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Sevdah: The Perfect Marriage of Preservation and Innovation | Balkan Diskurs
Bojana Radić
March 29th, 2024
Sevdalinka (also known as sevdah) is the folk musical expression of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The word sevdalinka comes from the Arabic word sawda which means ‘black bile’ – one of the four bodily ‘humors’, which was believed to determine the melancholic state.
In Bosnian, sevdah took on the meaning of longing and of a zealous and sorrowful love. It is not possible to determine the exact period of the origin of sevdalinka, but it is assumed that it was created right after the Ottoman conquest of medieval Bosnia when the first urban settlements emerged. As they settled, the Ottomans brought with them certain musical traditions and melodies, which were representative particularly of the Asia Minor area. These melodies are part of a melodic system called makam and have their own characteristics, which the peoples of the Balkans adapted to their emotions with their singing. Sevdalinka is primarily an urban folk song of Bosniaks, but it is also popular throughout Southeast Europe.
Musically, sevdalinka is characterized by a light, slow tempo and rich harmony, which leave a melancholy feeling with the listener. They are very structurally complex songs and imbued with emotions, and they are traditionally performed with a lot of passion and soul. Like any art form, the traditional music of this area has its laws, history and future, and many performers opt for more modern performances of older versions by adding their personal stamp.
“The sevdah I sing is a wonderful genre that combines poetry and music in a miraculous way. I see it as a field of new possibilities,” reveals Damir Imamović, Bosnian musician, performer of traditional music, and singer-songwriter of sevdalinka.
He has performed in several bands and founded the Damir Imamović Sevdah Takht band in 2012. He also writes his own songs and says that nothing more than the inexplicable beauty of a text or melody will drive him to record a song. The song “Pjevat ćemo šta nam srce zna” (We’ll Sing What Our Heart Knows) performed by Amira Medunjanin was written by Damir. The album Singer of Tales received the Best of Europe award after being at the top of the Transglobal chart for months. Of the 100 best world music albums, he took sixth place and the album was also declared the best in the category of traditional music by the German Association of Music Critics.
When talking about the best in the world of sevdalinka, it is impossible not to mention Biljana Krstić from Serbia. After a career in pop music, in 2001 she founded Bistrik band through which she promotes ethno-musicological heritage. So far, they have released four albums: Bistrik, Zapisi, Tarpoš and Izvorište. Tarpoš featured in British world music magazine Songlines’ ‘Top of the world’ selection, as well as winning French magazine TRAD’Mag’s ‘Bravos’ award for lyrics of the month.
In addition to many other numerous awards, Biljana Krstić and Bistrik received the ‘Vitez srpske muzike’ (Knight of Serbian Music) award in 2009, and in 2015 Krstić and Miki Stanojević won the Grand Prix award for the music from the film Branio sam mladu Bosnu (I Defended Young Bosnia).
“Those songs of distant ancestors both make me happy and heal me at the same time. When I just remember how much time I spent with old music and audio recordings, with archive and field recordings… I listened to them God knows how many times, analyzed them, and learned to sing them. The source of traditional texts is always clear and strong. Those beautiful songs strike directly into the heart and flood the banks of all your senses. You feel as if time has been suspended, which is complemented by immense satisfaction and joy,” says Biljana.
For Vera Josifovska-Miloševska from Macedonia, traditional music is also a living, breathing thing. She is the vocalist of Ljubojna, one of the most prominent and most representative bands of traditional music. The band was formed in 2001 and in 2005, they recorded their debut album Parite se Otepuvačka (Money is Murder). In 2012, Vera Miloševska was chosen among the 12 best vocalists from the Balkans to participate in the Regional Cooperation Council project Les femmes des Balkans.
“What connects me to traditional music is love. These local melodies gain contemporary progression and expression through my singing,” she adds.
Among the newer performers of traditional music, it is worth singling out the Zagreb ethno-group Kazan. It was formed in 2012 and their debut album Ružo was released in 2018. Singer Dunja Bahtijarević says that it is important for her that traditional music be reinterpreted within a contemporary framework.
“Although there are different approaches, I think that traditional music is preserved by putting it in a contemporary context through adaptation and reinterpretation. At the beginning, I didn’t even know where my desire for exploring traditional music came from. At first, the songs were just beautiful to me, and then I discovered the opportunity of marrying something very authentic in myself and something very universal, or even modern, in those songs. All the songs survived because people have found themselves in them,” says Dunja.
For Dunja, as for the other artists, what is most inspiring is the dimension of time and the path that the songs have travelled from their inception to their current form.
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This article was initially published within the first edition of MIR Magazine. MIR, which means ‘peace’ in Bosnian is an annual publication and platform for young inventive people developed by the Post-Conflict Research Center and Balkan Diskurs. It is dedicated to individuals and organizations that left us a legacy of strongly built foundations to continue our fight for peace and justice.

created: March 29th, 2024

author: Bojana Radić


text:
Chris Leslie’s Photographic Journey as a Symbol of Hope and Resistance | Balkan Diskurs
Amina Sejfić
April 1st, 2024
BAFTA Scotland (New Talent) Award-winning photographer and filmmaker Chris Leslie began taking photographs whilst volunteering in the Former Yugoslavia in 1996. This led to the development of his career as a photographer, filmmaker, and communications manager for an international NGO documenting stories across Africa and Eastern Europe.
It all started when Chris graduated university in 1996 with a thesis entitled ‘The Forces Behind Nationalism and Ethnic Cleansing in the Former Yugoslavia’. As he himself says, these were 10,000 words that only gave a vague insight into the conflict but that, more importantly, started his obsession with all things Balkan. Lacking ideas on where to start his career path, Chris decided instead to look into volunteering in the region about which he had read so much.
While writing his first CV, he added ‘photography’ to the ‘Skills and Interests’ section, without ever having owned a camera nor taken a photograph. As luck would have it, he was soon invited to volunteer with an NGO in Pakrac, Croatia. His task was to teach black and white photography to children. This unexpected situation was the introduction to what would later become his life’s calling, and thus also began Chris’ long relationship and journey with the Balkan region and its people.
Chris’ Balkan Journey
“My whole love of photography started in the Balkans. That journey also determined the path of my career. Documenting peace and the slow rebuilding of a destroyed city resonated with me more than anything,” says Chris.
Many photographers became famous thanks to their images of the destroyed Yugoslavia. Many of them spent much of the war there documenting one of the darkest hours of human history. Later in the 1990’s, however, the international community turned its attention to other instances of global unrest. While other journalists, reporters and photographers began to engage in other conflicts to fulfill the daily demand for dramatic reporting, Chris Leslie had no idea that this region – the one that had already played such an important role in his student years – would change everything for him.
“I arrived in Zagreb, Croatia with somewhat sketchy photography and darkroom skills and armed with a donated Canon FT QL – a vintage 35mm camera – and Serbo-Croat phrasebook. Croatia’s capital Zagreb was in full late summer swing, packed out bars, restaurants, live music and cultural institutions aplenty. There was not a destroyed building or bullet ridden wall in sight. An hour or so into the train journey from Zagreb to Pakrac and this illusion of all being ‘normal’ was shattered as the landscapes and homes became increasingly bullet ridden and destroyed the closer the train got to Pakrac,” explains Chris.
Chris’ early photographs are raw and unfiltered, just like the war itself. In them, we see the consequences of lives that carried on despite being surrounded by so much evil. His photographs reveal people attempting to live normal daily lives whilst the damage to their homes attests to the other very real reality of their situation. We see places of worship reduced to rubble and streets and homes pockmarked by bullets and bombs.
On the subject of why he chose to do peace photography, Chris explains that, although it is war that most interests other people, for him, it is the new struggles that peace brings with it that are the most interesting, and the least talked about. “Once the war ended, most of the media left and Bosnia and Croatia were no longer in the headlines, and yet that was a time of enormous change and rebuilding. I was really interested in how people managed to pick up the pieces and move on, and these were important stories that needed to be shared. The war may have ended but many people were faced with new frontlines.
Sarajevo Camera Kids
The end of the war enabled a more peaceful life to gradually return to the streets of Sarajevo. The city was enjoying its long-awaited peace, but Sarajevans had no idea that some new battles awaited them.
Although he spent four months in war-ravaged Pakrac, Chris emphasizes that nothing could really have prepared him for what he encountered in Sarajevo. “The destruction of the city was jaw-dropping, surreal and seemingly total: rows upon rows of broken, bombed-out high-rise flats; shell craters and explosion indents everywhere; hospitals, offices and factories all in ruins,” he writes evocatively in his essay A City in Ruins / Sarajevo Camera Kids. Chris recalls how a year later he would return to Sarajevo to start a project that would serve as a portal to a world that no longer exists.
Sarajevo Camera Kids is a photo project that was developed in the basement of the Sarajevo orphanage, Dom Bjelave, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Using equipment and resources donated by people from across Scotland, Chris worked with children aged 6 to 16, teaching them basic photographic techniques and film development.
Chris explains how he was a bit overwhelmed by the interest at first and how his classes were packed with children eager to learn about this exciting new technology, and to run around their neighborhood taking photos of the places where they played and hung out. Although, as he puts it, his “basic language skills did not extend to teaching the technicalities of photography”, the most important thing was that the classes were simple and easy to follow, and that the children had fun. “The intention was to provide a creative outlet for these children who had dealt with a near lifetime of war and siege,” he adds.
“The war was over and I think photography gave them something in a period when they had absolutely nothing. It gave them time, space and a new way to look at their city,” adds Chris.
Although many anecdotes, memories and stories of great friendships sprung out of the three years that Chris worked on the project, one story in particular stands out for him. “There are a lot of memories. Perhaps the most vivid and memorable was when a young Oggi Tomić came into the basement as my first student. He grabbed the brush that I was using to clean out the darkroom space from me and explained I wasn’t using it properly. He then explained that he could get me lots of children from the orphanage to take part,” he recalls.
Sarajevo Camera Kids exhibition
More than two decades ago, Oggi Tomić, Dina Džihanić, Edina Hrnjić, Rina Trifković, Dženita Hodžić, Nusret, Muhamed Bošnjo, Jasmina Sabrihafizović, Amra Džihanić Barac, Senad, Mirnes Gagula, Sabina Demirović and Armin Demirović were experiencing the most devastating conflict in Europe since World War II. It attacked their city, their homes, and even their bodies. As children, they found respite in Chris and in photography.
As part of a project that includes the A Balkan Journey book, Chris Leslie opened the Sarajevo Camera Kids exhibition in Sarajevo on November 11, 2021, in partnership with the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC), with support from the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in cooperation with the City of Sarajevo’s Information Centre on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. It is dedicated to Edina Hrnjić and the other children of the Bjelave Orphanage. The exhibition testifies to the long-term con – sequences that orphanages and war have on the orphans themselves.
“I’m just glad the Sarajevo Camera Kids – now adults – will get a chance to see their work exhibited, and for all of Sarajevo to see it too. It’s an important documentation of a time in Sarajevo’s history,” says Chris.
Chris hopes that both the exhibition and book will show Sarajevans how special this city is and how much it has changed and been rebuilt since the end of the war. The road is long, and the journey is not over, but the stories of these children must not be forgotten. Their story is not just theirs – it belongs to every child. Although the past cannot be corrected, it is in our hands that the future lies.
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This article was initially published within the first edition of MIR Magazine. MIR, which means ‘peace’ in Bosnian is an annual publication and platform for young inventive people developed by the Post-Conflict Research Center and Balkan Diskurs. It is dedicated to individuals and organizations that left us a legacy of strongly built foundations to continue our fight for peace and justice.

