The Forgotten

The pervasive ‘Eastern Essence’ of Bosnian tourism cannot be missed, whether this involves images of corseted folk dresses, traditional farms or a tray of afternoon tea vodka shots. Symbolic references to a nostalgic past might make a great tourism campaign, but do they really represent the people of Bosnia & Herzegovina today? 

Roma settlement near Sarajevo, 2011

Ethnic divisions BiH, 2006

Within the confines of BiH’s borders there lies a myriad of histories and peoples.
The 1990s conflict contributed to the concept of a segregated nation. Ethnic divisions displayed on maps of the country only serve to cement this notion. But unlike this illegible map, ethnicity is not black and white. Ethnicities are not fixed, there are so many variations and similarities that you could question whether there even exists separate ethnic groups. But that's a question I'll leave for the philosophers to answer.

So if ethnicity cannot be sketched out on a map, how can a culture? Whilst the three major ethnic groups are considered to be Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs, their historical similarities would suggest greater homogeneity than disparity. Even the three official languages (Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian) are mutually intelligible. 

However, the Bosnian war has promoted a view of these groups as being distinctly separate, each comprising one part of a triad of peoples that make up Bosnia & Herzegovina. This simplification map help us to forget 'the others', the people that might not not be represented on any map. 

Roma Children, Kakanja (North West of Sarejvo), 2009

Roma Families in Sarajevo, 2013

Town of Banja Luka.

One such forgotten group is the Roma. The Romani population of BiH have been all but overlooked in every tourist website or video I have come across. And although they have been present in the region for over 600 years Romas officially number just over 8000 people, only 0.2% of the population. Unofficial estimates take into account the absence of census data for most Roma people and suggest they may make up to 10% of the nation's population. Although in many countries the Roma are often politically neglected, it is strange to also see them as culturally invisible in Bosnia & Herzegovina. 

So whilst unambiguous simplicity is seductive, it neglects diversity. Maybe next time I watch a tourism campaign I'll try to think of the people who may be hidden from screen.