SARAJEVO SAFARI (Int.)

 Between 1992 and 1996, the city of Sarajevo was under siege during the Bosnian War. For almost four years, people in the city lived with bombs, sniper fire, shortages of food and water, and the danger of walking through the streets.

The prolonged siege made everyday life extremely difficult. Many civilians had to find food and water, use limited electricity and try to continue their normal lives while living in a war zone.

A documentary called Sarajevo Safari, directed by Slovenian filmmaker Miran Zupanič, looks at a disturbing story connected with the siege.

According to some witnesses interviewed for the documentary, wealthy foreigners allegedly travelled to areas near Sarajevo controlled by Bosnian Serb forces. They allegedly paid for the opportunity to shoot at people in the city.

These people have sometimes been called “tourist snipers”. The alleged activity has been described as a kind of human safari.

The story is extremely disturbing because, according to the witnesses, these people were not ordinary soldiers. They were foreigners who allegedly travelled to a war zone because they wanted the experience of shooting at people.

The documentary includes interviews with people who say they know something about these events. These interviews provide testimony, or personal accounts of what people say they saw or experienced.

However, the story is controversial. Some people believe the witnesses provide important information about an unknown part of the war. Others have questioned whether all of the claims can be proved.

The central allegation is that some wealthy foreigners may have paid for the opportunity to shoot at people during the siege. An allegation is a claim that something happened, but it does not automatically mean that the claim has been proved.

This is an important point when watching a documentary.

A documentary can show interviews, photographs and personal stories. It can bring a subject into the spotlight and make people want to learn more. However, viewers should still ask questions.

What is the evidence?

Who is the source?

Can the information be confirmed by other sources?

Can journalists investigate the story further?

The documentary appeared internationally in 2022 and brought the Sarajevo Safari story to a much larger audience.

The story also raises questions about dehumanisation. Dehumanisation means treating people as if they are objects instead of human beings with families, feelings and individual lives.

The alleged Sarajevo Safari activities present an extreme example of this idea. According to the accounts presented in the documentary, people living through a terrifying war may have been viewed as targets rather than as human beings.

The story also raises questions about accountability. Accountability means being responsible for your actions and answering for what you have done.

Another important word is impunity. Impunity means being able to do something wrong without receiving punishment or suffering serious consequences.

The documentary has received attention from journalists, researchers and members of the public. It has also produced discussion and backlash from people who question some of the claims presented in the film.

For journalists, one of the most important questions is whether different accounts can corroborate each other. If two independent sources provide similar information, this may give journalists more information to investigate. However, similar stories do not automatically prove that every detail is correct.

This is why evidence is important.

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1. VOCABULARY MATCH — PART 1

Match the words 1–8 with the correct meanings A–H.

Word	Meaning
1. siege	A. information that helps show whether something is true
2. allegation	B. causing disagreement between people
3. witness	C. to look carefully for facts
4. testimony	D. a person who sees or experiences something
5. evidence	E. a statement about something that happened
6. investigate	F. a person who is not a member of the armed forces
7. civilian	G. a claim that something happened but may not be proved
8. controversial	H. a city or area surrounded during a war

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2. VOCABULARY MATCH — PART 2

Match the words 1–8 with the correct meanings A–H.

Word	Meaning
1. dehumanisation	A. a person or organisation that gives information
2. accountability	B. being free from punishment
3. target	C. a strong negative reaction
4. impunity	D. a person or thing chosen to be attacked
5. backlash	E. to confirm information with another source
6. corroborate	F. treating people as if they are objects
7. spotlight	G. being responsible for your actions
8. source	H. public attention focused on a person or subject

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3. SYNONYM MATCH

Match the words with their synonyms.

Word	Synonym
1. allegation	A. troubling
2. controversial	B. origin
3. investigate	C. continued for a long time
4. disturbing	D. claim
5. corroborate	E. objectification
6. source	F. disputed
7. prolonged	G. examine
8. dehumanisation	H. confirm

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4. ROLE PLAY — THE DOCUMENTARY

You are discussing Sarajevo Safari after watching the documentary.

A — Documentary Filmmaker

You believe the witnesses should be heard and that the story deserves international attention.

B — Journalist

You are interested in the story, but you want to check the facts carefully.

C — Sarajevo Resident

You lived through the siege and want people to understand what life was like.

D — Film Critic

You are interested in how documentaries affect audiences.

