Description

Bosnian Clay Pot:

In May of 1993, we received a tip about two locals who had been shot while crossing the Vrbanja Bridge in an attempt to leave Sarajevo. With intense sniper fire in the area, we went to the Bristol Hotel, hoping to get a view of the bridge from the river side of the hotel. The heavily damaged hotel had boarded up views overlooking the Miljacka River and Grbavica.

The couple, Admira Ismić and Boško Brkić were shot while escaping the city across a heavily contested section between Bosnian and Serbian forces. The moving story of the young couple’s tragic death was highlighted in a dispatch written by Reuters reporter Kurt Schork. They became known as the Romeo and Juliet of Sarajevo. The story was later made into a Frontline documentary.

At the Bristol Hotel, we sought out a vantage point that was high enough to look up the river and possibly see the top of the Vrbanja Bridge. While looking for an opening, we had to make sure it was large enough to provide a space for our camera lens, but small enough so snipers on the Grbavica side of the river didn’t notice us.

As we made our way through the hotel, we went passed through an abandoned kitchen. On the floor was a discarded clay pot that our driver/translator told us was used to cook a national dish. He was familiar with it because his dad had been a notable chef who had cooked meals for the former Yugoslav President Josip Tito. Our colleague rescued the pot and told me to keep it as a memento for the collection.