source: news-balkandiskurs

created: April 1st, 2024

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Amina Sejfić


text:
Sexual Violence Cases at the ICTY: The Effectiveness of the Tribunal and the Complementary Role of the Court of BiH | Balkan Diskurs
Miriam Specka
April 5th, 2024
The ICTY was tasked with prosecuting the enormous number of human rights violations that were committed in Bosnia during the war. Although it had a number of successes and was generally well-viewed by the public, the Tribunal faced setbacks and many cases of wartime sexual violence have  most likely remained unpunished. As the Tribunal essentially had an expiration date from the start, local jurisdictions – such as the Court of BiH – have played a crucial role in completing its work and building on the precedents it set.
The establishment of the ICTY
Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), which was particularly prevalent during the war in the Former Yugoslavia, is set apart from sexual crimes outside of war zones by the fact that it is oftentimes used systematically as a weapon of war by belligerent parties in order to secure military objectives. Thus, it is not uncommon for wartime sexual violence to be committed as part of an “ethnic cleansing” or genocidal campaign. For example, CRSV can be committed with the intention of terrorizing a population to the point that they never wish to return to the land they were expelled from.
In response to the vast violations of humanitarian law that were being committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the surrounding region, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 827 (1993) set up the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) (Bridget Quitter, 2013. This Tribunal, alongside the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), was the first international criminal court since the Nuremberg and Far East trials, and shone a light on the atrocities that took place in the Former Yugoslavia – where tens of thousands of women, men and children were victims of sexual violence, opening up a space for survivors to testify and help bring perpetrators to justice.
Article 4 of the ICTY Statute allowed the court to prosecute genocide, and – under its definition of this crime – established that genocide can take place through “causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group” (Statute of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia). While not explicitly stated, rape and other forms of sexual violence can fall into this category, and thus the Statute paved the way for sexual violence to be tried not just as a weapon of war, but one of genocide as well. Likewise, Article 5 of the Statute gave the Tribunal the power to try those who commit enslavement, torture, and rape in armed conflict, under the umbrella of “crimes against humanity.” This facilitated both explicitly (by mentioning rape as a crime) and implicitly (considering that sexual slavery and sexual torture can fall into the categories of “enslavement” and “torture”) the prosecution of sexual violence in conflict. However, as the ICTY did not establish “sexual slavery” as a crime against humanity, and thus lacked the ability to directly try it as such ( as opposed to prosecuting this form of sexual violence under  the “broader crime of enslavement as a crime against humanity”), it was not until the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) was set up that sexual slavery was recognized as a crime against humanity by a Statute (UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, 2010).
As of August 2016, 78 people, or 46% of the 161 accused of war crimes by the ICTY, were indicted with charges of sexual violence, including rape, while  32 of those indicted with such charges  were convicted (ICTY, “In Numbers”). The MICT was set up to perform functions previously fulfilled by the ICTY after it closed in 2017 (IRMCT, “About”). In the period leading up to its closing, the ICTY also transferred cases to local jurisdictions, such as the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Court of BiH).
The effectiveness of the ICTY in trying CRSV
The ICTY was successful in many ways. It paved the way for reconciliation through the establishment of a body that would at least attempt to ensure war crimes were not left unpunished. One way the Tribunal’s success is made apparent is through the public’s positive opinion and trust in the court. According to a 2021 article published by the International Criminal Justice Review, which surveyed victims of human rights violations in BiH who testified before the ICTY or the Court of BiH, respondents were more likely to see the ICTY as fair when compared to the Court of BiH (Ivković et al., 2021). However, this does not mean the public had no trust in the Court of BiH. While the study reported higher trust in the ICTY than the Court of BiH, a 2007 survey found that Bosnian victims still saw the Court of BiH as the only “fair” domestic court (Ivković and Hagan, 2016).
However, the ICTY faced setbacks which affected its ability to fight impunity and ensure perpetrators of CRSV were brought to justice. A report by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations states that the ICTY and other tribunals established in post-war settings – which are meant to be temporary and thus have an expiration date – are not capable of dealing with all instances of crimes that theoretically fall under their jurisdiction (due to the sheer number of crimes that occurred) (UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, 2010). Furthermore, as it is difficult to gather evidence that would prove someone’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt, prosecutors will typically not press charges for cases they are not entirely certain will hold up in court, even if some evidence exists that the accused is guilty of those crimes. For instance, in 2009, Amnesty International criticised the ICTY’s conviction of Milan and Sredoje Lukić, for its failing to take into account allegations and “credible evidence” that the brothers were responsible for the rape of victims near Višegrad (Amnesty International, 2010).
Another obstacle faced by such tribunals is that prosecutors often find it difficult to convince victims and witnesses to help with the investigation, since those who suffered from or were present during instances of sexual violence often do not want to speak up due to trauma, shame or fear of retaliation. Nevertheless, the ICTY did set monumental precedents for witness and victim protection standards. Rule 96 of the ICTY’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence addressed the trauma that survivors of CRSV may experience in court and established that it is not necessary for a victim of sexual violence to corroborate their testimony, and that their sexual history cannot be admitted as evidence by the defence (ICTY, “Innovative Procedures”). It also allowed for witnesses, especially survivors of CRSV, to be protected by them to sit behind screens or even in an entirely different room while testifying (to preserve their anonymity and ensure that they do not have to see their aggressor) (ICTY, “Innovative Procedures”). Nonetheless, many instances of CRSV in Bosnia most likely remained unpunished, allowing  as  “sexual violence in armed conflicts, including grave sexual crimes amounting to have atrocity  crimes, is a much more widespread war crime than is reflected in these judgments” (UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, 2010).
The necessary role of local jurisdictions
According to the ICTY’s website, as a part of its Completion Strategy, the Tribunal transferred many cases to local courts, such as the  Court BiH, and the majority of the cases transferred included sexual violence charges (ICTY, “Landmark Cases”). Between 2005 and 2013, the Court of BiH, the Federation of BiH and the Republika Srpska, passed convictions for 76 war crimes cases involving sexual violence, which was more than the 68 CRSV charges the ICTY had issued by that point (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2014). An increased prioritisation of CRSV cases by Bosnian courts is apparent when one takes into account that between 2011 and 2013 around one in four war crimes cases in these courts involved sexual violence charges, a  number which rose to one in three in the period of  2014-2016  (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2017).
It is not necessarily that either the ICTY or the Court of BiH was more effective or essential in solving cases than the other. Rather, the two institutions complemented one  another, offering different statutes and jurisdictions. The ICTY was not set up to deal with civil suits, or “ordinary” crimes under international or national law (it was, rather, designed  to prosecute “grave international crimes” and “consequently their judgements dealing with sexual violence usually concern only grave instances of sexual violence” (UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, 2010). Thus, the assigning of certain cases to the Court of BiH could, in many ways, have overcome this barrier, as this body operates under the country’s domestic law and is capable of trying CRSV cases that do not amount to “grave international crimes.” Given that it is staffed by Bosnian nationals, the Court of BiH has also had the advantage of being able to provide what the Tribunal lacked: an environment where staff understood the culture, social norms, mentality and language of the survivors.
Meanwhile, administrative and judicial support from the international  community was a necessary measure during and after the war. It is likely that without internationally established precedents and the oversight of the UN, local jurisdictions such as the Court of BiH would never have been trusted by the local population. It is also plausible that, without an UN-sponsored tribunal, there would have been a greater degree of impunity for war crimes in general, considering that many people involved in the conflict later took on high-level social and political positions in the region.
However, both the ICTY and the Court of BiH have faced a common setback in their attempt to ensure justice is served: the passage of time. Victims of CRSV, potential witnesses, and perpetrators are passing away, setting the stage for certain cases of wartime sexual violence to never come to light or be prosecuted. To combat this issue, a practice was introduced by the Court of BiH in which evidence presented at the ICTY is kept as records, so that certain facts do not have to be substantiated and proven again in the Court of BiH trials, thus cutting down the length of procedures (Diane F. Orentlicher, 2017).
Despite their achievements, local jurisdictions have failed  to acknowledge instances of CRSV as what they are, instead labeling them as “regular crimes.” This failure to recognise that certain sexual crimes took place within the broader context of ongoing armed conflict is problematic for three reasons, according to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation (OSCE). First, it denies “survivors an acknowledgement of the specific trauma associated with such crimes” (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2017). It also means that victims of wartime sexual violence cannot benefit from the following precedent set by the ICTY: that claims of ‘consent’ cannot be used by the defence in cases of CRSV. Finally, by categorizing CRSV cases as “regular crimes”, limitations on these crimes are imposed, whereas such limitations cannot be applied to war crimes.

