In light of the recent events, Balkan Diskurs has been working on a series about the challenges faced by Bosnian children with special needs and their families. These are their stories.
Rising 1,042 meters above sea level is Udrc Mountain, the highest elevation point in central Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Podrinje region, also known as the Drina Valley. This mountain and the nearby Kamenica Hill are two sites often referenced in recollections of the Srebrenica genocide and are of great significance to the country’s wartime historical narrative.
Mahmut is a nine-year-old boy with autism. His mother, Samija, noticed he was having problems when he was just one and a half years old. Until that time, he had been developing like any typical child.
In the aftermath of conflict, societies are faced with the challenge of rebuilding their education systems under the auspices of new political landscapes. Oftentimes, those that suffer most from these broken education systems are children, especially those physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.
The Bosnian city of Bijeljina, nestled in the northeast, takes its name from the word “bijela” meaning “white”. Despite an absence of visual evidence as to why the city has been given this name, it nonetheless seems fitting. This is not due to an abundance of white buildings, of which there are few, but because the city possesses a muted, uniform complexion, lacking in pigmentation and expression.
Rohingya Muslims are one of many minority groups in Myanmar. After stripping the Rohingya of their citizenship, the predominantly Buddhist country purged the Muslim minority from Myanmar by conducting military raids, killing thousands of Rohingya, and forcing many more to flee.