Newcomer, please don’t judge us Sarajevans by what you may have seen on television during the recent war, 1992-1995. I, myself, used to look in disbelief at images of violence abroad, but then it happened here. We were the statistics. However, Newcomer, we did not accept mere existence. Missiles and grenades were falling everywhere, but our cultural life remained vital. We attended improvised theatres and concerts even at risk to our lives. Soldiers defended us with guns; artists and musicians defended us with creativity. They were our hope that one day things would be better although it seemed that all the evils of Pandora’s box had mobilized to destroy us. Newcomer, these evils could not destroy us because we Sarajevans have undaunted spirits.