created: April 5th, 2024

author: Miriam Specka


text:
War Correspondents Working to Empower Bosnian Youth | Balkan Diskurs
Kristina Gadže
April 8th, 2024
Academy’s goal is to create works dealing with complex social, economic, and human rights issues, as well as creating the media space for them. This independent non-profit organization emerged from the VII Foundation, founded by world-famous photographers Ron Haviv and Gary Knight in 2001.
“The VII Academy is working to diversify photography and journalism by funding tuition-free long-form visual media education in underrepresented countries around the world,” explains Academy VII Sarajevo.
Many young creatives have been given the opportunity to develop professionally and bring their ideas to fruition, thanks to lectures by experts in the field.
“Our work includes funding three- to nine-month-long media courses online, from Boston to Vanuatu, Mosul and Dhaka, to train a new generation of visual journalists, and funding postgraduate scholarships to train a new generation of lecturers,” they add.
The lectures are held in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Bosnian, and Russian. They also train men and women working in very difficult conditions, such as asylum seekers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and photographers in Myanmar.
With the support of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Advisor Jennifer Stengaard Gross and her family, the Academy was founded by Gary Knight in 2018, but photographer Ziyah Gafić initiated the arrival of the Academy in Sarajevo.
“Gary and many members of the VII photo agency have a strong connection with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two of our photographers – Ziyah Gafić and Paul Lowe – live in Sarajevo, and many of the VII Foundation founders, including Gary, Alexandra Boulat, Ron Haviv and Christopher Morris, worked in Sarajevo during the war,” Academy VII explains the strong connection between the Academy and BiH.
Photographer Gary Knight points out that each one of the programs that they run is an opportunity for young people to acquire new skills and work together to solve problems. The programs are incredibly popular and the participants always talk about just how fascinating and special the opportunity is for them. Such programs that include the arts can significantly impact positive changes in society. The secret, as Knight states, is working with the right people.
In 2019, the Academy hosted the ‘VII in Sarajevo: Festival of the Image’. The festival program included a look at the state of the media in the Balkans, talks with photographers from the VII photo agency, and the Her Take: (Re)Thinking Masculinity exhibition that showcased the work of seven of the agency photographers. The next festival is on hold until 2022 due to the ongoing pandemic situation.
The festival and events like it motivate young people to further their training in the field of photojournalism.
“Large public events like these are very useful for students to network and, from our perspective, it is an effective way to simultaneously transfer a large amount of knowledge to a large number of people. I see them as active citizens who, by asking important questions, try to cross artificial divisions by working together to create a better, fairer, more open and more transparent society – a society they deserve and which rejects the weight of inherited history,” continues Knight, who describes all the young people he works with as very impressive, smart, engaged and active.
Through youth project programs, Balkan Diskurs Journalism, and the Srebrenica Youth school, the VII Academy has achieved very successful cooperation with the Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC). One of the lecturers of the VII Academy, Dr. Paul Lowe, has led training sessions in photo – journalism, visual literacy and portrait photography, in Sarajevo in 2019 and Vitez in 2021.
Participants learned how to use portrait photography to tell intimate stories about each other and about the people they would interview. I also led a workshop on photography and the Holocaust at the Srebrenica Youth School in 2021. The trainees in 2019 also participated in the BOLD project and, with the help of some donations, brought several projects to fruition,” says Dr. Lowe.
During the Srebrenica Youth School, PCRC awarded Dr. Lowe the Ordinary Heroes Prize for Moral Courage for his work on the fight for human rights in the region. Knight is also passionate about the fact that photography and visual literacy are important in building up young people’s critical thinking, and he adds that the use of visual media is part of the process of social control, but also of transparency.
In an unstable society, such as BiH, young people have a harder time encountering non-formal education.
“From an outsider’s perspective, BiH seems to be plagued by poor political leadership, corruption, kleptocracy, nepotism, lack of justice, lack of transparency, poor accountability, a large diaspora and very limited opportunities for significant employment. Foreign remittances amount to between 11% and 14% of GDP, which is one of the largest in the world, and the education system is neglected and underfunded, making it one of the weakest in the region. This is a very challenging environment for young people and their future,” says Knight.
Even during the coronavirus pandemic, however, the VII Academy, with the help of the VII Foundation, were able to offer online education and advanced professional development to anyone with an internet connection, through ‘VII Insider’.
So far, they have taught a significant number of young people in the country and, as Zulić points out, built strong relationships with local institutions. For example, they worked with IOM on a project to help migrants, and with the U.S. Embassy on their BOLD project. In April next year, the National Museum will also host an exhibition dealing with post-conflict societies, in collaboration with the Academy.
A journalism training program for young people, organized by PCRC and Kuma International,  is also on the agenda, as well as numerous other programs. All that is left is for the young people of BiH to join in and become part of this creative atmosphere.

