CTC LEARNING ACTIVITY 2 ALU SARAJEVO
„CLIMATE CRISIS FAKE NEWS – FROM IDENTIFICATION TO VISUALISATION“
10. 11. – 14. 11. 2025
Speakers’ Biographies and Lectures
Lejla Kusturica, Kasja Jerlagić & Azra Berbić
Bio:
As a long time activist, Lejla Kusturica (director of ACT) believes in solidarity, human potential, active local communities, joint initiatives, and the good in people. Lejla works relentlessly for a good cause, has strong principles, and constantly strives to do more. In the past, Lejla has worked as a philanthropic manager at a large foundation and an economic and women’s rights empowerment manager in Srebrenica, BiH. Lejla has launched “My Hair, Your Hair” initiative to raise awareness and supports well-being for children with cancer and cofounded the arts foundation celebrating public spaces and community development.
Kasja Jerlagić is a multidisciplinary artist from Sarajevo. She’s worked at several local galleries, founded and led the artist-activist collective ODRON (2018–2022), organizing events at the intersection of art, culture and politics. Her artistic output is eclectic, but the main throughline is the desire for political action, articulating emotional truths and questioning our place in a system that is hostile to humanity. In her free time she ignores the boundaries between activism and art. She likes to consider herself a propagandist of a utopia that doesn’t exist yet.
Azra Berbić is a long-time activist, lawyer and researcher. Her activism in the last ten years is focused on human rights, environmental protection, peacebuilding, and dealing with the past. She is an activist of the Foundation Atelier for Community Transformation – ACT and the Youth Center KVART from Prijedor. Azra is guided in her work by the values of solidarity, tolerance, courage, responsibility and unity.
Lecture:
Winding rivers, twisting facts: Fake narratives in Bosnia’s environmental struggles
As BiH faces mounting pressure from foreign (and domestic) resource extraction, a large part of our work becomes demystifying the subtle investor and government narrative tactics used to misinform and pacify the populace about the very real dangers facing our environment. Drawing on our experience fighting alongside activists for climate justice, we’ll be giving a short introduction into the state of ecological struggle in BiH and present some of the most pervasive fake narratives offered by the pro investor acters in response to questions, concerns, and issues with the “greenness” of the Green transition. Demystification requires staying informed, thinking critically, and a dash of playfulness.
Zlatko Ganić
Bio:
Zlatko Ganić – FABRIKA – Digital Media Director and experienced strategist with 16 years of expertise in the advertising industry. Skilled in digital display, Facebook & Instagram, and Google advertising, with a comprehensive understanding from theory to practical implementation. Recognized as a successful Digital Media Trainer, delivering training programs on various platforms. Proven track record as a lecturer at prestigious institutions, including LSPR (London School of PR), Employer Branding in Sarajevo and Belgrade, and Sarajevo’s Content Academy. A trusted Digital Communication consultant for reputable organizations such as British Council, IOM and Internews, focusing on digital media transformation.
Nowadays lecturer/professor at:
• LSPR (London School of PR – Sarajevo, Belgrade, Skopje)
• Employer Branding in Sarajevo and Belgrade
• Sarajevo’s Content Academy
• Burch University
• AI Academy Belgrade
Lecture:
AI – In the Prompt
Explores how artificial intelligence tools transform the creative process in communication, marketing, and design. Through real-world examples from agency practice, the lecture demonstrates how prompt engineering – defining role, context, command, and format – turns users into experts capable of shaping complex outputs across media. From generating ad copy and visuals with ChatGPT and DALL·E to crafting cinematic imagery in Midjourney or video concepts in Runway, the presentation shows how creativity and technology merge into a new workflow. The talk also introduces advanced tools such as Perplexity AI for research, Sintra AI for automated team support, and Botpress for AI agents, illustrating a future where human intuition meets machine precision. The goal is to demystify prompts – not as mere instructions, but as a new creative language that bridges ideas, tools, and imagination.
