As a result of the former Yugoslav Wars, in particular the Croatian War of Independence that lasted from 1991 to 1995, my parents decided to flee the country. I was three years old when I arrived in Germany. A little person, yet to be formed to fit into society, in part by the societal norms of the country I live in as well as by the heritage and traditions of my ancestors. My father comes from a village near Dubrovnik, Croatia; my mother grew up in the small village of Prapratnica, situated in Bosnia & Hercegovina.
A couple of years ago I began thinking about producing a documentary series which captures the life of the people in my mother’s village Prapratnica. I saw the village and the people slowly disappeared throughout the years and I wanted to create these memories in order to be able to look back on them, before they completely vanish.
My main idea and concept shifted suddenly when my mother got very ill. She passed away in 2017 and I felt the need to dedicate this project to her, to experience this village through her eyes and to reflect on her past and the present me.
It is a personal journey; stepping into my mother’s footsteps, learning about her past and a period of her life I do not know much about apart from some stories she told me. For the people who still remain in this village I am a reflection of my mother – I am her daughter. Familiar yet strange, being partly formed by a modern culture that is like another world for many of them.
It’s not only about looking to the past, it is also about focusing on the here and now, finding my roots and reconnecting with them. Through the perspective of an outsider I engage with the past and the present, creating a visible thread.