Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict has taken different forms and affected generations of children and families across the country. Through its work in Colombia, WCM is collecting personal stories and objects that shed light on childhood experiences from 1948 to the present day—from the emergence of guerrilla movements and the period marked by drug cartels, through the expansion of paramilitary violence, to the peace agreement and conflicts of recent years.

“Each year, we continue to develop our research activities in order to include as many diverse stories as possible in our collection. While every conflict is different, the impact on childhood carries common threads across time and place. Including stories from Colombia is important to the WCM’s mission of ensuring that more children’s experiences of war are being heard,” said Aynura Akbaš, Research Manager at the War Childhood Museum.

Documenting Experiences Across Colombia

In July, Monroy conducted field research in Barrancabermeja, where he documented the experiences of people who were forcibly recruited into guerrilla groups as children. During his stay, he also visited the House of Memory and the Human Rights of Women, an organization with a long-standing commitment to human rights, memory, and the experiences of women affected by violence.

“These stories serve as an insight into some of the underlying issues behind the Colombian armed conflict, serving as a tool for non-repetition of violent acts against society,” said Monroy.

The research process seeks to create space for participants to share their experiences on their own terms, recognizing that memories of conflict are deeply personal and that there is no single way to tell a story about childhood and war.

“The Museum’s Colombian collection brings together personal stories and objects connected to childhoods shaped by armed conflict, spanning the period from 1948 to the present day. Each story offers an individual perspective on how armed conflict has shaped childhood in Colombia,” says Aynura Akbaš, Research Manager at the War Childhood Museum.

Creating Space for Children and Young People to Share Their Stories

At the end of July, WCM supported the organization of a workshop in Bogotá for children and young people whose family members had been kidnapped by guerrilla groups. Using artistic methods, participants were invited to explore and communicate their experiences in ways that felt most appropriate to them. Some chose to contribute stories and personal objects with the Museum, becoming contributors to its growing Colombian collection.

The workshop reflects an important principle of WCM’s research and documentation methodology: children and young people should have agency over how, when, and whether they share their experiences. Objects, drawings, photographs, memories, and personal stories can all become ways of communicating experiences that may be difficult to capture through conventional forms of testimony.

The work underway in Colombia is part of the War Childhood Museum’s broader commitment to preserving the voices and experiences of children affected by armed conflict worldwide. As the Colombian collection continues to grow, the Museum aims to document the diversity and complexity of these experiences while respecting each contributor’s dignity and their right to tell their story in their own way.

Read some of them below. 

Humanitarian Aid Packaging Collection

I wanted to keep a memento of something completely new to Yugoslavia—humanitarian aid. We laughed about it at the time, thinking: Come on, by Monday everything will be back to normal. That’s the real reason why I kept that first tin. But the crisis wasn’t over by Monday, and more tins followed. Soon we were eating things that had never been seen before in Yugoslavia. It was an excellent reason to collect all those wrappers and tins.

At one point as I was forming this collection I had to ask myself how long I would continue to do so. That’s when I decided to keep collecting either until I made it into the Guinness World Records or until the war ended and we stopped receiving aid. Thanks to the journalists who visited Sarajevo, I was able to send a letter to Guinness. I continued collecting wrappers as I awaited their response. Even though my collection made it into the record book, the number of wrappers is actually greater than the one listed by several hundred.

We even erected a monument to ICAR in Sarajevo, but few remember that there were actually three different types of ICAR tin. Because of details like that one, collecting proved to be a good way to preserve our collective memory of that period.

Filip, b. 1981, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Magic Wand

This magic wand was part of a New Year’s care package filled with colorful knickknacks from a humanitarian organization that was active at the time. The New Year’s celebrations included a recital. Each child received a magic wand: we hoped that by playing “abracadabra” we could make the war end.

Unfortunately, it took a long time for the war to end. I held on to that magic wand, occasionally lending it to younger children to make their own wishes, provided that they return it to its rightful owner.

Denisa, b. 1981, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Letters for First Graders

During the Siege of Sarajevo, we had our classes in improvized basement classrooms. When we were in first grade, on one occasion, we received humanitarian aid care packages that contained toys and letters from our peers from other countries.

