On Earth Day, April 22nd, the War Childhood Museum hosted a puppet workshop entitled “The Story of a Clown.” This creative session, tailored for children aged 8 to 10, was created and led by teacher and puppeteer Sabit Agic, a collaborator of the museum, along with our team of educators.
Its mission and vision guide WCM to contribute to the local community through creative and educational workshops with children and young people. It aims not only to preserve memories of the past, but also to raise awareness and sensitize younger generations to the challenges they face during their upbringing.
“The Story of a Clown” workshop, based on the museum exhibit “Clown Ragdoll,” proves how lessons from the past offer answers to contemporary problems. This exhibit was entrusted to us by Alma, along with her personal story from the siege of Sarajevo when she was a fourteen-year-old girl.
Clown Ragdoll
“The war began when I was in the seventh grade and attending primary school in the Ilidža neighborhood. Being 13 at the time, that whole period is etched in my memory. Very quickly, we became aware of the danger we were in. My mom’s colleague from work helped us find a way out. We fled so abruptly that we left our lunch on the table. We left behind everything we had. The only thing we brought with us was some food.
I left behind my mementoes, friends, first crushes, and games—in a single moment, everything was gone! We moved from Ilidža — a beautiful neighborhood to grow up in, surrounded by nature — to a different part of the city. Awaiting us there was a huge, concrete building with no power or water and no garden, a building where everything looked the same…
In the absence of any personal belongings, my mom and I made this clown ragdoll to bring some color to all that gray and to make the wartime days more cheerful.”
Alma, born 1978.
Learning full of play and joy
This story, which highlights children’s creativity, resilience, and strength during the war, inspired our educators to create a workshop. This workshop aims to teach children about the importance of protecting our planet and help them understand that they can play an active role in improving the environment. In Alma’s story, the clown encouraged children to create similar dolls using recycled materials and present them in a performance emphasizing the significance of preserving Earth every day.
One of the participants shared her workshop experience with us:
Today, we did something good with these items that would otherwise end up in the trash and harm the planet. That’s why we made these dolls and performed a theater play.
Ultimately, each child took their doll home as a reminder of our collective responsibility towards the planet as well as the joyous afternoon spent at the War Childhood Museum.
