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Author Bio
Author Bio
Zlata Filipović is a Bosnian-Irish diarist/author. She was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia on December 3, 1980. In 1991 at the age of 11 she began writing in a diary about her experiences throughout the Bosnian War/Genocide. In 1993 her and her family escaped to Paris, France where they lived for a year. She went on to attend St. Andrews College (Prep School) and graduated from University of Oxford in 2001. She has since gone on to co-write multiple books and produce many films about the Bosnian War and her experiences. She has settled down in Dublin, Ireland and continues working as a producer of documentaries and other films.
https://www.poemhunter.com/zlata-filipovic/biography/
https://twitter.com/zlatafilipovic
Abstract
Abstract
We chose to record a mock podcast with a present day Zlata Filipović. We thought that creating a project that looked at the book from an adult's point of view rather than a child's would help others better understand Zlata's story. Through extensive research and analysis of both the book and recent interviews of Zlata we created an accurate and in depth imaginary interview with both Zlata and her parents.
Background Information
The Bosnian war was a very complex civil war in the Republic of Yugoslavia (socialist federal republic). The war officially lasted from 1992-1995 however tensions inside the "republic" began in the late 80s when the Serb Democratic Party began creating autonomous zones. The tension between the Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians came to a head on April 7, 1992 when the United States recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina independent of the Yugoslavia. It wasn't until 1995 that NATO and Western forces got involved in the war. This was the first time NATO forces were involved in a Civil War. Shortly after NATO and the United States got involved in the war the Serbs agreed to peace talks, a treaty was signed December 1995. However, many Serb government officials and military officers where found guilty of war crimes including genocide, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. Many of them were sentenced to either life in prison or the death penalty. It is estimated that 200,000 people died and over 2,000,000 people were displaced in the Bosnian War.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Bosnian-War
https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/bosnia-and-herzegovina-map-vector-2846112
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Rex Jensen '21
Rex Jensen '21
Prior to reading Zlata's diary I had very little knowledge on the Bosnian War. I had a vague sense that Bosnia was some sort of country, and at some point there was violence there, but that was where my understanding ended. Reading Zlata's diary forced me to learn about this new conflict, which was the source of so much death and destruction. I think it's important for us to read accounts of children like Zlata as it shows us the harming nature a war can have on the children it effects. This an underrated element, when people talk about wars they consider the generals, battles, treaties, and many other aspects, but what often gets lost is how this actually effects the people, and I think Zlata does an effective job doing so.
Matt O'Connor '22
Matt O'Connor '22
Before reading Zlata's Diary I didn't know anything about the Bosnian War and had never heard of the country Bosnia. I knew it was in Europe but, I just assumed it was a third world country that was going through their own civil war. I had no idea that they were a first world country that have similar qualities to countries like Britain, France, and Italy. When I was researching the war I was shocked to hear about all the horrendous war crimes that government officials committed against their own people. Many times when it comes to war we think about the politics and the military forces behind the war but, we forget about the innocent civilians who get caught up in the middle of all that destruction. Zlata helps bring light to what it is like to be one of those civilians and provides a new point of view for her readers.
Cameron Hill '21
Cameron Hill '21
Prior to reading Zlata's Diary, I had minimal existing knowledge on the conflict that took place in Bosnia. I knew Bosnia was a country, but knew very little about it. In addition, I felt as though I had a decent understanding on the effects war had on civilians. Reading Zlata's Diary opened my eyes to how devastating of an event the Bosnian War was, as well as what it is like to go through war as an innocent child. Zlata writes about her ignorance at the start of the war and how her awareness of the situation grew as the conflict developed. Through researching the Bosnian War and other conflicts, I have found that this is not atypical. Zlata does a very good job of articulating this sense of being naive, and in doing so, opens ones eyes to a new perspective on this form of oppression. Overall, I really enjoyed working on this project. I feel like I was able to learn a lot about Zlata Filipović, and can apply what I have learned about her and her experiences to other events in history.
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2017/03/07/why-bosniaks-treated-more-favourably-than-todays-refugees/
Bibliography
Bibliography
“Balkans War: a Brief Guide.” BBC News, BBC, 18 Mar. 2016, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17632399.
