The War Childhood Museum marked its eighth anniversary on Friday with a presentation and panel discussion held at the Meeting Point Cinema. Afterwards, visitors were invited to the opening of the exhibition Children of War, People of Peace by Milomir Kovačević Strašni at the Academy of Fine Arts.
During the presentation, Amina Krvavac, Director of the Museum in Bosnia and Herzegovina, highlighted some of the Museum’s key achievements over the past year. Namir Ibrahimović from the partner organization Step By Step spoke about our joint efforts in peacebuilding through education as part of the project PEACESTORY. The program included actress Maja Salkić reading a story by a Museum contributor from Palestine, as well as a video presentation from a special guest: Ukrainian photographer Oksana Parafeniuk. Although Oksana couldn’t join us in Sarajevo due to her ongoing work in Ukraine, she prepared a powerful video presentation of her photographs, documenting how the Russian invasion has affected the lives of children.
Amina Krvavac About the Impact of War on Children
“This past year has shown, unfortunately, that we still haven’t learned the key lessons of the past – not as a Bosnian-Herzegovinian society, where we continue to be haunted by fears of new war, nor in the broader global context – where we are daily witnesses to the impact of war on the lives of millions of children in Palestine, Ukraine, Yemen, Sudan, and many other parts of the world. All of this underscores the need for and importance of documenting and presenting children’s wartime experiences, through which we emphasize the value of building and preserving peace,” said Krvavac.
Jasminko Halilović about WCM’s Efforts in Ukraine
WCM’s Founder, Jasminko Halilović, spoke about the ongoing efforts of the War Childhood Museum team in Ukraine. He emphasized that WCM holds the most significant documentation of the Russia–Ukraine war from the perspective of children, with over 700 objects and testimonies, and that the organization is planning to open a permanent museum in Kyiv.
The Exhibition Children of War, People of Peace
In collaboration with Milomir Kovačević Strašni, the Museum presented an exhibition featuring photographs of children taken during the war, alongside portraits of them as adults. During the war, Strašni documented the everyday lives of children growing up amid conflict. Decades later, he reconnected with the subjects of his wartime portraits—now adults—and captured new photographs showing their present-day lives and the different paths they have taken.
Before the exhibition opening, visitors had the opportunity to learn about the making of the exhibition and hear personal stories included in it through a panel discussion with Milomir Kovačević, moderated by Kristina Ljevak Bajramović. Two individuals featured in the photographs, Adna Idrizović and Damir Hodžić, also shared their experiences.
“That’s the only photo I have of my father, and it means a lot to me,” said Hodžić.
Through this exhibition, the War Childhood Museum continues its mission of preserving memory and promoting understanding of the past as a foundation for a better future.
The exhibition Children of War, People of Peace will be open from March 29 to April 3 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo (Obala Maka Dizdara 3), every day from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Entry is free.
