Sarajevo commemorates siege victims and cultural resilience with memorial events and exhibitions
On 5 May, the Memorial Centre Sarajevo, the Sidran Foundation and the Museum of Sarajevo organised a remembrance evening titled “Children of Planet Sarajevo”. The program featured recitations of Abdulah Sidran’s poetry, musical accompaniment by guitarist Erol Begić and spoken reflections on the children who perished during the siege of Sarajevo.
The city’s annual “Days of Canton Sarajevo” festival, running 2‑9 May, also incorporates a Day of Mourning for the 1,601 children killed in the siege. Organisers highlighted a diverse cultural programme that includes concerts by regional artists, a folk showcase, a historic “Songs of Freedom” concert and activities for children.
A photo exhibition opened at the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, curated by Milomir Kovačević with support from BIRN. The display presents photographs taken during the 1992‑1995 siege, documenting concerts, exhibitions, beauty pageants and everyday cultural life that persisted despite constant shelling. The exhibition aims to preserve the memory of cultural resilience for future generations.