Photo of the Day – Bosniak Cemetary in Sarajevo

Sunset in Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) Cemetary overlooking Sarajevo

Some statistics:

1,425 – number of days Sarajevo was under seige by Serbian forces wishing to create a Bosnian-Serb state

11,000+ number of deaths in Sarajevo alone

1,500+ number of child deaths

500+ estimated number of people a skilled sniper killed during this time

329 – average number of shells fired per day (maximum was 3,777 in July, 1993)

159 – number of grams of food distributed per person per day (for nearly 4 years)

67 – number of people killed by a shell fired into an open-air market

16.5 – number of years that have past since the Dayton Agreement which ended the war

4 – number of religions that co-existed for centuries in Sarajevo (Eastern Orthodox, Islam, Catholic, Jewish)

Sarajevo is currently considered to be safe and has quite a thriving atmosphere. The city has tried hard to show the world that it is once again a place of multi-cultural acceptance and religious tolerance. But I can’t help but wonder how much pain and hatred remains in the hearts of its people. After what they endured, I can’t say that I blame them. They surely won’t forget, let’s hope nobody does, but can they truly forgive?