I kept mine to this day because they reminded me of the wonderful feeling of knowing that, even in the most difficult times, there was someone out there thinking about us.

Alma, b. 1988, Bosnia and Herzegovina

A Box for Play

I got this box in early 1999 from an English humanitarian organization. When the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia began that same year, and when the air-raid sirens sounded for the first time, it was the first thing I brought down to the basement with me. I would play with this box’s contents during all 78 days of the bombing.  I spent the time in the basement together with my mom and my younger brother, while dad who was in the army was often at the military airport. Whenever dad was home we would read the “Zabavnik” children’s magazine or play games from the box. During my time in the basement, I also discovered books and comic books. These things comforted me and brought me fun, but today they remind me of the fear and danger I felt.

Maja, b. 1990, Serbia

Reward for an Important Task

Occasionally, we received humanitarian food aid, which was distributed based on the number of “heads” in a household. My family would receive one loaf of bread and one end piece. The bread was distributed near my grandmother’s building, in a place hidden from shelling, so we children were allowed to go out and stand in line for bread. 

Once, while waiting in line, I was given the “important task” of going behind the counter to help the local community representatives with cutting and distributing bread. For a job well done, I earned two loaves of bread and 10 dinars. I never spent those 10 dinars. I kept them, alongside this ration card for bread distribution.

Naida, b. 1981, Bosnia and Herzegovina

One of the program participants was Vernesa Manov, a teacher at the First Primary School in Donji Vakuf, who, together with her students, expanded the program activities far beyond what had originally been envisioned—from creating a school museum to organizing humanitarian initiatives in the local community. Below, read her reflections on the program and what it brought to her students.

From Trust to Partnership

Vernesa emphasizes that her story with the War Childhood Museum did not begin with the “Creativity for Peace” (CfP) program, but much earlier, when she shared her personal story and objects from the war with the Museum. Because of that experience, she says, she had no hesitation about applying when the call for participation was announced.

“I was simply looking, after everything that had happened, for a space and for people who, without hatred, nurture a culture of remembrance in a normal, civic, peacebuilding way. So that what happened to us never happens to anyone else.”

Speaking about her collaboration with the Museum, she particularly emphasizes that it was this sense of trust that motivated her to become even more involved.

“The War Childhood Museum created a sincere, safe, friendly, and well-intentioned environment for me, where I felt I could do everything I wanted to do with my students through your projects.”

When a Project Grows Beyond Its Original Scope

One of the activities within CfP was initially envisioned as a classroom exhibition in Donji Vakuf that would help students broaden their understanding of others and strengthen their empathy. However, the activity grew into a permanent museum corner at the school, which uses personal stories to teach students about experiences of war in a constructive way. Vernesa says she quickly realized that she wanted to create a space that would continue to live on after the project ended. Students, teachers, the school administration, and technical staff all became involved in creating the space, while over time, the exhibition also began incorporating objects contributed by other school staff.

For Vernesa, this is proof that the project became much more than a set of activities.

“I don’t think we simply carried out activities. I think we carried out an entire project mission.”

Learning Peace Through Concrete Actions

Vernesa believes that one of the program’s most important outcomes was the way students began to understand their own role in the community. One of the exercises they completed as part of the program, which focused on empathy, inspired the idea of working with the people who use the public kitchen in Donji Vakuf.

“Through this ‘Creativity for Peace’ project, I wanted the students to understand that they are part of a larger human endeavor and that they themselves are doing something for the benefit of humanity, for the benefit of our country.”

The children, she says, quickly embraced the idea and demonstrated that solidarity does not depend on how much someone has.

Big Ideas Do Not Depend on the Size of a Place

At the end of the conversation, Vernesa reflected on common prejudices about smaller communities. She believes that young people, through their work, demonstrate just how meaningless such divisions can be.

“I think it is precisely children and young people who are moving beyond the usual clichés about small and large communities and breaking down that taboo, those prejudices. There are great young creatives in Donji Vakuf. There are children with big hearts in Donji Vakuf. And there is tremendous enthusiasm among people who refuse to accept that they cannot bring their big ideas to life.”