created: April 8th, 2024

author: Kristina Gadže


text:
Fragile Hope and the Fate of Missing Persons in Lebanon & Bosnia and Herzegovina | Balkan Diskurs
Yana Ghazi
April 12th, 2024
“The families of the missing are both survivors and victims of the war, as they have survived the war yet they have lost a family member: the disappeared.” (Abdel Latif, The Families of the Missing in Lebanon, 2021)
The fate of the missing leaves unhealed wounds for decades after the end of a conflict. Their continued absence can be a reminder of failed institutional responses and the lasting effect of conflict beyond the laying down of guns. An analysis of missing persons and the pursuit of justice following war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lebanon reveals interesting commonalities and differences that are worthy of further study.
Communities attempting to process the past are left to deal with the ambiguity surrounding the fate of their missing loved ones. In Lebanon, more than 17,400 people disappeared (Djokanovic, Bojana, The Long Wait: Lebanon’s Missing Persons) in the civil war that plagued the country between 1975 and 1990, with many more losing their lives.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has been present on the ground since the mid-1960s, this translates to a third of the population being affected by the loss of members of their immediate family (Abdel Latif, The Families of the Missing in Lebanon, 2021). The years that have followed have been turbulent for family associations, which have led the fight for demanding action and justice. Moments of positive momentum have not led to cathartic change.
The post-war Lebanese reality and the measures taken by the highest authorities have reinforced and strongly encouraged forgetfulness (Young, Michael, The Sneer of Memory: Lebanon’s Disappeared and Postwar Culture, 2000), or what is also referred to as state-sponsored amnesia (ibid). Iosif Kovras describes this reality as institutionalized silence. (Özgür Sevgi Göral, Violent confrontations of the local, sectarian and international actors: “Institutionalized silence” of Lebanon and beyond).
Among these measures is the general amnesty law of August 1991 (Law 84), which stipulates a blanket amnesty over all crimes committed during the civil war, with some exceptions, including crimes committed against political and religious figures. It is important to note that there are voices arguing that this blanket amnesty should not be applicable to the crime of forced disappearance. The basis of this argument lies in the fact that forced disappearance is a continuous crime, as is stated in the national Lebanese legislation, namely the General Amnesty Law of 1991 (On Justice Denied: Interrogating Amnesty and Amnesia in Post-Conflict Lebanon,  Yale Journal of International Affairs, 2021)
In 1995, Law 434 was passed, shortening the necessary lapsed time period to have abducted persons legally declared dead (ibid) by their relatives to four years (Young, Michael, The Sneer of Memory, 2000). This legislative action was considered by many to be insulting to families, as they felt it killed any hope of finding their loved ones. Thus, perpetrators in power, including government officials, effectively washed their hands of culpability after 15 years of crimes, including forced disappearances. Amidst no effective legislation and political will, the responsibility of finding the missing and advocating on their behalf has been taken on by family associations.
Bosnia’s success and Lebanon’s frustrations
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 1992-1995 war resulted in approximately 31,500 missing persons. Over 90 percent of those reported missing were men (Hronešová, Jessie, Bones and Recognition: Compensating Families of Missing Persons in Post-War Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2018). As of today, around 75 percent have been accounted for. This high proportion of discovered missing persons is unprecedented when compared with other post-conflict societies. What is important to note is the institutional capacity that Bosnia and Herzegovina has been able to build in order to reach these figures, something Lebanon cannot claim to be true in its case.
The International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP), among many other organizations, has supported Bosnia and Herzegovina in building a comprehensive framework for determining the fate of its missing persons. Bosnia and Herzegovina has signed the Declaration on the Role of the State in Addressing the Issue of Persons Missing as a Consequence of Armed Conflict and Human Rights Abuses, along with Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Bosnia and Herzegovina is also a signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED). Lebanon has signed but not yet ratified the convention.
Among the reasons for the substantial work accomplished in Bosnia is, according to Political Sociologist, Jessie Hronešová, how the Srebrenica Genocide propelled the issue onto both domestic and international agendas in the years following the war (Hronešová, Bones and Recognition, 2018). Operationally, the fact that the ICMP was established and headquartered in Sarajevo before moving to The Hague also eased some of the challenges faced in accomplishing its mission (Hronešová, Jessie, Bosnia: The Search for Missing Persons, 2015). The ICRC has been attempting to lay the ground for a national process in Lebanon for years now, including through data collection and attempting to build the capacity of authorities to fulfill their responsibilities. Unfortunately, both endeavors have been, thus far, fruitless (Bell, Jennifer, Lebanon’s Missing: Painful Search for Answers Continues 48 Years after Civil War, 2023).
The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) has also supported Lebanon in its quest to uncover the truth about the missing. With no trials and prosecutions taking place, even the collection of information in Lebanon has become increasingly harder (Abdel Latif, The Families of the Missing in Lebanon, 2021).
A common struggle in civil societies
Civil society, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Lebanon, has been persistently voicing its demands for justice and efforts to find the missing. In Bosnia, Bosniak families created 12 municipal associations for the missing (Hronešová, Bones and Recognition, 2018). The Mothers of Srebrenica and their efforts culminated in the opening of the Srebrenica Memorial Center. Their journey to justice was not easy, especially at the beginning when they were not taken seriously by authorities due to their being women from rural areas, often uneducated (Khan, Amil, To Know Where He Lies | Remembering Srebrenica, 2017).
They tirelessly support the International Commission for Missing Persons, sharing DNA samples, and identifying bodies as well as personal belongings. As of today, over 75 percent (7,607 people) of missing persons in Bosnia have been found (Tesija, Vuk, et al, International Missing Persons Day Commemorated in Ex-Yugoslav Countries, 2023).
In Lebanon, efforts to account for the missing were initiated by several organizations. These included the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared, which received support from the ICRC, the Follow-Up Committee for the Support of the Lebanese Detainees in Israeli Prisons, and the Support of Lebanese in Detention and Exile. One important NGO supporting the cause is ACT for the Disappeared and their interactive platform, Fushat Amal (Space of Hope), featuring stories of those missing. Women have an especially important role in leading these movements as many of their husbands were kidnapped (Abdel Latif, The Families of the Missing in Lebanon, 2021) showcasing the gendered impact of this issue prevalent in both post-conflict countries. Just as the Mothers of Srebrenica tirelessly fought to seek justice for their missing sons and husbands (who make up over 90 percent of those missing in Bosnia) so have the women of Lebanon fought to find their missing men.
Following the tireless work of Lebanese family associations, especially the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared, two commissions of inquiry came into existence (2000-2001), followed by a third, joint Lebanese-Syrian commission in 2005 (Maalouf, Lynn, No Resolution for the Missing Persons in Lebanon, 2016).
However, these commissions did not lead to any substantive findings. Security service representatives among others were appointed by the government to investigate the cases of over 17,000 disappeared in Lebanon, casting doubt over the impartiality of their findings in the context of widespread impunity. The final report produced by one of the commissions concluded that most of those who have disappeared are most likely dead (ibid). Alarmed by the lack of action undertaken by the government, family associations continued tirelessly, demanding to know the truth of their missing loved ones, including those abducted by actors during the Israeli occupation (Mowles, Chris, The Israeli Occupation of South Lebanon, 1986) and Syrian intervention in Lebanon (Lawson, Fred H, Syria’s Intervention in the Lebanese Civil War, 1976: A Domestic Conflict Explanation, 1984). This further complicates the already sensitive issue, as some of those abducted are believed to have been transferred to prisons and other confinement centers in the two countries that exercised territorial control over parts of Lebanon until the early 2000s.  Despite these challenges, families have continued fighting for legislative reform.
With the support of the ICTJ, Lebanese lawyer Nizar Saghieh drafted the Law for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared in 2010 (Law 105). Lebanon’s highest administrative judicial authority, the State Consultative Council, recognized this right to know in 2014. Following this, families were granted access to previously confidential archives gathered by the first commission of inquiry created in the year 2000 (Seeking the Truth about the Missing in Lebanon: An Interview with Nizar Saghieh, 2014). Renewed hope echoed in response to the promulgation of Law 105 for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons in November 2018. This legislative step taken by the Administrative and Justice Parliamentary Committee was regarded as a beacon of hope for justice (El Bejjani Noureddine, Nour, Lebanon Edges Closer Toward Truth for Families of the Missing and Disappeared, 2018). This legislation established an independent commission, the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons in Lebanon (Guide to the Law 105 on the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons: Questions and Answers – Lebanon, 2022) which was tasked with investigating the fate of the missing. The Commission was mandated with exhuming mass graves and protecting DNA samples (ibid) both urgent matters considering how protracted any action has been to address this issue. The appointment of members of the Commission took place in 2020. Hopes were high that this would build on the breakthroughs achieved through civil pressure, including the legally recognized “right to know”.
Ever since, however, no measures have been taken to further advance this pursuit of justice. Considering the multifaceted crisis – political and economic – Lebanon is currently facing, hopes remain low as to seeing any renewal of efforts. Despite decades of pressure from civil society, the effective involvement of state authorities is necessary for concrete results (Maalouf, Lynn, No Resolution for the Missing Persons in Lebanon, 2016). The executive paralysis of the state is a major hindrance to the efforts of civil society in Lebanon.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite many challenges, an unprecedented comprehensive law on missing persons was adopted at the state level. The Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Law on Missing Persons in 2004. This was the first such legislative act adopted at the state level in a post-conflict society. Considering the structural complexity inherent to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s model of governance, the passing of this law can be deemed a huge success. One of the foreseen institutions is the Missing Persons Institute (MPI), which is tasked with tracing missing persons and issuing the necessary documents in this process. Along with the creation of the Fund for the Families of the Missing, this shows the strong institutionalized approach that has yielded the high percentage of discovered missing persons.
Article 3 of the Law on Missing Persons stipulates the right to know of the families of those missing.  The law states the responsibilities of the entities to protect this right: the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska, as well as the Brčko District. It obliges them to provide the necessary assistance and information to the bodies involved in the search for the missing. These bodies include the ICRC, ICMP, the Missing Persons Institute, and the Red Cross Society (Article 6, Law on Missing Persons 2004, Bosnia and Herzegovina). Similar to Law 105 in Lebanon, the Law on Missing Persons in BiH also contains a legal definition of “missing person”. The law also sets out the protocol for submitting a tracing request, as well as specificities surrounding the termination of the status of a missing person. In order to preserve the collected data, the Central Records of Missing Persons in BiH was also created and is to be maintained by experts of the MPI.
Today’s ongoing struggle
Remains of the missing are still being exhumed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2021, 80 victims were discovered despite the challenges faced with COVID-19 restrictions (Grebo, Lamija, Bosnia Finds More Wartime Missing Persons in 2021, 2021).  A few months ago, the remains of a victim of the Srebrenica  Genocide were discovered by the Missing Persons Institute in Brčko (Talha Öztürk, Mustafa, Bosnia unearths remains of 1995 Srebrenica genocide victim, 2023). During this year’s Srebrenica commemoration in July, 30 newly identified victims were buried (Kurtic, Azem. “30 Srebrenica Victims to Be Buried at Genocide Commemoration, 2023). Meanwhile, the families of those missing in Lebanon cannot lay their loved ones to rest or even know the truth of their whereabouts. As time progresses, hopes are fading in the Levantine nation.
As international attention on these post-conflict nations wanes, raising awareness of the fight for truth is as important as ever. On the 30 of August this year, the International Day of the Disappeared, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network BiH launched a video campaign that sheds light on the pain felt by the family members of those who are still missing (Stamatoukou, Eleni, BIRN BiH Launches Video Campaign about Missing Persons, 2023). In June 2023, the ICTJ and the Committee of the Families of the Kidnapped and Disappeared in Lebanon released the book entitled Windmills of Our Hearts, composed of short stories by 15 female relatives of the missing and forcibly disappeared (In a New Book, Women Relatives of the Missing in Lebanon Use the ‘Ink of Their Hearts’ to Tell Their Stories | International Center for Transitional Justice, 2023). The family associations and international organizations in both Lebanon and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to shed light on the ambiguity that haunts the families of the missing to this day, decades after the end of conflict.

