Wall newspapers

 

Zidne novine 

 

Wall newspapers were a fundamental aspect of cultural and educational initiatives during the Yugoslav People’s Liberation Struggle. While they were common, they did not achieve the same prominence as the work of theater groups, nor were they as widespread as the printed newspapers circulated among the participants and supporters of the struggle. Often, due to time constraints, a lack of creativity, or unwillingness to invest in such an ephemeral medium, many wall newspapers displayed articles clipped from printed publications. Nonetheless, the objective was to offer content that was as varied and engaging as possible, content that “the people receive with enjoyment.” A broad array of written and artistic contributions from individuals in charge of cultural and educational tasks, as well as numerous soldiers and civilians, were featured in wall newspapers across the Yugoslav countries.

In her diary, Partisan nurse Ina Jun Broda recounted that the hospital where she worked initiated a propaganda effort, inviting all interested parties to contribute to the publication of wall newspapers. This was followed by a veritable competition among hospital staff and patients for participation: “Pairs and trios huddle before the wall newspapers, whispering and plotting; they too yearn to make their mark. Their hands are itching to write something.” These aspiring authors sometimes drew inspiration from the already published content: “A joke elicits prolonged laughter; Čedo, the pilot, is the author. He regales with the tale of his exploits and perilous adventures, ending on a humorous note: Once, he burst into a mountain lodge exclaiming, ‘Death to fascism!’ Mishearing him, the hard-of-hearing hostess thinks he wishes her ‘Merry Christmas!’ and responds, ‘And to you, my son, and to you...’”

While there is limited information available about wartime wall newspapers, it seems clear that they relied on the initiative and capability of individuals within each community, be it a military unit, village, refuge, or hospital. Ina Jun Broda’s account stands as one of the few documented instances that details the dynamics of creating wall newspapers. Similarly, the images represent one of the exceedingly rare preserved examples of such newspapers, discovered in the Croatian State Archives, depicting through images and text the “17th Shock Brigade breaking through mountain blockades.”

This edition largely focuses on the military maneuvers of the 17th Shock Brigade. As was usually the case, it focuses only on those that ended in victory. Image on the left recounts the battle for the village of Krapje located near the Jasenovac concentration camp, and the one on the right details the brigade's encounter with the Wehrmacht's 369th (Croatian) Infantry Division also known as the Devil's Division.

 

The author also devoted some space to the friendly welcome given to the unit by the civilian populations in the villages "across the Sava river", as well as to the large meeting in the village of Mala Gradusa (central Croatia), where it became clear that "with this kind of people, nobody will ever be able to defeat us."

 

Poster: Reproduced with the permission of the Croatian State Archives (Hrvatski državni arhiv), Zagreb, Croatia: HR-HDA-1898. 6. udarni slavonski korpus; 2.2.1.2.1. Zidne novine o borbama s neprijateljskim postrojbama; 22. 8. 1943.
Further reproduction prohibited.

 

Literature:

Nevenka Bezić-Božanić, “Kultura u NOBi u Dalmaciji - prilozi, građa, dokumenti” [“Culture in the NOB in Dalmatia - Contributions, Sources, Documents”], Mogućnosti 28, no. 8-10 (August-October 1981): 739-834.

Ina Jun Broda, “Iz moje ‘crne bilježnice.’ Zapisi iz partizanskih bolnica VIII korpusa. Jesen i zima 1943.” [“From My ‘Black Notebook.’ Notes from the Partisan Hospitals of the 8th Corpus. Fall and winter 1943.”], box 7, fund Ina Jun Broda, Archives of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, HAZU), Zagreb, Croatia.