For her, this is precisely one of the program’s key values—showing young people that where they come from does not prevent them from creating, helping others, and building a culture of peace.

Read more about our activities this month:

Educational Programs and Visits

Throughout July, we welcomed educational groups and visitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Ukraine, Japan, Belgium, and across the Western Balkans.

The Museum also welcomed 11 travel creators from eight countries as part of the Discovering Bosnia & Herzegovina journey led by travel creator Robert Dacešin. During their visit to Sarajevo, participants learned about children’s experiences of war through the Museum’s collection and reflected on the importance of preserving personal memories as part of our shared history. Take a look at what they had to say about the visit here. 

Peacebuilding Programs and Exhibitions

In July, the War Childhood Museum opened the final exhibition of the Furaj mir (“Live Peace”) program in Tuzla.

Titled “A City Built on a Grain of Solidarity,” the exhibition explores how anti-fascist resistance, Tuzla’s industrial heritage, and the memory of the Kapija Massacre have shaped the city’s identity. Through months of research, participants examined how traditions of solidarity, justice, and civic responsibility continue to inspire young people today and how this heritage can contribute to building more peaceful and inclusive communities. Take a look at the atmosphere at the opening here.

Marking International Days

On 11 July, marking the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica, we presented As Long As We Are Together, a graphic novel based on the testimony of Srebrenica genocide survivor Almasa Salihović.

Created by Swedish graphic novelist Anneli Furmark as part of the Survivor-Centred Visual Narratives (SCVN) project, the publication is the result of months of conversations and close collaboration centred on preserving the survivor’s voice with authenticity. As coordinator of the Bosnia and Herzegovina component of the SCVN research cluster, the War Childhood Museum facilitated the collaboration between Furmark and Salihović while supporting the development of the project from its earliest stages.

We also shared the story behind the creation of the graphic novel, offering audiences a closer look at the collaborative process through which testimony was transformed into a visual narrative.

Institutional Development

After an intensive first half of the year, the War Childhood Museum team gathered in Livno for its semi-annual planning session and staff retreat.

The retreat provided an opportunity to reflect on achievements, review ongoing priorities, strengthen collaboration across teams, and plan the Museum’s activities for the months ahead.

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continued to receive attention in regional media throughout July. Below is a selection of coverage from the past month:

• The Doll Without an Eye– BHRT Radio (BOSNIAN)
• Participants from 13 Countries Visit the War Childhood Museum as Part of the International Summer School “Youth and Heritage”– (VIDEO, BOSNIAN)
• “More Than Football: Bosnia and Herzegovina Prepare for Historic Match Against the United States”– Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (BOSNIAN)

Red Cross Letters

When I was in seventh grade, I was forced to leave behind my neighborhood, Ilidža, my school, and my friends—they stayed “on the other side,” and I longed to get in touch with them again. By chance, I learned that it was possible to exchange messages through the Red Cross and that those messages really did reach their intended recipients.

I wrote the first of these at the end of 1993. I wasn’t entirely convinced that the letters would reach their intended recipients, so when I got the replies, I jumped for joy! Today, the content of these letters always brings a smile to my face and makes me laugh. We mostly talked to each other about our everyday lives—what we looked like, what we listened to, what we ate. Although the war was a part of that everyday life, we rarely mentioned it.

Alma, born 1978

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Food Without Flavor

My friends Ziyad, Mousa, and I grew up together in the same neighborhood in Gaza. After school, we were always at each other’s houses, sharing meals and laughter. Food was at the heart of our friendship. 

When the war began, I fled to Egypt. Ziyad and Mousa stayed behind. I learned through social media that they were killed. 

Now, whenever I eat, I remember Gaza. I remember my friends. I feel as if I can no longer taste my food without feeling grief.

Khalid, born 2014

Gaza, Palestine

 “The First Orange, After Eleven Months”

A friend of mine got a hold of some oranges, which he shared with us. Of course, we got an orange each.

I brought my orange home so that I could share it between the five of us. I still remember that happiness because it was the first orange I’d seen in eleven months. Don’t even get me started on the taste!

The orange was so important to me that I glued a piece of it to my journal and wrote, in all capital letters: “THE FIRST ORANGE, AFTER ELEVEN MONTHS.” I remember its taste to this day.

