I have never lived through a war zone, but I do appreciate a good joke. The Siege of Sarajevo has been memorialised in books, films, and numerous monuments, including a can of beef. During the nearly four-year siege of the Bosnian War, 160,000 tons of food and medicine were airlifted to the people of Sarajevo but it was not always appreciated. Most of the food was inedible and outdated, leftovers from the Vietnam War. The ICAR canned beef is best remembered by people with disgust. Even cats and dogs wouldn’t eat it. What people really needed at the time was weapons. Therefore, when the “Grateful Citizens of Sarajevo” thanked the donors with “The Monument to the International Community” in 2007, the meter tall golden can of beef sent a clear message to the so-called humanitarian aid. Yes, it appears that the good people of Bosnia and Herzegovina know what irony means. And I applaud them.
The Monument to the International Community
