Goodbye to Sarajevo

The most obvious thing about Sarajevo, and the most celebrated, is its diversity.

Guide books eagerly describe how one can visit Catholic cathedrals, mosques, and Orthodox churches, all in a single stroll through Bascarsija. And Western media bemoan how the peaceful multi-ethnic society was so rapidly and incomprehensibly riven by violent ethno-nationalism in the 1990s.

But the description of Sarajevo as “multi-” is inexact, Robert Donia says in his book Sarajevo: A Biography.

“Before the early 1990s Sarajevans would not have described their city using any of the “multi” terms” so commonly used today, Donia writes.

“Instead, they referred approvingly to their “common life” (zajednički život)… The prefix multi-, meaning “composed of many parts” affirms the existence of distinct cultural, ethnic, and religious communities that do not necessarily overlap and commingle. Common life, on the other hand, necessarily includes tolerance.”

The multi-ethnicity and multiculturalism of Sarajevo, and of Bosnia, are really just the outer garments of a society that functions not along the lines of its differences, but lives a “common life” which largely ignores its multiplicity.

It is an open question whether this common life has survived the war. My impression after living here for a summer and making many Bosnian friends from all heritages is that it has.

A Canadian friend of mine who studies the region relayed a story of a Bosnian whose second home in Croatia was burned during the war. When asked if she harbors any ill-will towards the arsonists she answered, “I would, but my culture simply does not allow it”.

In two weeks I will return to the United States, a country whose identity, like Bosnia’s, can not be equated with the ethnicity of its peoples. But unlike Bosnia, American common life is based on a shared economic culture and an idea of citizenship, rather than a common disposition towards others that transcends their apparent differences.

This tolerant Bosnian-ness can be elusive precisely because it transcends the most obvious differences and divisions of Bosnian society. How does one characterise a diverse collection of peoples who don’t seem to really care about their diversity? If Bosnia cannot be found in religious, ethnic, and national categories, then one must look for it in how the people you meet will readily tell you about themselves and their country.

There is a good reason why the most Sarajevan institution is having a conversation over coffee.