Medina, born 1977

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Seashells from Gaza

Before the war in Gaza, the sea was my favorite place. I spent all my free time there with my friends. 

Then the war began. We had to leave our home and move to our relatives’ house in a safer area. We lived crowded together with no privacy and nowhere comfortable to sleep. 

Life there was hard. Whenever I could, I escaped to the sea for a moment of calm. The other girls and I would stay there until we saw the military boats. Then we would run back. 

Eventually, I fled to Egypt with my parents. My extended family and many of my friends are still in Gaza. I think about them and their safety every day. 

Before leaving, I went to the sea one last time. A big wave came and left many seashells on the shore. My friends and I collected as many as we could. These are some of them.

Lilian, born 2011

Gaza, Palestina

My Favorite Napkin

My friends and I used to collect paper napkins. We kept them, very carefully, in cardboard boxes, and traded them regularly. The most valuable were the so-called “Japanese napkins”, which were prettily patterned and made with fine paper. My favorite, however, was the “Pamucki” napkin, which I treated with the utmost care and wouldn’t trade for any other, not even a Japanese one. Even though it became pretty decrepit by the end, I decided to keep it as a memento of those hours spent with my neighborhood friends, in cold basements and building entryways.

Emina, born 1985

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Read more about our activities this month:

Educational Programs and Visits

Throughout June, we welcomed educational groups and visitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Serbia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Germany, the United States, Switzerland, Canada, and Czechia.

These visits continue to provide opportunities for dialogue about children’s experiences of war, memory, and the importance of preserving personal testimonies across generations and national borders.

Awards and International Recognition

In June, the War Childhood Museum received the regional “Jelena Šantić – Brave Steps Forward” Award for its “Furaj mir” (“Live Peace”) program. The award was presented at the Museum of the Nineties in Belgrade, Serbia, by the Jelena Šantić Foundation, which recognizes artistic and social initiatives that promote peace, tolerance, understanding, and solidarity. Presented every two years in memory of one of the region’s most prominent peace activists, the award represents an important recognition of the Museum’s long-term work empowering young people to build peace in their communities.

Conferences and International Events

From 4–6 June, members of the War Childhood Museum Ukraine team participated in the fourth annual symposium “The Most Documented War: Polyphony of Narratives,” which brought together documentation and archival initiatives from across Ukraine and beyond. Project Manager Renata Chechel and researchers Viktoriia Nesterenko, Oleksandra Domorosla, and Svitlana Telukha joined colleagues to exchange experiences, discuss new documentation projects, and strengthen international cooperation.

The Museum also presented We Grew Up in War at the POINT Conference, the region’s largest conference dedicated to political accountability, civil society, and new technologies. The presentation introduced conference participants to the game’s innovative approach to digital storytelling and its potential to foster empathy through interactive experiences. Take a look here. 

Our Director for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Amina Krvavac, participated in the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) Conference and Awards Ceremony 2026 in Bilbao, Spain, in her role as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the European Museum Forum (EMF). The conference brought together museum professionals, nominee museums, former award recipients, and partners from across Europe to celebrate innovation, excellence, and the transformative role of museums in society. The War Childhood Museum is proud to be part of the EMYA community as the recipient of the 2018 European Museum of the Year Award.

Exhibitions and Youth-Led Initiatives

In June, the War Childhood Museum participated in the exhibition Interrupted Childhood at the library of Rondine Cittadella della Pace in Italy as part of YouTopic Fest 2026. Developed in collaboration with Rondine International Peace Lab, the exhibition brought together personal objects, testimonies, and stories from people who experienced war, alongside contributions from participants in Rondine’s international peace education programs. 

In June, we also featured Handle With Care, an international travelling exhibition developed as part of the Creative Europe-funded TexTALES project. The exhibition explores migration, identity, and belonging through fashion and personal stories and was shaped through a mentorship process facilitated by the War Childhood Museum.

Through the “Furaj mir” (“Live Peace”) program, young people continued to create community-based exhibitions exploring peace, identity, and belonging.

In Zenica, participants from Zenica and Foča opened the exhibition “Friendship Knows No Borders,” presenting the results of months of collaboration exploring what connects people despite distance, differences, and divisions.

