Wake up, Europe!

How did Europe react to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which began 30 years ago, in April 1992, and lasted for three and half years? Many people in Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina were disappointed and shocked about the neutral stance of European states and governments, while also for the majority population in Europe, the war remained mainly a TV event. At the same time, however, there were many citizens, artists, intellectuals, journalists, parliamentarians, cities, informal groups and NGO’s across Europe who decided not to remain bystanders and who were often very critical of their own governments. Through numerous initiatives they tried to show support and solidarity for Bosnia and Herzegovina and its citizens, often in close interaction with those in Bosnia who were involved in the civic, cultural and intellectual defence of the Bosnian way of life and of their country, and who were calling on the outside world to abandon its passivity, summarized in the slogan “Wake up Europe!”.

The main aim of the exhibition „Wake up Europe!“  is to provide a historical overview of this broad and heterogeneous mobilization, situated at the crossroads of humanitarian and civic engagement, constituting a little-known dimension of the Bosnian war. The exhibition highlights various forms of commitment, showing concrete examples from different countries as well as discourses and discussions that were part of these mobilisations. Beyond contributing to our knowledge about the war in BiH as part of contemporary European history, this exhibition also wants to stimulate reflection on crucial questions for the present: What do we understand by solidarity? Are we doing enough to show solidarity with others? What can I personally do? To what extent can these mobilisations from the 1990s be an inspiration for today? 

More guided tours through the exhibition with Nicolas Moll, historian and curator of the exhibition, 

on Tuesday, 26. April at 18:00 p.m

on Wednesdey, 27. April, at 14:00 p.m. and 18:00p.m. in German or English as required.

"Wake up Europe!" opens on April 6 at the Heinrich Boell Foundation in Berlin-Mitte, as part of the Bosnia Forum 2022 to mark the 30th anniversary of the start of the Bosnian war.

Admission is free. "Wake up Europe!" will be open for viewing through April 30, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Admission by 3G rules, masks are required.

Languages: The accompanying texts are in English, some also in Bosnian.

The exhibition was shown first at the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo in fall 2021, now for the first time outside Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Wake up Europe! Support and solidarity mobilizations for Bosnia and Herzegovina and its citizens during the 1992-1995 war" is an exhibition of the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, in cooperation with Memory Lab, and with the support of the Goethe-Institut Bosnia and Herzegovina, the French Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Franco-German Cultural Fund.

The presentation of the exhibition in Berlin, in adapted form, was made possible by the Heinrich Boell Foundation, with the support of the Goethe-Institute Bosnia and Herzegovina.

» Participation on site

3G rule applies (vaccinated, recovered, tested) +FFP2 mask at the conference center of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, Schumannstr. 8, 10117 Berlin.

Attendance at the event is only possible in compliance with the hygiene rules currently in force at the Heinrich Boell Foundation.