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New generation of Balkan Diskurs Youth Correspondents | Balkan Diskurs
Kristina Gadže
May 14th, 2021
The Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) held the seventh training and mentoring program for Balkan Diskurs youth correspondents. Young people from different parts of the country had the opportunity to learn basic journalism techniques and simple photography skills that will help them in their further work and professional development.
“During this training, I worked with youth correspondents to help develop their photographs and visual stories. The group was very enthusiastic and responsive. We covered the composition, portraiture, basics of a photojournalism and elements of a photo essay. Everyone accepted the portrait task, and the result was excellent. They used the environment around them to take photographs that went beyond descriptive and interpreted the character of their subjects,” said one of the lecturers, photographer Paul Lowe, who also said that he was excited to see what this group of young correspondents would produce in the future.
The first part of the training focused on investigative and civil journalism techniques, fair and balanced reporting, fact-checking, and interview techniques. The second part was dedicated to the use of photography and visual storytelling more broadly.
“The best part of this training for me was practicing writing articles and when we did interviews with other participants. I am very satisfied with this training and I hope that it will provide me with some good foundations for future work in journalism,” said one participant, Redžo Efendić, from Žepče. Redžo is a Bachelor’s student in Bosnian language and literature.
Matija Krivošić, a BHRT journalist and a public relations student from Mostar, pointed out that during the training he had the opportunity to listen to the personal experiences of renowned journalists and photographers.
“The themes of Balkan Diskurs are what I live for. The lecturers taught me how to write the essence of an article in a few words and make it effective, and how to structure the lead and the form of the interview. Photographer Paul Lowe also told us how a story can be told through photography and what are the best angles and effects for filming,” Matija said. Matija sees himself as an ambassador of peace and a mediator for young people, and he hopes to continue this in the future through his work for Balkan Diskurs.
One of the goals of the training was to present PCRC projects “Ordinary Heroes” and “Champions of Peace,” in order to introduce young people to the fight against negative stereotypes and prejudices of ethnic and minority groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Marijana Vukmirica, a student of political science from Banja Luka, said she had a very positive experience at the training. “I have gained useful knowledge in the field of journalism and digital media, which I will apply in my work. I liked the lecturers and their professional approach. Also, I met wonderful young people from other cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and I am satisfied with the overall organization of the training. I recommend all other young people apply for this training next year. ”
After this training, participants will publish their content on the topics of peacebuilding, dealing with the past, and the culture of remembrance on the multimedia platform Balkan Diskurs. PCRC will provide participants with the opportunity to earn some income by writing articles.
Balkan Diskurs Youth Correspondent Training and Mentorship program is made available through the generous support of the National Endowment for Democracy, Sigrid Rausing Trust, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Special monitoring and evaluation support are provided by the Arts and Humanities Research Board and monitoring experts and researchers from the University of the Arts London, the London School of Economics, and King’s College London.


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Photographs By Marica Vojnović From The Homeland Museum in Visoko | Balkan Diskurs
Nermana Arnautović
June 2nd, 2021
The celebration of International Museum Day and European Museum Night 2020 was celebrated at the Visoko Homeland Museum with an exhibition of photographs entitled, “Portrait of a Lady: Marica Vojnović Visočanka’ (1892–1982),” which represents the legacy of Marica Vojnović through objects and photographs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The exhibit organizers, Dženana Arnautović and Habib Efendira-Čehić, show that photographs can reveal much about the time in which they were taken, the people photographed, and the photographers themselves.
Marica Vojnović: the Main Heroine
Marica Vojnović was born in 1892 in an Orthodox family originally from the Lika region in Croatia. Her guardian, Petar Vojnović, was a member of the Austro-Hungarian gendarmerie. He worked as a financier and was stationed in Visoko with his family at the turn of the 20th century. After his death in 1930, Marica inherited all of his property, and in her old age in 1981 she was placed in the Home for the Elderly in Nedžarići. She did not marry and left no family members behind.
We learn about her birth from the columns of the old Homeland of Orthodox families of the Church Municipality in Visoko, where her name and kinship – nephew – are written under the name of Petar Vojnović. It was important for Marica to be culturally and socially engaged throughout her life. Until the Second World War, one of the oldest Serbian Orthodox singing church societies, “Milutinović,” was active, and she was a member. In 1910, the emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Josip Franjo, came to visit Visoko, so a solemn reception was organized. Marica, as a member of this society, had the honor to sing the anthem, “Carevka,” for him. In addition, she was a member of the drama section of the multinational Sokol Society in Visoko, where she practiced amateur acting.