In Sarajevo, young people from Sarajevo and East Sarajevo presented the exhibition “What If the Border Is Within You?”, examining how administrative divisions shape everyday life while highlighting the ways young people overcome them through cooperation and shared experiences.

The month concluded with the final gathering of the Furaj mir program in Konjic, where participants reunited to celebrate a year and a half of learning, research, travel, creative work, and friendships built across communities.

Public Engagement and Awareness

June also provided opportunities to connect the Museum’s collection with important international conversations.

To mark the first-ever United Nations Peacebuilding Week, we shared reflections from participants in PEACESTORY, a project supported by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, highlighting how personal storytelling contributes to peacebuilding processes. You can take a look here and here. 

On World Refugee Day, we drew attention to children’s experiences of displacement by sharing a story from the Museum’s collection, reminding audiences that for millions of children around the world, leaving home is not a choice but a consequence of war and violence.

As the world followed the FIFA Club World Cup, we also shared a story from our collection exploring what football meant to one child before—and during—war, illustrating how everyday childhood passions persist even in times of conflict.

Media Mentions

The War Childhood Museum continued to receive attention in regional media throughout June. Below is a selection of coverage from the past month:

• War Childhood Museum Receives Regional Award for the “Furaj mir” Program (BOSNIAN)
• Handle With Care: International Travelling Exhibition on Migration, Identity, and Belonging (BOSNIAN)

Today, almost 90 years after the war began, these testimonies are becoming increasingly rare. Through interviews, research, exhibitions, and public programs, the Museum helps ensure that these stories remain part of public memory and contribute to broader conversations about children’s war experiences.

Collecting Stories Nearly 90 Years Ago

Working with witnesses to World War II is increasingly challenging, as the number of living witnesses dwindles each year. War Childhood Museum Ukraine currently has 59 stories related to World War II in its collection.

“We want to preserve the childhood experiences of people who survived World War II, because there are very few witnesses left. From our archive, we learned that even after more than 80 years, for many respondents this is still the first time they have spoken publicly about their childhood during the war,” says Svitlana Osipchuk, WCM Ukraine Program Director.

These interviews are not only a way to preserve individual memories, but also an opportunity to better understand how children experienced the war beyond the confines of military events and official narratives. “Oral testimonies allow us to communicate with people who never intended to document their memories, never kept diaries or wrote memoirs. While it is still possible to interview living witnesses, it is important to do so in a way that the picture we reconstruct through testimonies becomes more complete,” explains researcher Oleksandra Domorosla.

Between Memory and History

Working with these stories requires researchers to consider not only what happened, but also how people remember, interpret and give meaning to events many decades later.

“We collect oral testimonies not just to verify historical facts. We record them to understand how people themselves processed their experiences throughout their lives. When we tell our stories, we create a narrative that helps us understand what happened to us,” says Osipchuk.

These testimonies complement archival documents and official records, drawing attention to experiences that are often absent from institutional collections. They provide insights into everyday life during the war and illuminate aspects of childhood that have historically received little attention.

“Testimonies help researchers go beyond what can be found in archives and official records. They reveal everyday experiences, survival strategies, and aspects of childhood that have often been ignored or excluded from dominant narratives about the war,” says Domorosla.

Sharing stories with the public

Collecting stories is only one part of WCM Ukraine’s work. The team is also exploring ways to present these experiences through exhibitions, educational events, and public programs that make personal stories accessible to a wider audience.

“One of every museum’s functions is to provide a broader perspective on events and experiences. Exhibitions and public programs help to place individual stories in a broader historical context, while ensuring the visibility of children’s experiences,” says Osipchuk.

In 2025, the exhibition “War Childhood: Experiences of World War II” was held in Lviv, in which the Museum team demonstrated how personal testimonies and objects can help visitors get acquainted with the experiences of children who survived World War II. By bringing individual stories into public spaces, the Museum creates opportunities for dialogue between generations and encourages reflection on how war shapes childhood, both in the past and today.

“By telling stories about childhood during World War II, we not only acknowledge this experience, but also observe its long-term impact on our identity and memory. This evidence is valuable material for understanding both the past and the present,” adds Domorosla.