created: April 12th, 2024

author: Yana Ghazi


text:
Sassja: We are all different people, but we have that common thread | Balkan Diskurs
Slobodan Blagovčanin
April 14th, 2024
We know Sanela Halilović, “Sassja,” as the lady of the Bosnian rap scene, with a recognizable voice and attitude. In her private life, she is first of all a mother, then a graduate with a master’s in pharmacy, and a workaholic. She is someone who has a lot of energy and is constantly looking for positivity around her.
Sassja was born and grew up in Tuzla – a city known for its interculturality. She says that she did not think much about how Tuzla had influenced her, about its uniqueness, until she started traveling.
“I love Tuzla, but above all I believe in it. There are good and bad people everywhere, but there is simply a sense in Tuzla that your name does not matter at all. If the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina were not as it is, Tuzla would not be written about as unusual. I didn’t think much about Tuzla in that way, until I started traveling and touring other cities in BiH,” Sassja tells us.
She tells me that interculturality is not imposed on you nor something you learn, it is simply how people live in Tuzla. She gladly points out that she celebrates all the holidays with her family and friends: “My friend had a new girlfriend and we all asked him who she was. Instead, he answered: She celebrates everything. Just like a true Tuzla girl.”
The city known for its urban culture and numerous bands inevitably influenced Sassja musically too.
“Maybe that’s why it affected me. I think that Edo Maajka once said that it is unbelievable that such a small town has so many rappers, break-dancers, song writers… Maybe now it is a little diluted, because we all found our way somewhere else, but at some point it really was so. Everybody is doing something and they are really good at it,” says Sassja.
She says that her mother is to thank for the beginnings of her music career. It was her mother who bought her a synthesizer on which she started learning notes and playing songs. Growing up, she says, it was not easy to get to new music as everyone just listened to what their parents listened to.
“At the time, I couldn’t know if Dino Merlin stole the song from Michael Jackson or vice versa. Who took it from whom? Those were the times! I was little, I didn’t know what was going on there. An older neighbor, Melika, used to play Michael Jackson for us. It was the highest quality music. I listened to everything: rap, rock, metal, whatever I could get my hands on. Nobody had to tell me who Bob Marley was,” recalls Sassja.
In the absence of music and material for creating new sounds, Sanela would record and compose music by using bits and pieces of Michael Jackson’s songs. She was in elementary school when she started creating new beats and sounds for herself.
“My playtime included playing synthesizer, singing, writing. At that time, I still didn’t know about rap. I also wrote poetry. Once at school we had homework to write a poem about our mothers, which I did, and I quite liked it, and then I started writing poems about everything,” she recalls.
Her other great love is graffiti, which she became familiar with for the first time in elementary school. After seeing a friend draw something on the table, Sanela, being a curious child, immediately started drawing graffiti in her notebook. Walking through the city, she began to notice graffiti on buildings, but she did not like it. Only years later would she understand why.
Later in high school, I would meet a guy who drew graffiti, and only then would I find out that it is illegal, and that is why they are so ugly – they are always in a hurry, so no one sees them drawing on buildings. Later I started to draw them, but in legal places,” she says.
Regarding Sanela’s personal development, she highlights two things that shaped her and directed her on the right path while growing up: Telex, the Tuzla Youth Center, and positive role models like local artists, Defence and Edo Maajka. Without them, she says, she could have very easily ended up “on the streets.”
“We started gathering there and my mother took me to English classes there too. They even had computers. Then I saw that some bands had rehearsals there, so I learned to play the guitar at Telex. At the same time, I went to the Youth Theater, where we acted in the play I will wait for you. Later, the Tuzla Youth Theater opened. Although I almost ended up on the street, the theater directed my creativity to the right track. I knew what I needed to do and what I needed to not do to be one of the socially engaged young people. I hung out in Telex, played, sang. But I always knew where the limits were, so I would be given the opportunity to be in that play I really wanted to be in,” says Sassja.
The discovery of Defence and Edo Maajka was important for the beginning of her music career, leading to her recording her first song, which she paid for in three loan installments.
“At FM JAM I first heard Edo Maajka and I stuck to him. Then I heard about Defence, and boom! Their gigs, that kind of madness, the silence, hugs, then the reggae sound, were all things I started to make sense of. As I hung out with these rockers here, the only logical thing was to make a real reggae band. However, I didn’t know how difficult it would be to gather people who both wanted to do it and knew how to do it. So, we’d rehearse the first, the fifth time, this one can do it, this one can’t, this one doesn’t know, and then I wrote the lyrics… and then I discovered the Internet. I found reggae instrumentals which could be downloaded for free. Then I was told about a studio nearby, and that it only cost 50 Bosnian Marks to record. So I did it. I recorded my very first song “Leave it burning” (original title: Ostavi da gori). I paid for it in three loan installments. There just wasn’t a lot of music I could listen to so I made my own music,” recalls Sassja.
When they played Sassja’s first song in the famous Tuzla cafe Sloboda, she could not hold back her tears of emotion.
I uploaded my first song on the internet. About ten days later, it happened that Defence was performing in Sloboda so of course I went, only to hear them play my song. I just froze. DJ Soul playing my song. I just stood there crying. I went there with my friends to enjoy the gig and they played my song. Unfortunately, that was the last Defence concert in Tuzla.”
The Sassja we know today is part of the FM JAM music movement, which has been working on the promotion of music and culture since its inception in 1999. They are based in Tuzla.
“FM JAM is a new culture. FM JAM is full of different people, but we have something in common. I can’t describe it. We just see it in some of the people who come and talk to us. We simply know when we feel that spark in others. It’s like ‘Oh yes, he is one of us’,” says Sassja.
She emphasizes how only men played her kind of music at the beginning of her career. But if she had been discriminated against at all in that environment, she would not be where she is today.
“There is a slight kind of bias, but I don’t think it’s intentional, because when I started, it really was only men that were involved in this music,” she says.
Sassja announces her plan and desire to return to her reggae sound, although she points out that it is not easy at all, because she is the first woman to do it in BiH. “I think people are ready for that music genre now,” she says with joy, because, as she says, it was reggae that made it all happen for her.

created: April 14th, 2024

author: Slobodan Blagovčanin


text:
Treehana: Spreading Love through Clothes | Balkan Diskurs
Andrea Aleksić
April 19th, 2024
This young designer’s love for fashion and creativity developed at a very young age, from when she redesigned and sewed new clothes for dolls with her mother and grandmother. Now, Tihana Todić’s philosophy as a designer is to be totally dedicated to each and every customer, as to the dolls of her childhood.
From those early beginnings, Tihana’s mother then taught her to sew on a machine, but a more serious interest arose only when she enrolled in textile and clothing design classes. She then learned everything there was to know about sewing, as well as tailoring, both of which were still only improved with lots of practice. Out of a love of fashion and the creation of new garments, the idea for an entrepreneurial idea was born.
“It all started out of a love for fashion and the way we dress. I wanted other people to feel that love too. Nowadays, a lot of the clothing offered to us is the same, and that’s just not for me. So, my private and professional interests merged to create Treehana,” she says.
She explains how she works on her creations wherever she goes, that is, whenever and wherever the inspiration strikes. There are no rules – it can come to her while she is working on existing clothing items, or while reading, listening to music or out walking.
Now that her pieces have moved into the virtual world, so to speak, they have become available to whichever customers might like her work and want to wear her clothes. But getting going online was not easy.
“My biggest challenge was using social networks that, up until then, I had used exclusively for fun. I now had to look at the entire online world from a different perspective. I did this all by myself because I wasn’t coming to an established company with a developed digital marketing system. You can overcome such obstacles only through research, learning and perseverance,” she explains.
Tihana emphasizes, however, just how important social networks are, not only for small businesses, but for all businesses.
“In a relatively short time you can reach clients from all over the country and the world, depending on the target group. If you do something out of love and not just for money, something that is unique, your modest efforts will be very well recognized on the market. People love hand-made products that are not mass-produced. Of course, your product needs to be of high quality to make an impact and be recognized,” says Tihana.
This young designer gladly dares to interact with her audience and uses social networks for new ideas. She recently asked her followers on Instagram what they want to see in her new collection.
“I asked them because buyers should always be listened to, but I should definitely incorporate their needs in accordance with my ideas and aesthetics. That’s the happy medium. Customer relations are very important. I try to dedicate myself to each client individually, to suggest some ideas to them, to listen to their suggestions and desires for a piece. That is the philosophy of my business, to dedicate myself to each customer individually, to sew things for each customer exactly according to their body measurements,” she explains to us.
She notes that her customers prefer comfortable and practical items that stand out for their design.
“Usually, I make a piece as if it were for me, without thinking about whether it will be too much. Sometimes I just cut the material with scissors, sew it, and in the end I have a great result. I don’t always need to make special cuts and sketches, choose the material especially, and so on. The more unusual an item of clothing is, the better it sells,” adds Tihana.

