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The footage in the background captures the view from the slopes of Trebevic mountain, which was once a strategic location for snipers during the siege.
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IT WAS/IS THE MEETING POINT
IT WAS/IS A FRONTLINE
IT IS THE INTER-ENTITY BOUNDARY LINE
IT IS A BORDER BETWEEN SARAJEVO AND ISTOCNO SARAJEVO
IT IS A CONTACT ZONE
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some of the project's
locations
premises ex-Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republic of Socialist Bosnia and Herzegovina premises on Zlatisce
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Park Vraca
Olympic Bobsleigh 1984
Mini
Hotel Osmice
Serbian Sarajevo,
Lukavica, Republika Srpska
Sunnyland - amusment park
IEBL (Inter-Entity Boundary Line)
In this section of "Border(line) Disorder" I feature the audio and visual materials collected during fieldwork. These materials provide a representation of how the IEBL (Inter-Entity Boundary Line) is perceived, experienced, and how the communities from Sarajevo and Istocno Sarajevo practice and occupy its space.
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There is a vast body of literature discussing the typology of borderlands, ranging from borders that are static, rigid, and restrict movement and contact, to boundaries that are more porous and fluid. Borders are often imagined as physical manifestations, embodied in fences, walls, trenches, and checkpoints, as well as natural features like mountains and rivers. They represent the hard edges of countries and nation territories. On the other hand, boundaries are more dynamic and fluid, existing in collective consciousness and political memory. They serve as contact zones between different ecosystems and communities.
An interesting aspect of borders and boundaries is that while every border can be considered a boundary, not every boundary is a border.
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During my conversations with Sarajevians on both sides of the IEBL (Istocno Sarajevo and Federation of BiH), I realized something that struck me. Even though I had been living in Sarajevo for years, I had been living in a sort of bubble. I was aware that there was another part of Sarajevo, Istocno Sarajevo, which belonged to Republika Srpska. However, in my daily conversations with Sarajevians living in the Federation of BiH, it felt like we were referring to the same city, at least in our collective imagination.
But when I crossed over to Istocno Sarajevo to discuss the IEBL, I discovered that the Sarajevians living there see Sarajevo as a different city. For them, it is often the city they were born in, where they experienced their youth, and a city they feel deeply connected to. However, at the same time, they feel that Sarajevo is not theirs anymore in some way. Therefore, it appears that while Sarajevians living in the Federation of BiH view the IEBL as simply an artificial boundary drawn carelessly by outsiders on the territory of BiH, Sarajevians from Istocno Sarajevo perceive it more as a border that represents to them not only the beginning of another administrative unit, a city, but is a border of another country. Moreover, for both sides representation of IEBL is not only administrative but also emotional, historical, and personal.
Thus, the question arises: Is it a
Border or Boundary?
Short history of IEBL
(Inter-entity Boundary Line)
Due to its multicultural and multi-religious composition and geopolitical location, Sarajevo earned the nickname "European Jerusalem" or the "bridge between East and West." Once regarded as an embodiment and symbol of Tito's Yugoslavian identity, the city now grapples with its own internal paradox. Its body is divided by an Inter-entity boundary line (IEBL), which effectively separates the entire country.
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The coexistence of diverse ethnic and religious communities that spanned centuries came to a brutal end in the early 1990s. This coincided with the breakup of Yugoslavia and marked the beginning of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which resulted in a harrowing ethnic cleansing. The territory of BiH, for centuries featured by intermingled ethnic structure by the end of the war was divided between national groups.
The Dayton Peace Agreement, signed in 1995, brought an end to the war and implemented a new system in the country. This system, which was unfamiliar in multiethnic regions, included the division of society, administration, and territories. As a result of the decision made in Annex 2 of the agreement, the Inter-entity Boundary Line (IEBL) was established, dividing the land that had previously seen coexistence between mosques, orthodox churches, and Catholic churches. Controversially, these resolutions indirectly institutionalized ethnic cleansing.
IEBl divides the country between Republika Srpska and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, two entities of Republic of BiH. Consequently, Sarajevo and Istocno Sarajevo have emerged as two distinct and separate cities.
