Summary

On the 30th anniversary of the start of the war in Bosnia, we’re publishing a book of unique wartime posters that is much more than a beautifully designed art book: it's a symbol of defiance in the face of extreme nationalism. 

With your help, we can get these artworks into the public domain. For every 10 copies sold here, one copy will be donated to a public library in Bosnia-Herzegovina, giving young Bosnians the opportunity to learn about the war and hopefully avoid another. 

As the coordinator of this appeal I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Rupert Wolfe Murray and I’ve given (voluntarily) a year of my life to help the author put together this inspiring book of Bosnia’s wartime posters. I have relevant experience: I ran an aid agency for Bosnia during the war, I published two books about the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and funded the research into Bosnian War Posters.

There are many similarities between what’s happening in Ukraine now and the war that tore Bosnia apart between 1992 and 1995. Both countries were invaded by a much better armed neighbour, both were told they had no right to exist as an independent nation, and in both cases the occupying forces encountered unexpectedly strong resistance. 

Bosnia-Herzegovina managed to hold onto its country, but today the forces of extreme nationalism still threaten to tear it apart. This appeal is an opportunity for all of us who oppose these forces -- forces that believe in the superiority of one nation over another -- and to show that we support the sovereignty of smaller countries and that we care about their heritage, culture, and future generations. Our book -- Bosnian War Posters -- is built on hundreds of original images by Bosnian artists and designers, each image a symbol of creative independence.

This is a collaboration between you, me, the author (Daoud Sarhandi, who put years of unpaid effort into collecting the material, then editing and designing the book) and a courageous American publisher (Interlink) which is paying for the printing. There are no other public, private or government funds involved. 

Caption: A poster from the Bosnian city of Tuzla, by Jasminko Arnautović. The goat is Tuzla's ancient symbol of stubborn defiance and here it is standing up to nationalist aggression.

What We Need & What You Get

With your help, we will donate 50 copies of Bosnian War Posters into Bosnia's public libraries. This will ensure that Bosnians can learn about their war through a visual history.

For every 10 copies sold through this appeal, one copy will be donated to a Bosnian library. 

In addition, the publisher is offering you, the backers of this appeal, the kind of big discounts that are usually only available to bookshops and wholesalers. Plus you can get some other artistic perks that can be framed and hung on your wall. 

What if we exceed our funding target? For every 10 copies sold here, we will donate one to a public library. Considering there are only 50 public libraries in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, if we exceed our target we will start donating copies to libraries in other parts of ex-Yugoslavia. 

Caption: The defence of Vukovar, in Croatia, in 1991 is similar to the current defence of Mariupol in Ukraine. A small force of defenders managed to hold off a heavily armed opponent far longer than anyone expected.

The Impact

I spent much of the last year in Bosnia working on this project. The most encouraging thing I came across is that young Bosnians are really keen to see the material, get their hands on the book and learn from these artworks in their classrooms. The reason for this enthusiasm, almost a hunger for knowledge, is that they are not taught the history of the Bosnian war in schools.

Everyone who orders a copy of Bosnian War Posters will get a unique collection of artworks about one of the worst periods of nationalism in modern Europe. Also, it’s the ideal gift for anyone with an interest in Ukraine, as there are so many comparisons between the two wars.

In this article Daoud Sarhandi, the author of Bosnian War Posters, wrote: “What we found is absolutely unique. Not only in terms of Bosnia-Herzegovina, but in terms of world heritage. I can’t think of any war in history that generated such a rich heritage of original poster art, and the interesting thing is that much of it was genuinely independent in that most of the work we collected was produced by individual artists, working alone. The Bosnian government and army seemed to leave them alone.”

This outburst of creativity happened just before the internet and social media took over. The Bosnian war may have been the last war that used printed posters to such effect.

Caption: This is one of the few posters that was produced in the Serb-held part of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Its anti-Muslim message was intended for an international audience. 

Risks & Challenges

Our main objective is to physically deliver 50 copies of our book, Bosnian War Posters, to public libraries in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The challenge/risk was how to deliver them, but this has been resolved by meeting with the National Library of Bosnia; they have agreed to distribute the donated copies to all the Bosnian libraries. However, this will need to be monitored, and we will work with the National Library to ensure that deliveries take place shortly after publication (May 2022). 

Another challenge is the high taxes (27%) the Bosnian government charge for importing books. We are hoping that the National Library will help us waive this cost, but in the event this doesn’t happen, we will have to shoulder it ourselves. 

I (Rupert Wolfe Murray, Project Coordinator) have relevant experience to manage this project: during the 1990s I ran an aid agency for Bosnia. One of my post-war projects was distributing English language books to public libraries and schools all over the country. If things don’t go smoothly with the National Library I will make sure that the books get delivered.

Caption: One of many artistic posters in the book, showing that cultural activities went on despite the war.

Other Ways You Can Help

You can support this project without having to buy a book. Just click the "Back this Project" tab on the main page and choose the amount you'd like to offer.

If you like this project but can't help financially, please help us spread the word. We'll be sharing this project one person at a time -- no email blasts or clever tricks on social networks -- so if you can help us reach other people, we would be extremely grateful.

If you have any suggestions of people, groups or organisations who you think might like to sponsor this project, please get in touch with me; I would be very glad to hear from you. My contact details are below. 

Rupert Wolfe Murray, 

wolfemurray[at]gmail.com

Caption: Jasminko Aranautović portrays Bosnia-Herzegovina as a victim of all three of the country's ethnic/religious minorities: The Bosnians, the Croats and the Serbs.