Dr. Peter Hall
Bio:
Peter Hall is Reader in Graphic Design, CCW, University of the Arts London. His research uses mapping and visualisation as participatory design processes, with a focus on the climate emergency and security. Dr Hall was previously Course Leader, BA Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London (2016–2021); Programme Director of BA Design and Design Futures at Griffith University Queensland College of Art in Australia (2012–15); Senior Lecturer in Design at the University of Texas at Austin (2007–12), and Lecturer in Graphic Design at Yale School of Art, USA (2000–2007). His essays appear in the journals Design and Culture, Design Philosophy Papers and the books Design in the Borderlands (2014), Graphic Design Reader (Bloomsbury 2018) and The Routledge Companion to Criticality in Art, Architecture and Design (Routledge 2018). His books include Else/Where: Mapping – New Cartographies of Networks and Territories (edited with Janet Abrams, 2006), Tibor Kalman: Perverse Optimist (1999) and Sagmeister: Made You Look (2001). He is a Visitor to the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway University of London and Co-founder of DesignInquiry, a non-profit educational organization devoted to researching design issues in intensive team-based gatherings.
Lecture:
Introduction to FLICC
Social scientists have been using diagrams and iconography to organise forms of climate denialism and greenwashing: how do these visual systems work and how might they be further developed?
Dr. Mehmed Cero
Bio:
Dr. Mehmed Cero is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Sarajevo. Since 2006, he has served as Assistant Minister in the Environment Sector at the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His professional responsibilities include issues of resource exploitation, especially biological and ecological resources; conservation and protection of biological diversity; climate change; and the protection of soil and water. He coordinates the development and preparation of expert bases for the creation and amendment of legal and sub-legal acts in the field of environment, as well as other tasks assigned by the ministers. Dr. Cero has also represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at the international level. From 1998 to 2024, he has been the Bosnia and Herzegovina national representative (NFP – National Focal Point) in the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen. Since 2003, he has also served as the Bosnia and Herzegovina national representative (NFP – National Focal Point) for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD). Through his academic and professional work, Dr. Cero continuously contributes to the development of environmental policies and the strengthening of institutional frameworks in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development.
Lecture:
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s climate change policy, a State and Perspective
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s climate change policy focuses on adaptation and low-emission development, supported by international partnerships like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Green Climate Fund. Key elements include the submission of a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in 2022, updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and a strategy for 2020–2030 that aligns with EU policies. The country is also working on strengthening its climate governance and data systems to better inform decision-makers (B&H national and subnational governments).
Jelena Kalinić, MA
Bio:
Jelena Kalinić is a biologist, science journalist, and science communicator, as well as the founder of the association Nauka i svijet (‘Science and the World’) and the website naukagovori.ba, through which she has for years been promoting scientific literacy and critical thinking in society. She holds a degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature. Her work is dedicated to exposing misinformation, particularly in the field of science, and to exploring the role and importance of science and scientific literacy for democratic processes and society as a whole. Her communication is clear, evidence-based, and aimed at connecting science with people’s everyday experiences.
Lecture:
The Climate of Deception: Truth, Art, and the Battle Against Climate Disinformation
This 45-minute lecture explores how fake news and misinformation shape public understanding of climate change — and how artists, journalists, and scientists can push back. Students will learn key scientific facts about climate change, how denial campaigns manipulate data and emotion, and why visual communication matters in building trust. The session also introduces the basics of investigative journalism in environmental topics: fact-checking, source verification, and storytelling. Through real-world examples and visual analysis of data sets, students will reflect on how art and media can either distort or illuminate the climate crisis.
Prof. Amer Mržljak
Bio:
Amer Mržljak was born in 1973 in Sarajevo. He graduated from the Department of Graphic Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo and earned his master’s degree in the same department in 2016. Since 2019, he has been engaged at the Academy of Fine Arts, currently holding the position of an Associate Professor.