created: April 19th, 2024

author: Andrea Aleksić


text:
Enis Čišić: From Bosnia to Marvel | Balkan Diskurs
Anja Zulić
April 22nd, 2024
Enis Čišić is obsessed with his job. He is a freelance visual artist from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) whose first encounter with a pencil – inspired by pictures from encyclopedias, picture books and a favorite television program – began in the 1980s.
Although he absorbed ideas from various media, his creativity was mostly awakened after watching animated or feature films, after which Enis would take a pencil and try to reproduce on paper what he saw on the screen. Ever since then, the strong desire to express himself through drawing simply grew and grew.
“Proof of my interest in the visual narrative are the drawings I found in a photo album, probably made when I was six years old. They are scenes of a plane fight that I saw in a partisan film. I would set up the planes and start drawing their positions and the dynamics of the fight in the air until the paper was completely covered. It was all forming before my eyes as I drew.  I did not separate it out through frames, but it was all one drawing until the paper became congested with lines, and the shapes of the planes could no longer be recognized. It was only later that I learned that image montage has a better effect, and that’s when my first comic was created,” Enis recalls.
Between agency work and freelancing
Before putting his career as an illustrator and comic book artist first, Enis worked in the advertising industry. However, he wanted a change and decided to leave his agency job. He was grateful for everything he had learned working in advertising, and from the people with whom he had worked, but the desire to dedicate himself to comics was stronger.
“The change happened when I got hired for Marvel Comics and it wasn’t possible to work in two places at the same time. My decision was the right one and very important for my career, and if I hadn’t made it I probably wouldn’t be where I am now. However, I do that quite often. I change my course because I like changes and I try to get out of my comfort zone as often as possible,” he adds.
Enis is interested and motivated by lots of different things. So far, he has done illustrations for books, background illustrations for commercials, animation, and storyboards for movies. He collaborates with various artists, from musicians to directors and writers. He says that he likes to cooperate and socialize with people who know more than him, and that he does not limit himself in the way he shapes his or someone else’s ideas.
The comic scene in the Balkans
Comics are part of a large industry and go hand in hand with the gaming and film industries. America, Italy and France are the most productive countries in the field of the ninth art, with an astronomical number of annual editions between them.
Enis explains that the Balkans had a long tradition of comics before the war. There were serious comics and an even more serious culture of reading them, but the situation changed after the war. The comic scene in the Balkans has started to develop again, but BiH has lagged behind.
“We don’t have a single comic book publisher, only a small number of enthusiasts who probably have to finance their own publications. The situation is much better in the neighbouring countries because there are a lot of quality comic book publishers. Fibra is definitely the number one in Croatia, and there’s Darkwood and Happy Thursday (Veseli četvrtak) in Serbia,” he says.
He adds however that BiH can boast of comic shops in several cities, as well as comic festivals. He singles out Salon stripa in Laktaši and Mostrip in Mostar.
“These people do a great job of promoting comics through exhibitions, forums, lectures, workshops and the like. There are interesting statistics that I have heard about, that there are approximately 47 comic book festivals in the former Yugoslavia, which is a larger number than in the whole of France, which has a very strong comic market. But again, all cartoonists are looking for a job with foreign publishers, because in the end there aren’t enough readers in this area to be able to make a living from the art,” explains Enis.
When a little boy’s dream came true
Enis used to practice drawing by studying the works of Marvel artists. As a boy, he would copy John Busceme’s Spiderman, and then as an adult he was actually given the opportunity to draw characters like Spiderman, Iron Man and the Hulk. The work for Marvel Comics came as a result of many years of work on his portfolio, and a little luck.
“Luckily, Marvel Scout for Talents, CB Cebulski, came to this area in search of new cartoonists at the Mafest comics festival, which is organized every year in Makarska. It was a unique opportunity to show my work. There were a lot of cartoonists from the region and I honestly didn’t expect to get the job. After talking to Cebulski, I got a few rehearsal comic scripts and had to choose one of those scripts out of which I did six test pages of a comic. Following that, I got a contract and started working on my first project immediately.” And so his story with Marvel began.
Reliving the siege of Sarajevo through comics
The public might also know this talented cartoonist through illustrations of the comic The Secret of Nikola Tesla, based on one of the stories from The Secret of Raspberry Jam (Tajna džema od malina), by the famous Bosnian writer and journalist Karim Zaimović (1971-1995) who tragically passed at the end of the war.
“Writer and journalist Aleksandar Brezar came up with the idea to turn one of the short stories from the collection The Secret of Raspberry Jam into a comic, so he got in touch with me. Working on that comic was very important to me because I got a chance to adapt a piece of what Karim had created. It was also an opportunity to revive his work through the medium that Karim loved so much. I brought a lot of my memories from the siege period into the comic.  I wanted to visualize the scenes of the city from that time and create a portrait of the city as I remember it. Karim wrote texts about comics as well as scripts for his future comics at a time when I was reading and dreaming about working on a script,” explains Enis.
How is a comic created?
All comic book lovers appreciate the work put into it and Enis points out how drawing a comic is actually a multidisciplinary job: a cartoonist must be a director of photography, character and costume designer, set designer, cameraman, and editor. Each bit of work on a comic requires extensive preparation and the amount of work to be done depends on the number of pages and the complexity of the story.
“A cartoonist who has practiced the craft well uses creative processes to translate the text into pictures and thus tell the story. With that story, you communicate directly or indirectly with the audience in the hope that you will awaken certain feelings in them, which is why comics are as important as any other art,” he says.
Enis’s work begins with reading a page of the script which he breaks into several pictures that describe the transition between the beginning and end of a certain sequence.
“After that, I draw a storyboard or a rough sketch of the comic page. It takes me three to four days to complete one page that has an average of 5 to 8 frames, while for example for Marvel I had to work one page a day due to short deadlines. I have my own rhythm by which I complete my daily tasks, depending on the project and deadlines, so I don’t really pay attention to working hours.”
He isn’t one for movie adaptations
Although he has collaborated with the famous Marvel, which includes a whole series of films based on comic book heroes, Enis rarely watches comic book adaptations, because, as he says, everything has become banal and looks the same.
When it comes to his favorite comic, it’s hard to single out just one.  Some are dear to him just because of the drawings, and some because of the story.
“The Yugoslav comic magazines Spunk and Strip Art are always an inspiration to me because that’s where I discovered European and other international authors such as Jean Giraud Moebius and Juan Giménez, and their influence on me is indescribable. Both artists collaborated with Alejandra Jodorowsky on plans to make a film adaptation of my favorite novel, Frank Herbert’s Dune.  Moebius drew a storyboard and designed the characters, but after filming fell through, Jodorowsky did a comic book instead, inspired by Duney, called Metabarons,” Enis recalls.
His plans for the future are constantly changing, but his goals, he says, remain the same, and he wants to continue doing the things he dreamed about as a boy.
“Some of these dreams are difficult to make happen here, so my direction is oriented across the border. I try to connect my experiences of using different tools in visual art, be it comics, illustration or animation, because I think it is important to adapt today. Technology is changing, and so are the tools I use. What is more important is that ideas and concepts must be the pillar of everything,” concludes illustrator and comic artist Enis Čišić.

created: April 22nd, 2024

author: Anja Zulić


text:
Media and Information Literacy: Bosnia’s Modern-Day Challenge | Balkan Diskurs
Amir Barleci
April 26th, 2024
Media and information literacy (MIL) constitutes an important segment in the lives of young people. It is arguably one of the most crucial skills of the 21st century. Despite this, formal MIL education remains hard to access in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Associate Professor Dr. Lamija Silajdžić from the Department of Communication at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo considers MIL to be highly significant in the education of young people who are nowadays most exposed to the challenges of the digital environment.
“This topic is important in education to ensure young people enhance their cognitive, technical, and social skills, enabling them to effectively utilize the information they are exposed to today,” Silajdžić stated.
According to Silajdžić, the concept of improving one’s MIL in our country’s educational system is supported by enthusiastic individuals and (non-)teaching staff.
However, it is still not a strategic policy. So far, only the Sarajevo Canton has stated its commitment to MIL, with the adoption of the Strategy and Action Plan (2022) for the integration of media and information literacy into educational systems, though implementation has not yet begun.
In higher education, as explained by Silajdžić, the subject of MIL is studied at the Faculty of Political Sciences and the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Sarajevo.
Integrating MIL Into Education
Emina Adilović, Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Sarajevo, believes that it is necessary to discuss MIL from the earliest age.
“We should not fall into the trap of so-called technological determinism, which advocates a technocratic approach and the belief that it is possible to find solutions to all social problems today through specific tools and software. Instead, it is much more useful to adopt an approach that will not only involve finding useful digital tools but also include critical thinking about all aspects of digital, media, information, and algorithmic weaponry, which, again, can be achieved through the integration of MIL into the educational system,”Adilović believes.
As leading member of the Intercultural Perspectives on Information Literacy and Metacognition (IPILM) course, which the University of Sarajevo has been organizing for years in collaboration with colleagues from several universities worldwide, Adilović explained that this is a unique example of promoting education aimed at developing critical citizens. It is not project-oriented but driven by the enthusiasm of students.
“So far, this course has involved several hundred students from around the world who, in an intercultural environment, have the opportunity to learn from each other about a topic that is common to all of us,” Adilović concluded.
Innovative and Intercultural Approaches to MIL
Adilović insists that all students, regardless of their choice of study, can find themselves studying topics that require MIL.
“My previous experience has shown that it is always possible to find an innovative approach to these topics, using contemporary issues and examples that students can use to better connect this concept with everyday phenomena and challenges. However, it is important to consider that adopting MIL competencies is a long-term and lifelong process,” Adilović believes.
Adilović stresses the importance of the mentoring process during the IPILM course, particularly given the diverse group of information professionals who often make up the class. With this in mind, she notes the possibility of an intercultural approach to the module.
“In this way, students and course participants can gain insights and compare different examples and cases from environments they otherwise would not have access to. They can also get to know colleagues from other backgrounds, with whom they often stay in touch even after completing the international course,” Adilović stated.
Reflecting on the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and MIL, Associate Professor Silajdžić stated that AI is another digital challenge that can be overcome through good MIL.
“Artificial intelligence can be used for both good and bad purposes; the responsibility lies with the individual,” Silajdžić added.
Silajdžić and Adilović urge young people to take time for critical reflection on the information they read and consume, while encouraging them to use all kinds of media and information to learn and grow.

