Bitta Generation 5 brought together a group of 37 young artists and youth workers to explore Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina) through art, stories and shared daily life. Participants came from ARCI Circolo Territoriale Chieti APS (Italy), Elektrika (Serbia), Zdravo da Ste (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Roter Baum Berlin (Germany), The Pink Flamingo (France) and Farra Fanfarra (Portugal). They met in Banja Luka from 11 to 20 June 2024 for an Erasmus+ Youth Exchange, hosted and coordinated with a mixed team of facilitators and artists.
The project invited the group to look at the city beyond the surface. Instead of a classic tourist guide, they created an alternative guide that shows what you cannot immediately see, hear or feel. Through walks, talks and workshops, the group explored different layers of Banja Luka: its history, its green areas, its neighbourhoods and its public spaces where people meet, play and organise. Everyday moments, such as eating cevapi for breakfast or drinking coffee in a small bar, became part of a wider map of memories and impressions.
One part of the work followed a narrative walk through places like the Kastel fortress, built and transformed through different empires, and Gradja, where local residents and even children organised to protect their playgrounds from being turned into a parking lot. Another important story was that of Picin Park, a green area that became a symbol of civic resistance when citizens tried to defend it from destruction. Even when the park was lost and the old oak tree was cut and poisoned, its story remained a strong reminder of how much people care about their common spaces.
The group also visited the Borik district, known for its large murals and for another successful local initiative. Here, residents and environmental organisations joined forces to stop the construction of a new temple on Borik hill, which would have removed one of the last green areas and playgrounds. Through these examples, participants discovered Banja Luka as a truly multicultural and multiethnic city, where different identities and faiths live close to each other and where public space is a key element of community life.
All these experiences were translated into a mini fanzine: a collection of artworks, comics, mind maps and short texts that form an alternative guide to Banja Luka. The publication gathers personal perspectives, emotions and stories from the participants and offers readers a way to walk through the city with their eyes. You are invited to download the zine and continue this journey through the places and people that shaped Bitta Generation 5.