The People Behind The Photographs
The photographs found in the museum represent only a part of Marica’s legacy, which includes 185 inventory units registered under in the “Vojnović Collection“” and “World War II Period” funds. These include personal documents, newspaper articles, correspondence cards, and photographs. The most interesting are the old photographs from the turn of the century, which mostly come from photographic studios in today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Upon studying these photographs, the museum learned that they many are from then-famous photographers from Sarajevo, Visoko, Visegrad, Dubrovnik, Karlovac, and Ruma. The names of the traveling photographer Seraphin Sperling, photographer and photojournalist Walter Tausch, Sarajevo portraitist Ivica Lisca, miniature portraitist Elektro-Fotofrag, and others were found in the collection.
Famous names also popped up in the collection of correspondence cards, with the most popular being Trifko Dudić from Mostar, S. B. Cvijanović from Belgrade, the German and Austrian publishing houses “Ross” and “Iris,” and the correspondence card of the French photographer Alfred Noyer.
The Photographs Find Their Home In The Museum
The photographic legacy of Marica Vojnović has been nurtured at the Visoko Museum since 1981. During inventory of all photographs and researching them was a tough process, as many photographs contained no information. It took more than a year of effort to achieve the final exhibition. Although this was her first encounter with photography, one of the creators of the exhibit, Dženana Arnautović, does not regret the time she spent working on it.
“This was my first encounter with photography, and I was able to see and experience the past, meet the actors, notice the details, the way of posing, see the places that have changed. It is impressive to experience the past through the lens of a photographer – from a passive observer you become active participants in the story.”
As the exhibit organizers revealed, the most difficult parts of the process were researching Marica’s biography, identifying the photographed persons and their relation to the owner, and determining the chronology of the photographic material. Therefore, they used all the material available to them, including dated and undated content on the back of the photographs, information on the materials’ authors, postal traffic, and archival material from public institutions. A significant amount of information was also given to them by Visoko citizens whose relatives were from the same period as Marica. All of this hard work was recognized by Alma Leka, the current director of the Sarajevo Museum and president of ICOM in BiH.
The authors managed to get in touch with the Mihaliček family, which was in close touch with the Vojnović family. The direct descendant of this family is Zoran Mihaliček, an architect, and his wife Marija Mihaliček, an art historian, who now live in Montenegro.
After revising the photographic material, the idea of the exhibition was born. The creators wanted to pay tribute to and preserve the memory of the Vojnović family from Visoko, especially Marica, who, as can be seen from the curated objects, was dignified and worthy of respect. For creator Habib Čehić-Efendir, the exhibition was of the crowning achievement of her work.
“Projects like this are rare in the Visoko Museum and that is why I am proud to have been a part of this interesting and useful research. As someone from Visoko, it is of great importance to me that our fellow citizens got involved in this project and that we established communication with the wider population. The exhibition is our token of gratitude to all these people.”

source: news-balkandiskurs

created: June 2nd, 2021

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

author: Nermana Arnautović


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Dealing with the Legacy of Wartime Sexual Violence in BiH | Balkan Diskurs
Alec Anderson | Chiara Zardoni
June 17th, 2021
Highlighting the experience of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad.
“I would like to invite all women and men to speak up, to tell the truth and talk about what was done to them. We need to record and remember what happened; this is the only way to achieve justice.”
— Presentation of the International PSVI Protocol in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Post-Conflict Research Center
Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) has long-existed and long been ignored in conflict and post-conflict societies. According to this analysis concerning the courts of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Republika Srpska, and Brčko District between 2004 and 2014, more than 20,000 people were raped during the Bosnian War. Furthermore, as explained by the Humanitarian Law Center in its 2019 policy paper, more than one-third of all individuals brought before the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the international court charged with prosecuting war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, were convicted on charges of sexual violence. Unfortunately, many challenges still undermine the goal of ending impunity for perpetrators of CRSV and achieving acknowledgement, effective protection, and compensation for survivors. However, improvements have been made at the national level, and civil society organizations (CSOs) have played a key role in achieving these goals.
