For Bosnia’s Youth, the Disappeared Remains an Open Wound

From her childhood, she remembers the series of raw emotions, from hope through dismay to pain, that her mother experienced upon learning that Braco's remains had apparently been found, but then finding out it wasn't him. Because Braco is one of the roughly 7,600 people disappeared during the bloody war in Bosnia (1992-1995) who to this day have not been found nor identified in clandestine graves.

Aida has always been aware of his existence, but it was only when she was about to reach her uncle's age at the time of his death that Braco - a phantom from the stories told at family table and black and white photos - suddenly became a real person.

"I realized I would have understood him now," says Aida Hadzimusic, soon to be 34, a journalist who works for the Al Jazeera Balkans TV channel. "He would have been my age and I'm not this small girl any more - that changed my perspective."

And so, she decided to travel to Kalinovik, find locals who knew him and, eventually, make a movie about him. "It became my mission to bring his story alive," she says.

In many ways, Aida is a rare example. With the dearth of economic opportunities, weak governance, endemic corruption, poor air quality or rising rents on their minds, for many young Bosnians reliving the war that ended almost 30 years ago may be simply too much. Instead of struggling with yet another challenge, many chose to head abroad: a 2021 UN survey found that 47 per cent of Bosnians aged 18 to 29 are thinking of emigration, either temporary or permanent.

"In our conversations with local associations gathering the families of missing people, the limited engagement of youngsters is the issue that is pointed out quite often," says Marko Matovic, 29, a communications manager at the...

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