Testimonies from World War II occupy a special place in the War Childhood Museum Ukraine’s collection. While they document a conflict that ended almost 80 years ago, they also offer valuable perspectives on the long-term impact of war on children’s lives and on how society remembers and interprets a traumatic past.

“Wars end, but the experience of growing up during war stays with people for the rest of their lives,” says Domorosła. “The emotions described by witnesses of World War II often resonate with the experiences of children experiencing war today.”

As opportunities to communicate with witnesses become increasingly rare, the work of collecting, preserving, and developing these stories becomes essential. Through this work, the Museum helps to bring children’s experiences to light and use them as a source for understanding the present.

“The preservation of this historical perspective is extremely important. “Museums help society see itself through time, connecting past and present experiences, rather than allowing them to disappear from public memory,” emphasizes Osipchuk.

Around the Lamp

In the early mornings, they would gather together to embroider. The whole corner was bustling with young girls. Some embroidered pillowcases, some towels for themselves. They also used to spin. They would sit around the lamp and embroider.

The boys would come and stir up some mischief. They didn’t embroider; they would come from the hamlet to court the girls.

Many used to gather. I didn’t participate, I didn’t do embroidery. How old was I then? This was my older sister. 

Hanna, b. 1938 

Vaskivtsi, Chernihiv region

As coordinator of the Bosnia and Herzegovina part in a research cluster within the SCVN project, the War Childhood Museum facilitated the collaboration, moderating the conversations between Furmark and Salihović, a contributor to the Museum’s collection, while helping ensure that the survivor’s voice remained at the center of the creative process.

This article explores how that collaboration took shape, and what it meant for both the survivor who shared her story and the artist entrusted with bringing it to the page.

Keeping the Story Authentic

For Almasa Salihović, taking part in the project meant accepting the emotional difficulty of revisiting the past in order to ensure that her experience would be preserved and understood.

“Returning to those memories is never simple. Every conversation means reliving moments that you spend a lifetime learning to carry. But I have always believed that it is more important to speak than to remain silent, because testimony has the power to preserve the truth.”

Rather than focusing solely on violence and loss, Salihović wanted the graphic novel to preserve the people, relationships, and everyday life that existed before the genocide.

“The most important thing to me was that the story remained authentic—that it spoke not only about my family’s tragedy and our loss, but also about my brother as I remember him, about our dignity as survivors, and about our strength to keep going despite everything. I wanted people, as they turned the pages of the graphic novel, to understand and imagine that behind every number is a person’s life; that behind every face is an individual, a family, and dreams that were never realized because they were cut short.”

For Salihović, the project also demonstrates the unique role art can play alongside historical documentation, helping readers connect with individual experiences on an emotional level.

“Historical facts are unquestionable and they are the foundation of our understanding of the past. But a graphic novel can help people feel the human dimension of those events. It allows us to empathize through shared moments.”

She believes this emotional connection is particularly important for younger generations, who may encounter the history of Srebrenica for the first time through formats such as graphic novels.

“I believe that younger generations, in particular, can more easily connect with the story through this format, ask questions, and develop empathy. If art can inspire someone to learn more about Srebrenica and understand why it is important to preserve the truth, then I will be even prouder to have been part of this project.”

Drawing Another Person’s Memory

For Anneli Furmark, illustrating As Long As We Are Together meant navigating the delicate balance between imagination and responsibility.

Translating lived experience into a visual narrative meant confronting the limits of personal experience. While Salihović’s testimony guided every page, Furmark also had to consider how an artist depicts emotions and situations she has never experienced firsthand.

“When you draw, you inevitably draw your own embodied memories of emotions like loss, fear, and exhaustion. My own experiences are present in the drawings too, while the experiences I haven’t had myself—extreme hunger, for example—I’ve had to imagine as best I could.”

She believes graphic novels possess a unique ability to communicate across both words and images.

“Graphic novels can reach you through more than one sense. I sometimes think of them as being like a song: the lyrics are one thing, the music another, but together they create something third. Something with a greater chance of breaking through your psychological defenses.”