He has worked as an art director within creative teams at Design Trio Sarajevo and the marketing agency Fabrika. Throughout his professional career, he has been involved in numerous socially engaged, cultural, and commercial projects, contributing to the creation of various publications. He has particularly been active in the field of advertising, participating in the making of numerous campaigns for both domestic and international clients.
Amer Mržljak has received several domestic and international awards and recognitions. He is the author of five solo exhibitions and has participated in several group exhibitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, and Japan.
His works have been published in various international magazines specializing in visual communications and arts, including “Print Magazine,” “How Magazine,” “Step Inside Design Magazine,” as well as publications such as “Innovative Promotions that Work” and “Anatomy of Design: Uncovering the Influences and Inspirations in Modern Graphic Design.”
Lecture:
Visual Communication: How design can shape understanding,
trust, and action on climate change
Visual communication plays a crucial role in describing and understanding climate change. Because climate processes are complex, global, and often invisible to the human eye, visuals help transform abstract scientific data into clear, reliable information. In an era of widespread misinformation, accurate and well-designed visuals are essential tools for clarifying facts and countering misleading narratives. Effective visual storytelling not only informs but also motivates behavioral and policy changes by making the consequences of inaction visible and immediate.
Emir Zulejhić
Bio:
Emir Zulejhić is a Program Coordinator of the disinformation debunking program at Citizens Association ‘Why not’ in Sarajevo. His main professional focus is information integrity, media and digital literacy, as well as accountability of the media and big tech platforms. He is one of the co-founders of Raskrinkavanje.ba, a Bosnia-based media and disinformation fact-checking platform. He started as a researcher in 2017 when the platform was established, then in 2018 moved to the editor role which he held for 5 years. Since 2023, he has been coordinating the work of the platform and all other related projects within the disinformation debunking program. Parallel to developing Raskrinkavanje.ba locally, he was also involved in the establishment of the regional fact-checking network SeeCheck, where he is currently Deputy Steering Committee member. Besides his management role, he is also part of the Editorial board of the SeeCheck website. He authored and co-authored many research papers, including the recent regional paper on climate disinformation in BiH, Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia.
Lecture:
Anatomy of Climate Disinformation
This lecture will enable participants to understand where and why (climate) disinformation comes from, and how anti-climate narratives are built and spread in the Western Balkans. They will gain insight into the trends and the ecosystem of climate disinformation through findings of a regional study on climate disinformation in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, published in July 2025.
Prof. Bojan Hadžihalilović
Bio:
Bojan Hadžihalilović, Professor of Visual Communication at the Academy of Fine Arts (ALU) in Sarajevo, is a Sarajevo-based graphic designer and creative director. He founded the design studio TRIO Sarajevo in 1985, which created album covers, daily newspapers and magazines, theatre and film posters, books, and other visual materials. Later, Studio TRIO established the agency Fabrika, which has grown into one of the largest design and marketing agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His work has received multiple awards and has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. Bojan Hadžihalilović teaches at the Department of Graphic Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo and also lectures on Visual Communication at the Academy of Performing Arts. The works of TRIO and Fabrika have been featured in numerous international magazines, including Graphis, Print, How, Step Inside Design, Life, Newsweek, The Face, Creative Review, Art Press, Flash Art, as well as in books such as Anatomy of Design, Innovative Promotions at Work, The Design of Dissent, Graphic Agitation II, Evil Doesn’t Live Here, Political Posters in Central and Eastern Europe 45–95, and Boundless Borders.
Lecture:
Propaganda and Design in Times of Crisis
This lecture examines the complex relationship between design and propaganda, particularly during moments of crisis, war, and social upheaval. Throughout history, posters, symbols, and mass-media visuals have been used to inform, persuade, inspire, and at times manipulate public perception. By analyzing key examples, we uncover how recurring visual strategies and persuasive codes reappear across different historical periods — only the technologies change. The session encourages participants to critically recognize emotional manipulation, misinformation, and hidden agendas in design. The ultimate goal is not merely to understand history, but to sharpen our perception as designers and visual citizens in the contemporary media landscape.