“Safari tourists”

The fact that artists, intellectuals and ordinary citizens from other countries came to Sarajevo during the siege was seen positively by many. It was a concrete act of support or solidarity, an expression of the desire to show that Sarajevo is not alone and to share, for a moment, the fate of its citizens. It was also deemed important that people from outside would witness what was going on in Sarajevo and could then testify about it when back in their home country. But at the same time, such visits raised questions: Who came out of real concern for the fate of Sarajevo and its citizens, and who more for reasons of self-promotion or for adrenaline? In this context, the term “safari tourists” became rather popular in Sarajevo. Some visitors even felt obliged to explicitly reject the suspicion, for instance Swedish actress Bibi Andersson in an interview during her stay in Sarajevo in 1994.

Bibi Andersson was very involved in Swedish support and solidarity activities regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina; she, for example, mobilised theatre companies to support the National Theatre in Sarajevo through donations and other activities, and was also candidate for the party “Sarajevolistan” in 1995. About her motives to travel to Sarajevo, she said: “I think that the arrival of artists in Sarajevo has a certain significance. We can be a kind of courier, we can connect you with the outside world. And, to be honest, it means a lot to us as well. If you live in a city like Stockholm, at some point you get the impression that you have to force people into the theatre because they have everything and art doesn’t mean much to them. Here you have the impression that your profession is worthwhile, that your presence means something. When I went to Sarajevo, I didn’t do it to say “I’m helping”, but “I’m inspired by the people who work so hard to survive and find true value in everything.””