created: April 26th, 2024

author: Amir Barleci


text:
Maja Milinković: The Musician Blending Portuguese Fado with Bosnian Sevdah | Balkan Diskurs
Amir Barleci
April 29th, 2024
Sixteen years ago, Sarajevo singer-songwriter Maja Milinković first heard Portuguese fado (meaning ʻfateʼ in Portuguese). She has since become a pioneer, along with her ensemble, in introducing this musical genre to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Merging it with the traditional Bosnian sevdah/sevdalinka genre, Milinković has managed to combine different rhythms and meditative character into one.
Milinković, a multiple award-winning and internationally recognized Sarajevo singer-songwriter, first heard Fado performed by the ‘queen’ of the genre, Amália Rodrigues, back in 2008.
“I like to say that Fado found me. It was a great passion and love at first sight, and later, the desire for further exploration emerged. Fado completely changed my life. I learned a new, very demanding language, got to know a completely different music culture, and it has all resulted in my long-standing career in Portugal,” says Milinković.
The musical genre, Fado, dates back to the 18th century, and is characterized by sad melodies and lyrics, often focusing on the sea and the experiences of the poor. This is loosely captured by the Portuguese word saudade, meaning nostalgia, a longing for home. It is believed to be a blend of rhythms first introduced into the Portuguese-speaking music scene by African slaves in Brazil, with traditional sounds of rural Portugal, itself influenced by Arabic culture.
Perhaps fittingly, Milinković regards her fascination and affection for Portuguese Fado as as “fate”.  In 2011, she founded an ensemble called “Fado veradeiro” (True Fado), which is the only such ensemble in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  A year later, she recorded her first Fado song entitled, “Tudo isto e fado” (Everything is Fado).
Reflecting on the beginning of her Fado career, she emphasizes that it was when her love for Fado took hold that she first decided to perform concerts in Sarajevo. The ensemble was with Mirza Redžepagić, whom Milinković describes as a “brilliant guitarist”, whose current work focuses on blending flamenco with sevdah.
“We were pioneers in bringing Fado to our country. It was a complete surprise for me, but also a challenge. We started with concerts [at Baščaršija Nights, Chamber Theater 55] that were very well received by the audience.  After six months, I came to the conclusion that I should continue down that path,” explains Milinković.
Fado and Sevdalinka: Twin Sisters
Milinković likes to say that fado and sevdah are twin sisters raised in different regions. Fado is more a blend of different rhythms originating from the Iberian Peninsula, while sevdalinka is more meditative in character. Both, she adds, are urban genres that tell stories about life, love, and longing.
“They are narrative in nature, without a chorus,” emphasizes Milinković.
Milinković merges Fado and sevdah on her album, Fadolinka, from 2019.  Her latest album, Fadolinka 2.0, is available on all streaming platforms.
“For me, it was completely natural. After getting to know Fado, I returned to my roots and built a bridge called Fadolinka between these two sculptures, one that belongs to me by birth and the other that has adopted me. Fadolinka is very well recognized and accepted, and it’s my brand,” states Milinković.
Sarajevo, You Sleep in my Soul
With her fadolinka song, Kada dunja zamiriše (When the Quince Tree Blossoms), our interviewee won an award at the Split Festival last year. Her 2021 album Kaftan D’Alma has been acclaimed worldwide. Her song, Sarajevo u duši mi spavaš (Sarajevo, You Sleep in my Soul), topped the iTunes charts in the United Arab Emirates in February 2024. Milinković says that all these successes are gratifying but also represent an obligation and expectation to bring something new yet personal each time. With emotion, she reflects on her song, Sarajevo u duši mi spavaš, dedicated to her beloved hometown.
“This song has touched the hearts of Sarajevans and is recognized as one of the most beautiful songs written about the city of Sarajevo, which makes me very proud and happy. This song is a declaration of love to my city. Wherever you go in the world, Sarajevo never leaves you,” the singer-songwriter declares. Milinković notes that she is currently focused on preparing a new single. She did not wish to talk much about it during our interview, but said she hopes that the upcoming spring single will be well-received. She also hints at more surprises to come.
Maja Milinković expresses gratitude to everyone who follows her work. At the end of the interview, she quotes the Portuguese poet, Fernando Pessoa: “To be great, be whole: nothing that’s you should you exaggerate or exclude. In each thing, be all. Give all you are in the least you ever do. The whole moon, because it rides so high, is reflected in each pool.”

created: April 29th, 2024


text:
Jajce Fortress: Symbol of Resistance and Guardian of Independence | Balkan Diskurs
Medina Čarkadžić
May 3rd, 2024
“After 620 years, Jajce Fortress still stands as a symbol of the city and a silent witness to its turbulent history,” recounts Slavica Drmić, history teacher at the Jajce elementary school in Kruščica.
Ancient foundations
The foundations of the god Mithra’s temple testify to the fact that the birth of the town of Jajce dates back to the third century AD. However, Jajce rose to prominence during the time of the medieval Bosnian state, otherwise known as the Kingdom of Bosnia. It was during that period, more precisely in 1396, that Jajce was first mentioned in written documents.
The founder of the city was Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, Grand Duke of Bosnia and Duke of Split, and it was under his rule that the city began to develop. It was then that the construction of the fortress began, and its walls still stand today as a reminder of the past. Then, with the coming to power of Stjepan Tomašević in 1461, the town of Jajce became the capital of the Bosnian Kingdom.
Franjo Leovac, guide at the Franciscan Museum, explains how Stjepan Tomašević’s rise to power occurred when he was very young, and at a rather difficult time.
“On the one hand, he was about to take over a kingdom that, at the time, was respected throughout the whole of Europe, but on the other hand, the mighty Ottoman Empire was coming from the East with a rather large army and a desire to expand.”
Great powers knocking at the doors
Slavica Drmić explains that the fortress was built on a 470 meter-tall hill during a time of great conquests and territorial expansions in Europe. The aim of the construction was to preserve the independence of the medieval Bosnian state and to protect the power of the then ruler Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić. However, that purpose was not fulfilled.
After King Stjepan Tomašević refused to pay tribute to the Ottoman Empire in 1462, Sultan Mehmed Fatih II undertook a military campaign in Bosnia. The following year, Bosnia fell under Ottoman rule.
“Some 70 years after the construction of the fortress, the royal state of Bosnia fell under Ottoman rule. But the fortress and the city of Jajce survived, and even after that year, the fortress stood as a symbol of resistance and guardian of the city’s independence,” says Drmić.
Precisely because of the fear that the Ottomans would start penetrating the Kingdom of Bosnia, Stjepan Tomašević had begged the European rulers for help, but help did not arrive. When the Ottomans began to occupy some parts of the kingdom, the king fled from Bobovac to Jajce, and then from Jajce to Ključ. However, when Stjepan Tomašević surrendered in Ključ, he was returned to Jajce, where he was executed by order of Sultan Mehmed II.
Legend has it that Sultan Mehmed II ordered King Stjepan Tomašević to be buried in a place where Stjepan could not see his city, but the city could see him. The tomb is located in Zastinje, near Jajce, where in 1888 archaeologist Ćiro Truhelka excavated the king’s bones, and in 2004 the tomb was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the remains of Stjepan Tomašević were briefly moved to Sarajevo, then to Vienna, and then they were returned to Jajce and given to the Franciscans to keep,” says Leovac.
During World War I and World War II, the bones were moved from the monastery to the church to save them from destruction. In late 1995 and early 1996, the remains were in Split. It was not until 1999 that they were finally returned to Jajce.
The struggle for Jajce
The Ottoman victory in Bosnia was followed by a turbulent period, filled with wars and battles.
“Shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia, in the summer of 1463, military action was undertaken by the Hungarian king, King Matthias Corvinus, which succeeded in capturing most of northern Bosnia, including the town of Jajce. He founded the Jajce banovina (province) with its headquarters in Jajce,” explains Drmić.
Due to its favorable position, and the fact that trade routes to Split led through it, the struggle between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire around Jajce continued until 1528. As Drmić says, after almost 130 years of its existence, Jajce waved the white flag because neither the inhabitants nor the city could withstand the burden of war any longer. In 1528, Jajce came under Ottoman rule and became part of the Bosnian Sanjak.
“The fortress’s founder did not succeed in his intention to preserve the independence of the state nor to protect his own power, but his success would be eminent in centuries to come. To this day, the story of these powerful world empires’s struggle for one beautiful city on the banks of two rivers, the Pliva and the Vrbas, remains,” says Drmić.
An exceptional city with a legendary name
Franjo Leovac explains that Jajce is unique in the length of continuous habitation in the city: “Jajce is the only city that has a history starting from the Middle Ages, probably even earlier. From the Middle Ages and the Kingdom of Bosnia all the way up until today, people still live in the town of Jajce, which we do not have in other towns,” he explains.
Numerous legends are associated with this city, and as many as three are connected with the name of the fortress and the city itself.
“The first legend has it that the fortress was built on the model of the castle in Naples, Castello dell’Ovo, which means ‘fortress of the egg’, and that the city was named Jajce after that. It is believed that at that time Hrvoje Hrvatinić had strong ties with Vladislav of Naples. Another legend claims that the city got its name because of its egg-shaped terrain on which the fortress was built. And the third legend says that, during the construction, the builders mixed eggs into the mortar in order to strengthen the structure of the fortress, and that that is how the town got the name it still bears today,” concludes history teacher Slavica Drmić.

