Despite its pragmatism, it was seen as a symbol of backwardness: the hand-woven basket made of tree bark that villagers in Bosnia carried on their backs everywhere, even on summer holidays! Termed “Sepet”, this basket resembles a jute version of the English “Pannier”, which was often used to load goods on animals’ backs. In Bosnia, however, it was used to carry everything, from the village baker’s bread to the Franciscan beekeeper’s honey – in exchange for which the priest received apricots, plums and pears in the Sepet – and from trout and salmon caught in the village stream to even chilled beer (“Pivo”)!

In the nineties, however, the beloved basket disappeared, and gave way to plastic bags. And now, 25 years after the demise of the Sepet, they want to ban the substitute plastic versions in Bosnia! Why? Because they invariably end up harming the environment. Is it time for the Sepet to make a comeback? The bigger question is: will it be able to? The skilled craft of weaving required to make the Sepet is long dead. Going by recent proposals, however, baskets made of polyethylene wickerwork are supposed to be the solution – two steps back, or one step forward?