That combination of text and image, she suggests, can create an emotional openness that allows readers to engage with difficult histories in ways that conventional formats sometimes cannot.

A Collaboration That Changes Everyone Involved

The creative process became an exchange that affected both collaborators. While Salihović entrusted Furmark with her memories, Furmark left the project with a different understanding of war and its lasting impact.

“Meeting Almasa and the other people I met in Bosnia has been very meaningful to me. I’ve come to know people with first-hand experience of war. My mother is one of them too, but the distance in time has made her story feel more abstract to me. Now it has become much more real.”

The collaboration demonstrates what survivor-centered storytelling can make possible when survivors remain active participants in how their own stories are told. Rather than treating testimony simply as source material, the creative process became an ongoing dialogue about memory, representation, and responsibility.

For the War Childhood Museum, this approach reflects a broader commitment to preserving childhood memories of war in ways that remain faithful to lived experience while making them accessible to new audiences. As the graphic novel reaches readers across different countries and languages, it carries with it not only one survivor’s memories, but also an invitation to reflect on the importance of remembrance, empathy, and the responsibility each generation bears in safeguarding human dignity.

As Salihović puts it, remembrance is never only about the past.

“Memory is never completely turned toward the past. It always contains lessons—and a glimpse of the future. Young people need to understand that they, too, have a responsibility to defend a future that is more just, more peaceful, and more humane.”

This question lies at the heart of Survivor-Centred Visual Narratives (SCVN), an international research and artistic collaboration that documents the experiences of survivors of genocide and mass atrocities through graphic novels and other visual forms of storytelling. Bringing together survivors, researchers, artists and cultural institutions from different parts of the world, the project explores how art can help preserve testimony while placing survivors’ voices, agency and wellbeing at the center of the creative process.

As part of the project, the War Childhood Museum coordinated the part about Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Yugoslav Wars research cluster, centered on the story of Almasa Salihović—a survivor of the Srebrenica genocide, contributor to the Museum’s collection, and spokesperson for the Srebrenica Memorial Center.

Almasa Salihović and Anneli Furmark in conversation

Memories of Srebrenica

Over a series of conversations held throughout 2023 and 2024, Almasa shared memories of her childhood in the village of Skejići, her family’s flight to Srebrenica in 1993, life inside the besieged enclave, and the events surrounding the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995. Rather than serving as a conventional interview, these conversations formed the foundation of a collaborative creative process rooted in trust, careful listening and respect for lived experience.

The conversations were held between Almasa and Swedish graphic novelist Anneli Furmark, moderated by WCM’s Ajnura Akbaš. Drawing on these testimonies, Furmark created the graphic novel As Long As We Are Together, transforming Almasa’s memories into a visual narrative while remaining faithful to her voice and experiences.

Beyond the Graphic Novel

Their collaboration was also featured in the SCVN documentary short film “Almasa’s Story”, directed by filmmaker Bojan Hadžiabdić. The film follows Almasa as she revisits the physical and emotional geography of her past: the fields and hillsides of Skejići, the escape routes families took, and the places where survivors gather each year to commemorate the genocide. The film traces Almasa and Anneli’s conversations, revealing how Anneli approached transforming Almasa’s memories into visual form. The trailer is available to watch on SCVN’s YouTube.

The Yugoslav Wars research cluster is one of five research clusters working with survivors, including the Holocaust, Rwanda, Iraq/Syria, and Turtle Island, where the SCVN project explores survivor-centred, trauma-informed approaches to visual storytelling. Rather than illustrating historical events alone, the project seeks to document individual memories with care, recognizing survivors as active collaborators in the creation of their own narratives.

A panel from the graphic book

Visual Storytelling

Graphic novels have increasingly become an important medium for engaging readers with complex historical subjects. Combining testimony, illustration and sequential storytelling, they offer a way of approaching difficult histories that is both emotionally resonant and accessible, particularly for younger audiences encountering these events for the first time.

For the War Childhood Museum, participation in the project reflects our ongoing commitment to preserving childhood memories of war through diverse forms of storytelling and making those stories accessible across generations and cultures. The graphic novel “As Long As We Are Together” will be released in German by Avant Verlag in October and in English by University of Toronto Press in early 2027.