author: Medina Čarkadžić


text:
Building a Common Agenda: Takeaways from the PCRC’s Atrocity Prevention Conference | Balkan Diskurs
Balkan Diskurs
May 6th, 2024
The Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) and the non-profit Impunity Watch held in March this year a two-day conference on atrocity prevention. Entitled, “Building a Common Agenda for Prevention in the Western Balkans”, the conference took place in Montenegro’s capital of Podgorica. The conference gathered representatives from civil society across the ex-Yugoslav region and beyond. This was a conference with a multi-pronged aim: strengthening regional cooperation, identifying future joint actions, and fostering solidarity with and among post-conflict societies.
“This meeting is timely. We are facing many challenges. The latest report by the Commissioner for Human Rights, Miss Dunja Mijatović, has highlighted some crucial negative trends in the region, including the increasing glorification [of war criminals] and revisionism by political and intellectual elites,” said Velma Šarić, President and Founder of the PCRC.
Šarić discussed the rise in hate speech, the persecution of activists, segregated educational systems, the destructive transgenerational dimension of conflict, gender-based violence, and the distortion of narratives through the media. These are just some of the issues the Western Balkans face. As a result, she added, it is crucial to strengthen solidarity between civil society representatives and the international community in order to identify common actions, strategies, and methodologies for the Western Balkans Coalition for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Crimes Prevention (CGMAP).
The CGMAP was established by the PCRC and the United Nations (UN) in 2017, in order to facilitate transnational collaboration to prevent atrocities. This followed six years of PCRC-led seminars on genocide prevention, attended by more than 120 civil society organizations.
Resisting Revisionism and Triumphalism
The topic of revisionism and genocide triumphalism was addressed in the panel entitled “Civil Society & Prevention: Tackling Increased Denial and Revisionism”. The sentiments expressed during the panel were also echoed by keynote speakers outside of the panel.
Thomas Unger from Impunity Watch said he regards the rise in denial and revisionism as a symptom of the failures of both domestic governments and the international community.
“The primary responsibility lies with the governments. Additionally, I believe that the international community has made a lot of mistakes here. It’s interesting to see that the failures of the international community, especially in transitional justice, are always left out,” concluded Unger.
Sonja Biserko from the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia emphasized the importance of civil society in the region as well as international groups, individuals, journalists, and others who contributed to research during the 1990s Balkan Wars. She added that the wars were the most documented in history, but that now is the time to confront misinterpretations.
“Civil society plays a crucial role in the process of facing the past and building a future based on truth and justice,” said Biserko.
The importance of civil society was echoed in a video message to the attendees of the general conference by Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide of the UN Secretary-General. Nderitu addressed representatives of civil society, who themselves often represent victims and survivors.
“Together, you’ve been at the forefront of advocating and promoting accountability and of supporting reconciliation, memorialization, and remembrance. And for this you have endured challenges and often no risks. I commend your work and your courage in the face of many challenges,” stated Nderitu.
She reminded the conference that it has been almost two decades since the end of violent conflict in the region and almost 30 years since the genocide in Srebrenica, highlighting the growing need for collective efforts to facilitate atrocity prevention.
“The lack of accountability and full reconciliation, as well as the ongoing distortion and denial of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, all point to indicators of risk for such crimes as set out in the framework of analysis for atrocity crimes developed by my office, which I know your coalition is using to advance your work in the region,” said Nderitu. She emphasized that monitoring, analyzing, and ringing alarm bells are what is needed for civil society to not be passive in the presence of risk factors.
Nataša Kandić from the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) highlighted the difficulties faced by civil society in the region, emphasizing that after more than a decade, it is confronted with empty promises from the authorities.
“Civil society, especially from the RECOM reconciliation network, continues to do a good job. Maybe I could say replace an institution because only the reconciliation network managed to      register all victims, for example, in Kosovo. We have the [registered] victims from all countries without thinking about ethnic borders. And with this unique success, it is a very important job. But it’s not enough, because now we have a completely new ball game with denial instead of transitional justice prevailing in reckonings with the past,” stated Kandić.
Ahmed Kulanić from the Sarajevo Memorial Center emphasized the lack of a fight against denial and revisionism, including the lack of production of relevant materials.
“So, we allow war criminals to be hosts on TV shows, we allow them to speak. Then someone extracts their words, shares them on social media. And in a way, I am blaming ourselves more than our institutions. Speaking on behalf of my institution, we, for the last 27 years, have not produced relevant materials to fight that denial and revisionism,” said Kulanić.
Marlies Stappers, Executive Director and Founder of Impunity Watch, expressed deep concern about the glorification of war criminals and the denial of facts, emphasizing that this has a serious impact on human rights and peace in the region. In her speech to the general conference, she also highlighted the importance of long-term approaches and solidarity. Stappers stressed the importance of including victims in transitional justice processes.
“I think if we keep the victims really at the heart of our strategies, it’s easier to stay the course, to stay with the root causes because victims don’t forget. They know what the needs are. Then they know what is needed to transform,” said Stappers.
In her final address in the region as the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Dunja Mijatović noted the importance of supporting peacebuilding projects that ensure crimes are not forgotten. She particularly highlighted the role of art in confronting the past, referring to her visit to the National Theater of Montenegro, where she attended a play about the Štrpci massacre (Eastern Bosnia, February 1993). “We got to experience a small amount of the suffering that is still present with the families and survivors of this horrifying crime,” Mijatović recalled.
Speaking about the responsibility of political leaders, Mijatović stressed the need for a change in the course of governments in the region. She noted that there is no excuse for inaction or shifting responsibility to previous administrations. Also on the agenda was the importance of the participation of young people in the building of the region’s future.
“If you are not reachable, if you are not a person that can be really there when it’s needed, then we foresee additional problems, because this is also to be together, to be at the forefront,” concluded Mijatović.
The panel concluded that transitional justice requires broader and more complex action. There was an emphasis on the media, rule of law, civil society, and connecting these aspects via engagement from the international community.
Victims and Reparations
The issue of reparations was the subject of debate in the second panel entitled “Victims & Reparations: A Grassroots Perspective”. Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), emphasized the importance of a positive judicial legacy for the Western Balkans.
“It is clear that our work does not end with the pronouncement of a judgment. As a custodian of this legacy, the Mechanism remains resolute in its mission to preserve and ensure access to the judicially established facts, both as a tribute to the victims and so that the broader goals of international criminal justice, including prevention, may be better served,” said Santana.
Stappers emphasized the importance of considering reparations, emphasizing that they have the potential to provide support to victims at various levels and to bring about tangible results that can change victims’ lives. She believes it is important for reparations to be inclusive and to encompass all victims, and that their implementation should strive for social inclusion and the prevention of further division.
Selma Korjenić from the Bosnian branch of the NGO, Trial International, emphasized that civil society and victims must be actively involved in the advocacy of reparations.
“Working on reparations as part of facing the past and transitional justice processes in the Western Balkans is not easy. We need to make sure, in daily life, that we ensure survivors’ needs based on a survivor-centered approach. They are capable of being their own voice,” said Korjenić.
Daliborka Uljarević, from the Center for Civic Education (CCE), Montenegro, noted that there is a systemic neglect of issues related to facing the past and reparations, which further complicates the efforts of civil society in that direction. She also points out the sociopolitical regression that has been unfolding in recent years, which has seriously undermined the previous achievements       of human rights and victims-led organizations. Referring to research conducted last year by CCE, Uljarević discussed the deep polarization of Montenegrin society. She emphasized the importance of education as a key factor in the process of facing the past and ensuring fair reparations for war victims.
Branko Ćulibrk, from the Youth Center KVART, Bosnia and Herzegovina, believes that working with the youth is crucial for achieving societal change. “From the very beginning we have really created programs for working with young people and we simply figured out that there are some things we just can’t do alone. It is important to involve the local community in order to truly change society,” Ćulibrk emphasized.
The panel stressed the need for a broader political agenda on reparations, focusing on victims but also involving the wider community and social structures. “Justice means acknowledgment.       Activism, political approaches, and regional integration can bring about significant changes. Collaboration with international partners is crucial for achieving progress,” concluded the panel moderator, Stappers.
Psychosocial Support and Education
In the panel “Healing (from) the Past: Psychosocial Support and Education”, Margareta Blažević from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) Croatia noted the importance of education and working with young people on topics related to confronting the past and transitional justice. She highlighted that working with the youth is particularly important because young people are not only a resource for society in the present but also representatives of the future we aspire to.
Šarić also noted that the PCRC has utilized innovative mechanisms in its work, both formal and informal, all with the aim of reaching out to young people and empowering them. She highlighted the importance of regional cooperation and a multidisciplinary approach.
Jasna Zečević from the women’s rehabilitation center, Vive Žene Tuzla, explained that the center is working on establishing cooperation with other organizations to support witnesses, educate professionals, and work on recognizing trauma and human rights. She added that it remains important to work on recognizing trauma for all sides of the conflict and finding common ground.
Jasmina Lazović, representing the cultural foundation Heartefact from Serbia, emphasized that very little has been done to achieve this at an institutional level. Rather, it has been civil society which has actively opened up the discussion about the past in order to confront its legacy. She highlighted the role of art in this process, stating: “Art serves as a powerful tool for telling facts, sharing experiences, and inviting people to put themselves in someone else’s shoes.”
Kate Ferguson from the UK-based charity, Protection Approaches, explained how there is a noticeable closing of space for artistic expression, both in the Western Balkans and elsewhere. She emphasized the paradox in which the space for expression is shrinking when it comes to advancing the rights of others, while at the same time, there is a growing presence of those who seek to hijack the use of free speech in order to restrict the rights of marginalized groups.
Dealing With the Past and Modern Technology
Civil society and the media play a crucial role in facing the past in the age of new technologies. This was one of the conclusions of the panel entitled “Civil Society & Media: Dealing with the Past in the Age of New Technologies”. This panel opened a discussion on how digital platforms, social networks, and other technologies can be used to promote truth, dialogue, and reconciliation in post-conflict societies. It also considered the challenges that civil society and the media face in addressing this issue in the digital age, as well as opportunities for innovative approaches and collaboration.
Moderating the panel was Branka Vierda from Croatia. She emphasized the need to further consider the role and potential collaboration between civil societies and the media in informing the public, especially younger generations, about historical facts and cases of mass human rights violations.
Vesna Teršalić from the Croatian peace center, Documenta, gave a clear word of caution on this issue. “Regarding the documentation of war crimes trials, you can imagine that what I speak about is complex, multilayered, needs additional contextualization, and (…) even in a year, you may want to add something. And that’s even when producing content in a classic form. But with formats as condensed as TikTok or Instagram, the task becomes more than difficult.”
Sofija Todorović from the YIHR Serbia, spoke about the need to raise awareness and change perceptions in order to confront the past based on facts.
“There is this mono-ethnic one-sided version of memory, there is this militarization, there are constantly war criminals all over the place and things like that. So actually, what we are trying to do in a way, is to somehow shift the paradigm,” emphasized Todorović.
Mirza Avdić from the Center for Investigative Journalism Sarajevo emphasized the importance of confronting hate speech in online media. Over the past two years, he explained that the center has noted 97 different cases of hate speech in online media in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These especially target issues of gender, ethnicity, and migration. The main actors in these narratives are political leaders, key decision-makers, and influencers.
Avdić emphasizes that there is currently no legal framework to combat hate speech in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that the only possible course of action is to monitor such content to make the online space more aware.
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author: Balkan Diskurs