© Nihad Nino Pušija

Name: Xaver Victor S.
Mother tongue: Alemannic German
Occupation: Architect and Stage Designer
My object: stone from Mostar
My story about it:
I used to travel a lot through former Yugoslavia. I found this stone in Mostar, right under the bridge which was later destroyed during the war. I put it into my rucksack and took it back home with me. However, I forgot to take it out again. Thereby, it became my constant companion on the many trips I went on.
Years later, during the war in Bosnia, I got to know a young woman from Mostar. She had left her home country under life-threatening circumstances and now lived as an asylum seeker in Berlin. Here, she worked so hard as an architectural draughtswoman that her wage allowed for her to smuggle first her sister and then her parents out of Yugoslavia. Already then I admired her energy and her positive appearance which she had despite her many negative experiences. One day, I remembered the stone from Mostar. I emptied my rucksack. When she saw the stone she started to cry. She did not have anything from her home country. I gave her the stone as a present. Shortly after the war was over, she was among the first to return to Mostar because she wanted to help rebuild the city. Years later, I received a letter from her which contained the stone as a thank you.
Today, the stone reminds me of her power and her extreme courage. It gives me strength and courage.