This source is a quick primer produced by the BBC about the Balkan War. While the guide is very quick and is not very detailed, it provides good context for the conflict as well as graphics which we may use later in the project. The presence of many maps helps us put the conflict into perspective as it is a region we don't have much familiarity with and Zlata's Diary doesn't feature maps.
Bassiouni, Cherif. “Study of the Battle and Siege of Sarajevo - Part 1/10.” Annex VI : Study of the Battle and Siege of Sarajevo (Part 1/10), 27 May 1994, https://web.archive.org/web/20010222115037/http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/comexpert/ANX/VI-01.htm
This is a report filed by the United Nations which in detail provides a day by day description of the conflict with detailed reports of targets and casualties. This is a reliable source both to supplement what Zlata is writing on a day-by-day basis and stands alone as a strong description of the battle. Since Zlata's diary also includes dates we are able to match up what Zlata says to the fighting detailed in the report.
Gee, Jody, and John Ost. “Writers' Corner On-Line Chat With Zlata Filipovic.” Zlata Chat, 18 Nov. 2007, web.archive.org/web/20071118144136/www.mv.com/Writers-Corner/EVENTS/zlata.html.
This source is an archive of an online conversation in which Zlata discusses many things with fans of the book. The source helps in providing context about many things in the book as well as Zlata's life. This conversation comes 12 years after the completion of the Bosnian War, so Zlata is able to fill readers in on her life after the end of the book. This aids our project as it is one of few standing first hand accounts from Zlata outside of the book itself. In addition, remembering children of war does not just include their experiences during the war. The everlasting effects from the war are equally as important.
History.com Editors. “Bosnian Genocide.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 14 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/1990s/bosnian-genocide.
Similar to many of our other sources, this source gives a good background to the war. Rather uniquely, however, it specifies the aftermath of the war in several heavily affected regions. Not only is the effect on the people articulated, but it goes into detail on the trials related to the war, and other events resulting from the war. One that is very interesting is the fact that the United Nations created the Security Council in May of 1993. This has a large impact due to the fact that this was the first international tribunal since the Nuremberg Trials - a sequence of trials which determined the punishments for the war crimes commited by many high ranking Nazi’s following World War II. This source will prove extremely beneficial to our research and project, as it outlines post war life. Additionally, cause and effects of the war are extremely important in exploring memorials and how we remember the war, but more specifically, the children of war.
Lampe, John R. “Bosnian War.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 Oct. 2020, www.britannica.com/event/Bosnian-War.
Personal experiences are often the key component which shape one’s perspective. Children of war such as Zlata Filipovic can be held to this standard. That said, this article from Britannica eliminates any concern for bias intruding on Zlata's story. The article talks about the origins of the Bosnian War, the conflict which Zlata is living through, what sparked the war, as well as what they hoped to achieve. Additionally, the article touches on the aftermath of the war and offers a new perspective. This source will be very helpful in our project. Having knowledge on the origins of the war and the aftermath, as well as some different perspective, will help us better understand how people as a whole, as well as children, were affected.
Staff of Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. “The Referendum on Independence in Bosnia-Herzegovina.” CSCE :: Article :: Report: The Referendum on Independence in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 29 Feb. 1992, web.archive.org/web/20110107174934/www.csce.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=UserGroups.Home&ContentRecord_id=250&ContentType=G&ContentRecordType=G&UserGroup_id=5&Subaction=Reports&CFID=5163160&CFTOKEN=65570212.
This source is a report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to the 102nd Congress. The committee consisted of many high ranking US officials and details the fairly ran Independence referendum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The committee incorrectly concluded that this referendum would help avoid conflict in the region. It also, however, details the complicating factors such as competing ethnic identities, and the immediate flare up of violence. Ethic identities are extremely important to note when remembering children in war. How one defines their identity is the single largest part of their life. This information will help us shape our project and explain how the war affected not only Zlata, but children of other ethnic identities. It will legitimize what we are saying about Zlata and allow us to give more information to our audience.
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