Radio Sarajevo - a photobook by Engin Guneysu

RADIO SARAJEVO

Radio Sarajevo is a multi-layered photobook project by Engin Guneysu, a well-known Turkish documentary photographer. Ten years in the making, the book consists of 5 chapters witnessing the period from the last days of Yugoslavia to present-day Bosnia.

The chapters of the book are:

• 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics
• Bosnian War
• Srebrenica massacre
• Duje Rehabilitation Center
• Modern-day Bosnia

The 1984 Winter Olympics was supposed to be Yugoslavia's last major event; no one expected the civil war to break out about seven years later. Eight thousand of the twelve thousand people who tried to reach the safe zone on foot were killed within a few days, despite the ceasefire signed in 1995. The world found out about these losses in the 2000s following the discovery of mass graves. Every year on July 11, the anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, burial ceremonies take place for the people who are removed from mass graves and identified.

Although it has been more than 20 years since the war, traces of the war can be seen on the streets and people's faces. Duje is a large rehabilitation center supported by independent foundations and organizations. It represents the post-war recovery and normalization of life for the people of Bosnia. The fourth chapter, which focuses on Duje, is one of the critical breaking points for the book.

Life in Bosnia these days is half happy, half sad. While the elderly try to forget the past, the young look hopeful for the future. Both generations have a tough job. Although it is not easy to erase the traces of what happened, the people of Bosnia are strong. With Radio Sarajevo, Engin Guneysu makes us a witness to this story of birth from the ashes.

Biography

İstanbul-based Turkish documentary photographer Engin Güneysu is known for his photographs in travel & culture magazines Atlas, İz, and Sky Life . Güneysu produces works that deal with human stories and social issues. Following the traces of the Bosnian civil war from 30 years ago to the present, Radio Sarajevo is the longest-running project of Güneysu who has made photoshoots in 24 different countries to date.