Rape was established as a crime against humanity by Article 5 of the ICTY Statute. It was the first international court to explicitly prosecute wartime sexual violence cases. Moreover, according to these relatively new international standards, the mere existence of an armed conflict plays a key role in sexual violence cases. In fact, the ICTY states that “armed conflict need not have been causal to the commission of the crime, but the existence of an armed conflict must, at a minimum, have played a substantial part in the perpetrator’s ability to commit it.” Relatedly, a 2015 amendment to the 2003 Criminal Code of BiH revoked a previous requirement for prosecutors to show an explicit demonstration of force or threat, an important improvement. It is of extreme importance to note that these legal improvements occurred thanks to the courage of sixteen survivors from Foča who stepped forward to take the witness stand in an international court of law, as depicted in the documentary I Came to Testify. However, some courts still do not fully honor this legal improvement, known as the in dubio pro reo principle. As a result, many courts have acquitted defendants for cases in which a survivor’s testimony was not deemed credible.
According to the analysis published by the OSCE in 2017, another serious challenge concerns the qualification of CRSV cases as “ordinary” crimes and not as war crimes. This qualification does not acknowledge the inherent relationship between conflict and sexual violence, nor the trauma linked to it, and deprives survivors of the benefits of the special evidentiary rule associated with wartime sexual violence cases.
Moreover, the lack of a proper witnesses’ protection system is often reported. However, specific protection measures, including closed sessions, the removal of the defendant from the courtroom, and specific measures for highly vulnerable witnesses, were introduced by the Criminal Procedure Code in 2012.
Finally, as explained by Amnesty International in its Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, the difficulty of obtaining non-material damage compensation, or reparations, is one of the most serious issues that survivors face in BiH today. Courts are reluctant to grant non-material damages, opting instead to refer survivors to civil proceedings which do not guarantee the aforementioned protection measures. Once compensation claims have been awarded by a court, defendants often cannot pay, and courts seldomly enforce their judgments. Given this situation, after a TRIAL International petition, the UN Committee against Torture obliged Bosnia to set up an effective system of compensation for survivors of war crimes in 2017. Unfortunately, little progress has been made to implement this obligation.
Importantly, CSOs have stepped up to fill in these shortcomings and gaps left by the state. This process—in which people of every walk of life have come together to solve problems that their government cannot or will not solve—is seen time and time again around the world, and illustrates the vital, but often-overlooked, role that civil society plays as the backbone of a functioning democracy.
For survivors of CRSV in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the story is no different. Jagoda Rošul-Gajić, an expert on international women’s rights, identified women’s CSOs as the “dominant force” working towards the inclusion and support of women in peace and reconciliation processes in BiH. Organizations big and small have undertaken massively important initiatives to help survivors access reparations and justice. These include, but are not limited to, psychological support and therapy for survivors, free legal aid, vital witness protection services for survivors who live in close proximity to their perpetrators, tireless lobbying efforts, and public discourse initiatives. This list could go on, and we hope to highlight some of the organizations doing this crucial work in future installments of this series.
Yet transitional justice for the survivors of wartime rape requires more than just punitive justice or material reparations. Society-wide acknowledgement of the human rights abuses experienced is necessary in order to move towards collective peace. Civil society plays an important role in shaping not only other people’s attitudes towards survivors of CRSV, but also survivors’ attitudes towards themselves.
It is so important to talk about these women as survivors rather than as passive victims in order to destigmatize their experiences, highlight their resiliency, and empower them as leaders. This can be done through language usage in public discourse (e.g. we use the word “survivor” in this article series), but also through initiatives that directly combat destructive stereotypes which see survivors of CRSV in BiH as “helpless” or welfare-dependent. It is important to educate both the general public and survivors themselves about the heinous war crimes committed against them, and the fact that these crimes are highly-deserving of reparations and acknowledgement. As Janine Clark, expert on CRSV and transitional justice, points out, too much emphasis of trauma and victimhood can disempower survivors, homogenize their experiences, and lead to “highly reductionist” societal perceptions that impede healing.
The aim of this Balkan Diskurs mini-series is to call attention to the obstacles faced by survivors of CRSV and the admirable work being done within civil society to overcome these obstacles, shine a spotlight on the strength and resiliency of these survivors, and to underline the overall importance of addressing CRSV in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s transitional justice and reconciliation processes. Above all, it will emphasize the importance of including women and survivors of sexual violence at all levels of decision-making in BiH and around the world.