Discuss

1. Why might this story have remained unknown for many years?

2. Why is the story disturbing?

3. Can a documentary change people's understanding of history?

4. Why are witnesses important?

5. Can a filmmaker be completely neutral?

6. What makes a source reliable?

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5. ROLE PLAY — THE JOURNALIST

You are a journalist investigating the Sarajevo Safari story.

A — Investigative Journalist

You want to discover what happened and find reliable sources.

B — Witness

You say you know something about the alleged activities.

C — Editor

You want the journalist to be careful before publishing the story.

D — Researcher

You want to compare different sources and pieces of evidence.

Discuss

1. What questions should the journalist ask?

2. How can the journalist check the information?

3. What makes a witness credible?

4. Why should journalists speak to more than one source?

5. What should journalists do when witnesses disagree?

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6. WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

You are making a documentary about the Sarajevo Safari story.

You have several interviews, but the witnesses disagree about some details.

Choose one:

A. Show all the different stories and let viewers decide.

B. Use only the stories you think are most reliable.

C. Interview more people.

D. Show the disagreements as part of the documentary.

E. Focus more on the history of Sarajevo than on the disputed claims.

F. Your own idea.

Explain your decision.

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7. THE DOCUMENTARY MAKER

You are making a documentary about a very difficult historical event.

You want the documentary to be powerful, but you do not want to make people's suffering into entertainment.

Would you use:

• photographs of violence?

• emotional music?

• interviews with survivors?

• interviews with people who disagree?

• old photographs and videos?

• anonymous witnesses?

• actors recreating events?

Discuss

How can a documentary inform people without making suffering into entertainment?

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8. THE WITNESS

Imagine that you lived in Sarajevo during the siege.

A filmmaker asks you to talk about your experiences.

How would you feel about:

A. Speaking publicly?

B. Using your real name?

C. Appearing on camera?

D. Having your story translated?

E. Having your story included in a documentary?

F. Talking about the experience many years later?

Discuss your choices.

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9. WAR AND HUMAN NATURE

Discuss.

1. Why are people interested in war?

2. Why might someone visit a dangerous place?

3. Can curiosity about war become unhealthy?

4. Why are some people attracted to extreme experiences?

5. Can money change people's behaviour?

6. Why might distance from suffering reduce empathy?

7. Can watching violence become entertainment?

Quick Question

Why might someone want to see a war without actually having to live through it?

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10. LIFE DURING THE SIEGE

Imagine you are a journalist writing about everyday life in Sarajevo.

Choose five:

• food

• water

• electricity

• public transport

• schools

• hospitals

• sniper fire

• bomb shelters

• communication

• dangerous streets

• family life

• entertainment

Discuss

Which five would help a reader understand everyday life in Sarajevo?

Why?

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11. GENOCIDE — HISTORICAL RESEARCH

Throughout modern history, different populations have experienced genocide or mass killing.

Choose ONE historical case. Research it and discuss what happened, who was affected, what happened afterwards and how the event is remembered today.

A. The Armenian Genocide — Ottoman Empire, 1915–1916

Large numbers of Armenians were killed, deported and forced from their homes during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. The events remain a subject of historical and political discussion.

B. The Holocaust — Europe, 1933–1945

Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered approximately six million Jews. Millions of other people were also persecuted and killed.

C. The Rwandan Genocide — Rwanda, 1994

Over approximately 100 days, extremist forces and their supporters murdered hundreds of thousands of Tutsi people and moderate Hutu people.

D. The Srebrenica Genocide — Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1995

More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed in and around Srebrenica during the Bosnian War.

E. The Cambodian Genocide — Cambodia, 1975–1979

Under the Khmer Rouge government, approximately 1.5 to 2 million people died from executions, starvation, disease and forced labour.

F. The Darfur Conflict — Sudan, 2003 onwards

Large numbers of civilians were killed, displaced or affected by violence during a conflict involving government forces, allied groups and rebel organisations.

Discuss

For your chosen historical case:

1. What happened?

2. When did it happen?

3. Who were the victims?

4. Who were the people responsible for the violence?

5. Why did the violence happen?

6. How did other countries react?

7. What happened afterwards?

8. How is the event remembered today?

9. What evidence do historians use?

10. Why is it important to study these events?

Useful Question

Why is it important to learn about genocides that happened many years ago?

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12. WHAT MAKES A DOCUMENTARY EFFECTIVE?

Choose five important elements.

