A couple of weeks have passed since I have last posted on this blog. I have had a very positive and intriguing experience during my travels through former Yugoslavia. Over the last few days I have been travelling with Derek through Croatia and tonight I will travel to Mostar in the southern Herzegovina province of Bosnia.
I really enjoyed my stay in Brćko although I was unable to explore it sufficiently because of the oppressing heat that would set in around 10 every morning. Fotunately I was able to get to know Gordana, the director of Svitac (Firefly Bosnia), better. We discussed some ideas for future projects and grants for Svitac as well as a potential youth partnership between Svitac and a youth organization in Seattle. Another idea is a grant for better internet connection at the youth center in Brcko (anyone interested in collaborating with this exciting idea when I am back in Seattle, please let me know!). I feel in addition to the amazing experience at the summer camp, this trip has been very worthwhile. Especially if it plants the seeds for future generations of Americans getting to know Bosnia better and vice versa.
I was also provided some interesting insight into the situation between the different ethnic groups in Brcko. To give you a better understanding of the current political structure in BiH (Bosnia Herzegovina), it was decided in 1995 at the Dayton Peace Accord that the nation BiH would be divided into two administrative entities. The Republic of Srpska administers 49% of the country and is is where a majority of Serbs live; and the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina administers 51% of the country and is where a good part of the Bosniak (Muslim) and Croat population lives. This may seem extremely confusing and to add to the confusion, Brcko and the Brcko District is a self-governed district that is also administered by international bodies (I won,t say forces because the US military was here to help stablize peace in the district but I believe they pulled out in 2004 and turned it over to a local force made up of the different ethnic groups). Brcko has been its own district since 2000 and I must admit I am still confused as to how and why it became its own entity when it was formally part of the Republic of Srpska between 1995 and 2000 (although don,t qoute me on this). I think it became a district to prevent Serbia (the nation) from annexing the Republic of Srpska and taking territorial claim over the Serbian area of Bosnia and thus leading to another conflict or war. Make sense?
In Brcko, it seems on the outside that the Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks all live peacefully and happily among each other in this sort of experimental, hybrid utopia. Indeed, the schools are integrated (except for religious classes) as well as most work places, particularly in the local government. Brcko is also becoming one of the most economically prosperous areas in BiH.
Looking deeper, I wonder if it isn,t as perfect as it seems. People seem to be civil to one another and live their lives. I wonder if the Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats in Brcko do spend time with each other and socialize with each other after school and work on their own accord at the end of the day. Would the youth who happily spent time with each other at the Firefly Camp in Croatia feel awkward hanging out with each other back home? Gordana mentioned that she hadn,t realized it until an international volunteer pointed out that there are distinctly Bosniak or Serb cafes in Brcko. Probably the strangest thing I discovered while there were the separate post offices for both Serb and Bosniak communities (and perhaps there was a Croat one that I wasn,t aware of as well) only about 75 meters apart from one another!
Although apparently secular, I was offered the insight that many people have become more religious after the war. More mosques as well as Catholic (for the Croat community) and Orthodox churches (for the Serb community) have gone up or been rebuilt (many destroyed during war). People who may not have previously been devoutly religious now show an attachment to their faith and thus their national/ethnic affiliation. Maybe it,s necessary in this day and age so that there is no awkwardness as you try to figure out someone,s ethnicity. May save some awkward moments later!
In the work place in Brcko, there is a system of quotas or affirmative action so that qualified individuals are not discriminated against if they are from a certain ethnic group. This differs say from Republic of Srpska where you may be blocked from employment or a place to live if you are Bosniak or vice versa in the Federation (if you are Serb or Croat). In Brcko you cannot be discriminated against but at the same time the quota system may work against you if you are applying for a position for which many other people from your ethnic group have already applied!! This makes employment and job prospects for certain individuals in some industries a bit tricky.
I,ll conclude this blog though and say that there is no perfect system. In spite of its inperfections and flaws, Brcko is a model for other communities in BiH. Perhaps the younger generation and their children will grow up optimistically and identify themselves as citizens of Brcko or Bosnia rather than as Serbs, Bosniaks or Croats. The enthusiasm, cooperation and carefree attitude I saw demonstrated by youth at the camp certainly gives hope to this!
1 comment:
You go girlfriend! In the short time I was there with Steph, it was nice to see beautiful countryside, roadside stands of rjecka (shnapps), local cheese, the whole community swimming in the local river... Then lots of buildings with large bullet holes. There were also a lot of buildings that were just abandoned with roofs caved in, I assumed these were destroyed during the war. Steph and I found a small castle tower off the beaten path in a small Bosnian town. I wanted to go closer, but was reminded that there might be mines. Our little discovery was dampened by not being able to "explore without consequences", I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to live in a country at war.
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