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This article is part of the series “Progress and Challenges in Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,” highlighting the experience of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad.

author: Alec Anderson | Chiara Zardoni


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Supporting Witnesses: First Step Towards Ending Impunity | Balkan Diskurs
Alec Anderson | Chiara Zardoni
July 20th, 2021
“The truth is that victims want to talk about it. They are desperate to get it off of their chests. But there are only a few that are willing to listen to the voices of the victims”
— Presentation of the International PSVI Protocol in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Post-Conflict Research Center
International organizations have time and time again urged Bosnia and Herzegovina to “end impunity” for perpetrators of the rampant sexual violence that took place between 1992-1995. What is often overlooked is the most important precursor to ending impunity: a secure environment in which survivors can testify, free from intimidation, severe re-traumatization, and threats of physical harm. Resolute witness protection and high-quality, readily available psychological support is crucial to ending a culture of impunity.
The brave women and men who come forward to identify perpetrators of sexual violence often do so despite tremendous hurdles. For some survivors in BiH, the horrors they experienced during the war are so stigmatized that they don’t even feel comfortable telling their families what happened. Further, many survivors in BiH live in the same community as those who perpetrated war crimes against them. These factors make identity protection vital for survivors who come forward and testify—to shield them not only from further ostracization, but from immediate physical harm as well. Marija, a survivor who opted out of witness protection offered by the justice system, was attacked in the road soon after her rapist’s prison sentence ended.
However, while potential physical harm may be the most visible threat faced by testifying survivors, the immense psychological toll that the judicial process takes on these women and men cannot be ignored, either. Too often in the past, survivors have been questioned “in ways that are humiliating and legally irrelevant,” a degrading process that discourages survivors from coming forward. This is on top of the fact that recounting their own assaults already presents an inherent risk of retraumatization and distress, yet another reason why close-at-hand psychological support is so important.
This points to the need for courts to make the process of testifying as safe, secure, and stress-free as possible. Without these guarantees, survivors may be hesitant to expose themselves to potential physical or psychological harm, contributing to a vicious cycle that reinforces impunity for perpetrators and further silences their victims. With that said, the judicial system in BiH has seen tremendous improvements in witness protection and support in recent years.
In 2008 the national government first adopted the National Strategy for War Crimes Processing. Its chief goal was to process all wartime crime cases by 2023, though it also stated that the national courts should aim to have the most “complex” cases completed by 2015. In 2015, when the trying of these “complex” cases was still not completed, a revised strategy was submitted to the national government for approval. After five years, in 2020, this revised Strategy was adopted by the country’s Council of Ministers, while its implementation is yet to produce results.
According to the 2010 OSCE’s report on Witness Protection and Support in BiH Domestic War Crimes Trials, protection measures become even more important when dealing with sexual violence cases because of the stigma attached to survivors and the risk of re-traumatization. For this reason, the European Court of Human Rights, in Doorson v. The Netherlands, stated that “a fair trial also requires that in appropriate cases the rights of the defence are balanced against those of witnesses or victims called upon to testify”. In conclusion, national laws, the Constitution of BiH, international conventions and CoE recommendations establish BiH’s obligation to ensure the protection of and support to CRSV survivors.
Generally, the protection measures’ purpose is to prevent the public and the defendant from knowing the identity of a witness. For instance, some measures include relocation and guarded transport, assignment of pseudonyms, testimony behind screens or with voice-image alteration techniques and testimony in closed session. Moreover, due to the aforementioned legal provisions, BiH also has the obligation of protecting survivors from re-traumatization during the criminal justice process and granting them psychological support. Unfortunately, according to OSCE’s analysis made in 2010, the Court of BiH was the only institution that had provided effective psychological support to survivors, while entity-level courts and prosecutor’s offices in BiH lacked the structures that could provide such support service at that time. The presence of the Witness Support Section, through which the Court of BiH provides support to survivors, illustrates the court’s progress. In fact, this unit is composed of professional psychologists and social workers who provide assistance services like 24-hours phone assistance, modest financial support to cover necessary expenses, providing a description of the testimonial process and discussing the possible psychological risks and benefits, and being present in the courtroom for the purpose of communicating to the judges the witness’s stress level.
