The countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Kosovo all used to belong to Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia means "Southern Slavs", and most of the languages in this area are similar enough such that anyone in Yugoslavia can communicate with anyone else. During the Cold War, Yugoslavia was ruled by Tito who famously broke with Stalin and helped found the Third World movement. The First World was the US aligned world. The Second World included the USSR-led world. The Third World was any country that refused to align with either. With the end of the Cold War, the term "Third World" has taken on more of an economic meaning than a political one.
Tito - half Slovenian, half Croatian - was able to suppress nationalist feelings amongst his countrymen. After his death, nationalist politicians started using ethnic divisions to their advantage, and soon the country fell apart. Slovenia got independence first in 1991 with a war that lasted 10 days. Croatia had a pretty bloody independence war starting in 1991. Bosnia - a mix of Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats, and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) - spiraled into war in 1992. Mix a multicultural and diverse country with nationalist / fascist politics and you're gonna have a problem.
The War in Bosnia ended just over ten years ago, but you can still see the scars of the war throughout Bosnia. I started off in Mostar, Bosnia, which is now home to mostly Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks. During the war, the two peoples united to fight off the Serb army, but then turned on each other. The city is now divided into a Bosniak portion and a Bosnian Croat portion. Between the two sections is a long boulevard on which almost all the buildings are either destroyed or are riddled with bullet holes. The Bosniak side of town is the "old town" which has been restored with foreign funds. It has a beautiful Oriental feel where shops sell hookahs and backgammon sets. The Croat side often looks as though the war ended a few months ago.
 |
| From Mostar, Bosnia |
My next stop was Sarajevo - the capital of Bosnia. Sarajevo is known for being the "European Jerusalem". Within a few blocks you can find a Christian Orthodox church, a Catholic Cathedral, an Islamic Mosque, and a Jewish Synagogue. Keep in mind that though these people are all considered "ethnically" different, they all look the same, speak essentially the same language, and can't really tell each other apart.
During the Bosnian War, the Serb army held a siege on Sarajevo from 1992 to 1995. They deliberately shelled civilians waiting in line for water, and had snipers in the hills take shots at civilians on a daily basis. These war crimes eventually led to a NATO-led bombing campaign on Serb forces and the Dayton Peace Accords.
In Sarajevo I met a bunch of journalists from Serbia and Bosnia who were in town for a conference. They were really nice and let me tag along with their group. We had a bit of a cultural exchange. I helped teach them my version of Kings- an international drinking game - and they showed me around. They were a diverse group representing every cultural group in Bosnia, but they all got along. There were a few mixed couples in the group, who were happy to report that their parents were OK with it. While there was no tension, it was impossible to escape history. When we walked down the boulevard in Mostar that separated the Bosniak and Croat sides of town, one of them mentioned that the Bosniak side had the bullet holes while the Croat side had the bullets. On the way back from our day trip to Mostar, we stopped off at restaurant that had full sheep rotating on a spit outside. We all had the "special" which was - surprise surprise - lamb. I noted that this would not be a very good place for vegetarians. One of the journalists noted it's also not a very good place for sheep.
 |
| From Sarajevo, Bosnia |
My next stop is Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. I've been hearing rave reviews that seem to put Belgrade at Prague / Budapest level. We shall see...
2 comments:
Interesting and well written. I wish I had met that group of journalists! Enjoy, Sarajavo is a nice city, isn't it?
Thanks! I'll take that as a huge compliment from a real journalist. If you want I can hook you up with those journalists - they live in Niš and I plan to visit later.
Sarajevo was great! Wish I had more time there.
Post a Comment