Among the various visual memorializations in the public space of East Sarajevo, which ethnonationally demarcate the urban space of the city as “Serbian,” there is a particularly striking section at the back entrance of an apartment complex next to Gavrilo Princip Park that no visitor could overlook.
On the left side, the graffiti features the figure of Ratko Mladić, who was convicted as a war criminal for his leadership in the Army of Republika Srpska during the war in the former Yugoslavia. Accompanying his image is the phrase "Није злочинац" ("Not a criminal"), written in Cyrillic Serbian script, making a strong ideological statement about the historical events that shaped the violent dissolution of the former country.
On the right side, the phrase "СРПСКО САРАЈЕВО ПЛАВО-БИЈЕЛИ ГРАД" ("Serbian Sarajevo, Blue-White City") is displayed, also in Cyrillic. This refers to the former name of East Sarajevo, which is no longer officially recognized. Together, these graffiti visually articulate the political claims of Republika Srpska as a distinct political entity with strong separatist tendencies within contemporary Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the ethnonational character that East Sarajevo seeks to establish as separate and autonomous from Sarajevo.
Unfortunately, I do not have information about the creator or the exact date of its creation. However, it has been present since my first visits to the city for my PhD research project two years ago. While it was not officially commissioned by the municipality, it is nonetheless protected and preserved by both local officials and residents.