A more recent report written by OSCE in 2017 highlighted a generally increased sensitivity of judges and prosecutors to the needs of survivors. However, despite several years having passed since the adoption of the Strategy, the OSCE Mission detected serious violations of witness protection measures and a lack of dedicated witness support officers in a number of entity prosecutors’ offices and courts. Further, as underlined in another recent OSCE analysis, no improvements have been observed with regards to strengthening the capacity of Social Welfare Centers, which should provide psychological support to victims due to laws on the Protection of Witnesses under Threat and Vulnerable Witnesses.
Even if several improvements occurred in the judicial system, many challenges still undermine the effective and widespread implementation of protection and support measures.
Legal professionals’ remaining lack of sensitivity, lack of infrastructures at the entity level and shortcomings in the existing national laws are all factors responsible for the fragmented implementation of support and protection measures. However, despite the issues linked to the BiH judicial system, CSOs have always played a key role in providing support to CRSV survivors when authorities’ action is lacking.
The international publicity surrounding violent, sexual war crimes committed against women in Bosnia led to what expert on Central European and gender studies Elissa Helms called an “Non-governmental organization (NGO) boom.”  While CSOs do not have the ability to protect witnesses in court, OSCE points out that witnesses and prosecutors often rely on these NGOs to provide psycho-social support, either formally through a memorandum of understanding, or informally and in an unregulated manner. While there are multiple professional organizations trusted by prosecutors’ offices across the country, concerns remain about some smaller organizations that may not employ thoroughly-trained psychologists.
Among these trusted organizations are Medica Zenica based in Zenica, Snaga Žene and Viva Žene, both based in Tuzla, Udružene Žene based in Banja Luka, as well as a few others. Given the sheer enormity of survivors of CRSV living in Bosnia, the services provided by these organizations are indispensable. For example, since its inception in 1993, Medica Zenica has provided over 28,000 people with psychological, assisting survivors of both wartime and peacetime rape. And yet their contributions in supporting witnesses go beyond directly counseling; Medica Zenica also trains police, social workers, and members of the judiciary on how to interact with witnesses in a sensitive manner, and on the importance of protecting these women from physical harm and punitive stigmatization.
The importance of continuing the last decade’s positive arc towards more witness protection and more psychological support for survivors that come forward in Bosnia cannot be understated. A system that allows witnesses to be bullied and re-traumatized discourages countless other survivors of CRSV from coming forward and sharing their experience, allowing for more perpetrators of war crimes to enjoy guaranteed impunity. Further, since for centuries heinous sexual violence during war was excused and overlooked as the “spoils of war,”  it is imperative that local and international authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina set a legal and societal precedent that emboldens rather than silences survivors who come forward to testify against their perpetrators. This is why witness protection and support is the first step towards ending impunity.
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This article is part of the series “Progress and Challenges in Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,” highlighting the experience of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad.


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A New Hiking Route: New Tourist Potential For Željezno Polje | Balkan Diskurs
Redžo Efendić
August 3rd, 2021
Markings on the hiking trail near Mahnjača encourages the inhabitants of Željezno Polje to discover the beauties and potential of their mountainous village. This is a story about how the joint work of mountaineers and other locals opens the way to new recreational and economic opportunities.
Markings on the hiking trail near Mahnjača encourages the inhabitants of Željezno Polje to discover the beauties and potential of their mountainous village. This is a story about how the joint work of mountaineers and other locals opens the way to new recreational and economic opportunities.
When driving from Žepče to Zenica in central Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), you’ll pass through the straits of the Bosna River near the town of Želeća, where you can see a mountain ridge with meadows and fir forests. This is the Mahnjača Mountain, the highest northern point of the Dinarides in the valley of Bosnia. It is the highest peak in the area, all the way to the Slovak Tatras.
Recently unknown in hiking circles, the mountain is characterized by diverse flora and flora, fresh springs of mountain water, and an interesting historical background. The large local community and civically-engaged population certainly have something to offer guests, both now and in the future.
The position of the mountain, on the border of the municipalities of Žepče, Teslić and Zenica, makes it suitable for various mountaineering tours that lead to its highest peaks – Velika Mahnjača (1358 meters above sea level) and Palašnica (1323 meters). From these peaks there are views all the way to the Sava River and Majevica Mountain in the north and the Konjuh River in the east. The Vlašić massif, to which this mountain geographically belongs, can be seen from Palašnica as if it’s in the palm of your hand.
