SARAJEVO - Croatia and Slovenia - page 731

Sarajevans desperate to preserve their way of life. This wasn't patriotism: It was sur-
vival.
Both sides dug in for a long struggle. Yugoslavia's leader, Slobodan Miloševi ć ,
sent a ruthless general, Ratko Mladi ć , to take command of the Bosnian Serb forces.
His orders: “Target the Muslim neighborhoods...Shell them until they're at the edge
of madness.” Snipers monitored exposed streets, immediately firing upon any Sara-
jevan who dared to walk past.
HorrifyingasthetalesofbesiegedSarajevoare,it'sequallyupliftingtohearabout
the irrepressible human spirit shown during these times. The people of Sarajevo sur-
vived thanks to the tireless efforts of those who dug and used a tunnel to break the
siege (see here ) ; and to international relief organizations, including the Red Cross as
well as Islamic, Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish humanitarian groups.
Food was a major concern. The UN took responsibility for humanitarian aid
through the siege, and about 90 percent of food was provided by UN airlifts. Sara-
jevans remember European Community-donated mystery meat in ICAR cans, which
they ate happily while trying not to think of where it came from (now immortalized
by a monument behind the Historical Museum).
Amazingly, people did not simply give up. Even if they lacked basic resources,
they continued dressing well and keeping up appearances—if only to preserve their
own sanity. Barbers, for example, had a very valuable skill that they could barter for
other goods and services.
Throughout even the darkest days of the siege, Sarajevans had art galleries, cafés
for socializing, and even a film festival (the famous Sarajevo Film Festival, still go-
ing strong, began in 1993). One well-known figure—Vedran Smailovi ć , the “Cellist
of Sarajevo”—played his instrument in the bombed-out ruins around town. In 1993,
a “Miss Sarajevo” beauty pageant was held in a basement; at the end, all of the con-
testantsheldupabannerpleading,“Don'tletthemkillus.”(Thepageantwasimmor-
talized in U2's “Miss Sarajevo” music video.)
Sarajevansmanagedtokeeptheirsenseofhumoreventhroughthedifficulttimes.
Whentensionswererunninghighbeforethewarbrokeout,onenightapro-Serbvan-
dal spray-painted on a Sarajevo post office, “This is Serbia!” The next day, it was
rebutted with a new message: “No, this is a post office, you idiot!” On another occa-
sion, someone graffitied on a building: “Tito, come back!” The next day's response:
“Nothanks,I'mnotcrazy!”AndonthedaythatSarajevobeatLeningrad'srecordfor
the longest siege of modern times, a local radio station proudly played Queen's “We
Are the Champions.”