Motherland

Nina Bunjevac's graphic novel «Motherland» explores the disintegration of her family under the influence of harsh nationalism and collective traumas that plagued the Balkans throughout the 20th century.
In 1975, fleeing an increasingly fanatical husband, Nina's mother with two young daughters (Nina and her older sister) leaves Canada and moves to Yugoslavia, her homeland. Nina's father, a staunch Serbian nationalist Petar, was forced to leave Yugoslavia in the 1950s. However, emigrating to Canada did not shake his faith in a free Yugoslavia, for which he strove to fight by any means necessary.
«Motherland» is not only Nina Bunjevac's personal story, but also a story of an entire era. The author masterfully weaves historical events of the Balkans into the lives of ordinary people. Her hot-tempered, stubborn father, who brings only pain and suffering to the family, at first glance does not evoke sympathy. However, over time we understand the tragedy and greatness of this closed, desperate person, who, caught in the trap of historical circumstances and his own mistakes, lived a life filled with not only boundless grief, but also deep meaning and a striving for a higher goal.