All green areas, parks, spaces around buildings, flower pots on balconies were turned into urban gardens. And yet, without the humanitarian aid brought to the city by humanitarian organizations, with constant interruptions in deliveries, the city would not have survived. Citizens of Sarajevo are coming up with new recipes for dishes with a minimum number of ingredients.

Una Bejtović talks about what food meant during the siege, and thirty years later shares her thoughts on how the lack of food during the siege has influenced her attitude towards food today.

Then...

"There were different kinds of drinks inside that package and that was something new for the whole family. That made things look less dark than they were."

Now...

"To this day I really appreciate every piece of food on the table and enjoy what we have today, which we didn't have back then."

© FAMA Collection; Oral History: 'The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-1996'

Then...

"We received a package of ZDF TV station, which were sent to the employees of TV BH" Those were presents that contained all the necessary ingredients to make pizza. That was kind of a Beckettesque situation, because we had nothing to bake pizza in, so we had to make a fire and heat the whole kitchen. We had yellow cheese and ketchup and everything else that is necessary for such a meal. There were different kinds of pizza inside that package and that was something new for the whole family. That made things look less dark that they were and we were in a good mood. We didn't watch television. We listened to music that was played on cassette players, which were connected to power batteries. People with batteries were happy, and I'm glad that I was one of them." - Una Bejtović, Music School student (December 1992)

© FAMA Collection; Macro Story: 'The Siege of Sarajevo - Then & Now'

Now...

"And 30 years later, New Years bring some new hope that the next one will be better, of higher quality, happier, healthier. Thank God, we do not wish each other that the next New Year’s celebration doesn’t happen in war. However, what may have remained a constant in my life is the desire to always have a great menu for New Year's Eve and to go shopping for food before the celebration. Maybe also from that time, when we didn't have much, to this day I really appreciate every piece of food on the table and enjoy what we have today, which we didn't have back then." - Una Bejtović, PR expert (March 2024)

More on this topic in our Macro Story.

3.2. Nedžad Begović
3.4. Amina Begović