• powerful interviews

• historical footage

• photographs

• personal stories

• music

• expert opinions

• surprising information

• emotional testimony

• statistics

• dramatic reconstruction

• archive material

• different points of view

Discuss

Which elements:

make people pay attention?

make a documentary emotional?

make a documentary believable?

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13. THE POWER OF TESTIMONY

Read the statements.

A

"I was there. I remember what happened."

B

"I heard about it from someone who was there."

C

"I saw it on television."

D

"I read about it in a newspaper."

E

"I found documents in an archive."

Discuss

1. Which information would you find most useful?

2. Can people's memories change over time?

3. Can someone remember something but misunderstand what they saw?

4. Can two people remember the same event differently?

5. Why is it useful to compare different sources?

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14. DOCUMENTARY AND HISTORY

Think about the role of a documentary in understanding history.

A documentary can use:

• interviews

• photographs

• old videos

• personal stories

• historical information

• expert opinions

• locations

• archive material

Discuss

1. What can film show that written information cannot?

2. Why can seeing someone's face be powerful?

3. Can photographs change the way we understand history?

4. Can a documentary make a story more emotional?

5. Can emotional information also make it harder to think critically?

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15. MONEY AND MORALITY

Imagine someone is offered a large amount of money to participate in a dangerous activity during a war.

Would money change your decision?

Imagine the payment is:

€10,000

€100,000

€1 million

€10 million

Discuss

1. Can money change people's decisions?

2. Can very rich people have different experiences from ordinary people?

3. Why might wealthy people look for unusual experiences?

4. Is there a difference between watching a conflict and participating in it?

5. Can money turn something serious into a business?

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16. THE BUSINESS OF WAR

The Sarajevo Safari story has been described as an extreme example of war tourism.

People can enter war zones for many different reasons.

Examples:

• journalists

• photographers

• filmmakers

• aid workers

• tourists

• soldiers

• military contractors

• historians

• researchers

• political activists

Discuss

1. Why do people enter war zones?

2. Can you observe a war without becoming part of the story?

3. Can war tourism ever be ethical?

4. Why are people fascinated by dangerous places?

5. When can curiosity become exploitation?

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17. THE SARAJEVO SAFARI CONTROVERSY

Read the statements.

A

"The documentary has brought an unusual story to international attention."

B

"Extraordinary stories need careful investigation."

C

"Personal testimony can tell us things that official records may not."

D

"A documentary can influence how people understand history."

E

"Different sources can help us understand a complicated historical event."

Discuss

1. Do you agree with these statements?

2. Can more than one statement be true?

3. Why is it important to look at different sources?

4. Should people accept every claim they see in a documentary?

5. What questions should viewers ask?

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18. RAPID-FIRE SCENARIOS

Answer quickly.

1.

A survivor gives you an emotional story.

What do you ask next?

2.

Two witnesses remember an event differently.

What do you do?

3.

A journalist finds an old photograph.

What questions should they ask?

4.

A documentary becomes very popular online.

How could this affect people's understanding of the story?

5.

You are writing about an event from 30 years ago.

What sources would you look for?

6.

Someone says:

"Everyone already knows what happened."

Would you accept this answer? Why?

7.

You discover that a famous historical story is more complicated than people think.

Would you explain the different versions? Why?

8.

You interview someone about a painful historical experience.

What responsibilities do you have?

9.

A documentary uses dramatic music during an emotional interview.

Does this make the documentary stronger or weaker? Why?

10.

Two people give completely different accounts of the same event.

How would you present both stories?

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19. FILL IN THE BLANKS

Word Bank

allegation — testimony — siege — witness — evidence — backlash — investigate — civilian — accountability — source — impunity — corroborate

1. Sarajevo experienced a long __________ during the Bosnian War.

2. The documentary presents an unusual __________ about wealthy foreigners allegedly taking part in attacks.

3. The filmmakers interviewed people who gave __________ about what they said happened.

4. A __________ who experienced an event can give important information.

5. Journalists need good __________ before making a serious historical claim.

6. A journalist may need to __________ a story for many years.

7. Most people living in Sarajevo were __________ rather than soldiers.

8. A documentary can receive a strong __________ if many people disagree with it.

9. Journalists may look for another source to __________ an important claim.

10. Historical discussions often ask who should accept __________ for their actions.

11. When someone does something serious but receives no punishment, this can be called __________.

12. A journalist should always consider whether the __________ is reliable.