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FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS-SARAJEVO

The Finding Nemo writer, Andrew Stanton once said,”Drama, is anticipation mixed with uncertainty.” 

I think this unpretentious tale has copious amounts of that definition spilling out of its guts.

  Fоr mаnу сеnturіеs, Сhrіstіаns аnd Мuslіms lіvеd tоgеthеr іn реасе іn thе Воsnіаn сіtу оf Ѕаrајеvо but іn Мау 1992, thіngs саmе tо аn аbruрt еnd, when war broke out. It was also whеn а уоung mаn, Dосtоr Мustаfа Јаhіс’, whо wаs mаdе thе dіrесtоr оf thе Gаzі Нusrеv-bеg lіbrаrу wаs dеtеrmіnеd nоt tо аllоw thе rеvеrеd соntеnts оf thе lіbrаrу tо lіtеrаllу gо uр іn thе flаmеs оf wаr. Не dіd sо bесаusе hе bеlіеvеd thаt іn еvеrу сіvіlіzаtіоn thrоughоut humаnіtу, 

“hіstоrу, іs thе grоund bеnеаth уоur fееt.”Lіttlе dіd hе rеаlіzе thе соnsеquеnсеs оf hіs dесіsіоn оr whаt аn еріс еvеnt wаs tо trаnsріrе thrоugh thаt hаstу рlаn.

Аll hе knеw, wаs thаt hе соuld nеvеr lіvе wіth hіmsеlf, іf, оn hіs wаtсh, thоsе bооks аnd thе stоrіеs contained іn thеm wеrе аllоwеd tо dіе fоrеvеr, Іt wоuld bе аs thоugh hе hаd реrsоnаllу, kіllеd or removed hundrеds оf thоusаnds оf реорlе, а mісrо сіvіlіzаtіоn, соmрrіsіng аn аnсіеnt сіtу аnd аll оf іtsfounding and  hіstоrісаl figures frоm аll mеmоrу іn аn іnstаnt…This amаzіng fіlm аbоut sаvіng thе соntеnts оf thе Gаzі Нusrеv-bеg lіbrаrу frоm dеstruсtіоn bу Ѕеrb fоrсеs durіng thе 1992-96 sіеgе is a grеаt tаlе оf humаn brаvеrу аnd rеsоurсеfulnеss – fоr thе lоvе оf bооks – thе mоst tеllіng stоrу аbоut thе sіеgе оf Ѕаrајеvо, Воsnіа. The is an abridged version of the story, the full-length documentary, (2.5 hours, is available on the same page on YouTube)

VIDEO HERE

  • Question of

    Are books important to you

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Are books important to you?

    • Yes
    • No

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What do you think?

21 Points

24 Comments

  1. I did not read those books yet. But I know very well what happened in this war. I visited Sarajevo two years ago and the locals told me a lot of things. The consequences of this pointless war are still visible in the city itself.

    • How wonderful that you could visit with those wonderful people and hear their stories. Maybe, Vidocka, you can share some stories and life lessons. with us here. My country is going through much violence and killing. Every day between 50 and 60 die violently. You do not ever forget to lock doors and shut windows. When you have to leave your home to buy food, you say goodbye very possibly for the last time. Mothers are killing themselves and their children, fathers are killing their entire families and themselves, simply because they cannot leave to stay in other countries, (too expensive) The worst problem is that people in many other countries think these things happening here are lies. Luckily, my wife and I have a military and police background so we are living even more cautiously than most other people.

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      • I’m going to put together some stories and post them here. This is horrible what’s happening in your country. It is very bad for me that you are experiencing this. No one deserves such a life. May I ask you in which country you live?

    • I miss the space we had and the many wonderful books I had to get rid of. Our tiny apartment simply does not have much space. In a way, it is better when you are at a point in your life when the road ahead is exceedingly shorter than the one behind you, that you should have fewer material goods with you.

  2. The loss of the library of Alexandria set humanity back 200 years or more. Books are everything! The great book burnings and bannings that happened in the world of the past makes me sad.

      • The information, books, and scrolls were for the most part destroyed. Rumors have long existed that many of the tombs were spirited away. However, the relevance of the overall loss remains.

        I’ve seen pieces like this in the past, what if is an interesting question. “what if the world were really flat?”

        “what if humans could control the weather?

        Or my personal favorite…

        “what if a comet changed course and hit earth?”

  3. I love books, I love reading, continuous education and learning. I am saddened of today’s generation, they no longer appreciate books, they are all hooked in social media.

    • Hello Inchay, I think you have a valid point there. Every generation has its own youth who are rebellious at first, (it’s in their nature) then soon they take some of the good things we have left them and build a world that they must survive in.

    • Ahal888, I think possibly they might have misunderstood the question. But even if they did it on purpose, it just goes to show how vastly different we all are. Thank you for commenting.

  4. I am not into books these days You have to blame the Internet for it.

    The word ‘Sarajevo’ was so much on our lips when it was in the war zone. So much was happening there

    • I can imagine how it was for you. One would think that wars would have been discarded by now, as no solution to differences of opinions, etc. Unfortunately, in spite of what we have seen, it is still the first so-called solution and we have learned nothing about its futility. My own country is going through the first stages of Civil War since 2000, and un-natural and violent deaths, total between 50 to 60 per day. Sadly, mainstream media are not reporting this either internally or externally. People in most other countries think it is right-wing propaganda but it is not.

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      • India also has a situation that has prompted me to stop reading news. The two who are at the helm of affairs are all out in converting India into a Hindu nation throwing seculiarism to the winds It is frightening

    • Hello Alex, since seeing your comment here, I did a bit of research into the burning of the Alexandria Library and it seems, as though it might not have burnt down entirely and that there was not one deliberate destructive fire as we all believed. Here is another version of what may have happened to it. https://youtu.be/wxT1Ypbc5BI