Precisely because of that, Mahnjača has delighted the passionate Zenica mountaineer and hiking guide, Afan Abazović.
First, in February 2018, in cooperation with the residents of Željezno Polje, a village of over 4,000 inhabitants on the slopes of Mahnjača, Afan organized a humanitarian hiking tour. Then the idea was born for the actual marking of trails on this mountain.
“Analyzing topographic maps, satellite images, combining field work with it, and in a conversation with my friend Kenan Efendić and the people of Željezno Polje, we came to the conclusion that a trail marking project is urgently needed,” says Abazović, president of the Azimuth 135 Association based in Zenica.
Until the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this mountain was mostly unknown to mountaineers and other nature lovers. The only mass event organized here was the people’s celebration for July 27, the Day of the Uprising of the People of BiH, which was once a state holiday in the former Yugoslavia.
From a Humanitarian Trail to an Actual Marking
After the humanitarian tour, says Abazović, he decided to mark the trail. Zenica mountaineers Lejla and Una Selimović and Amir Tufekčić helped him with that. Locals Almin Mutekić, Hasan Okanović, Kenan Efendić, Bego Tutnjić, and Suvad Hadžić also contributed. These local enthusiasts were the ones that helped the most, and in the meantime they established their own hiking association.
The trail leads through the picturesque nature of Orčevići, located on the steep, northern slopes of the mountain. Then the mountaineers, after the ascent, come along the ridge to the arranged hunting lodge and the Gojanovci picnic area. A good military road, not far from the front line, which was held by the 319th Mountain Brigade of the Army of the Republic of BiH in the last war in BiH, leads to a military facility on Velika Mahnjača – an important radio relay node of the former Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA).
Walking further along the western ridge offers stunning views of a greater part of the country: from the valley of the river of the same name from Žepče and Maglaj, all the way to the heights of Vlašić and Borija. Then the mountaineers descend to the hamlet of Mjestova Ravan, and on that part of the route they have the opportunity to rest and socialize with other locals on several beautifully-landscaped picnic areas.
On the spacious and steep pastures, hikers and excursionists will meet local shepherds in the summer, happy, talkative, and hospitable people from whom they can buy good Travnik – or as they say – “fatty” sheep cheese.
The Locals Form A Mountaineering Association
The trail was officially marked at the end of September 2020, and a new mountain route was ceremoniously opened at the beginning of October. At this great event, the participants of the tour were hosted by the residents of Željezno Polje. There was a delegation of the Commission for Marking of the Mountaineering Association of BiH also.
After the first humanitarian tour, a group of local enthusiasts discovered the charms and possibilities of their local mountain.
“Sometime in February 2020, we came up with the idea to get together and establish a mountaineering association, ‘Mahnjača 1358.’ There were 12 or 13 of us at the beginning and then we founded the board of directors,” explains Muris Tutnjić, an active member of the community, now the president of the society.
With the funds of municipal and cantonal authorities, members of this mountaineering association quickly resolve formal matters and are already beginning to mark smaller mountain trails on their own. It is a very active local association.
Tutnjić and his colleagues, as well as other representatives of the community and the local women’s association, prepared an impressive welcome for the mountaineers, who mostly came from Zenica, but also from Sarajevo.
This is what Abazović is talking about, when he visited his new friends and colleagues on Independence Day in 2021, when the first anniversary of the local mountaineering association was marked.
“During the entire process of ‘activating’ the mountain, from those first visits to the last tour with 230 participants, Željezno Polje proved to be an extremely hospitable place, which is crying out for tourist visits,” he says.
He adds that the place is easily accessible – there is about ten kilometers of asphalt road, the possibility of private accommodation, local products of traditional Bosnian cuisine – and all of these elements are necessary for a beautiful tourist story.
Abazović and Tutnjić agree that it is necessary for as many locals as possible to be interested in the mountain, in order to enable tourist development in this place.
Details For Hikers: How and Where
Abazović explains that this is a physically-demanding tour, but that there is no need for “serious” mountaineering equipment. The starting point can even be reached by local road.
“The strongest ascent is right at the beginning, from the village of Orčevići to the hunting lodge Gojanovci. Then there is a beautiful coniferous forest and mild sinusoids to Palašnica, the southernmost peak of the mountain, from where there is a view from Vlašić to Konjuh. Then follows a steeper descent to Jezera, then a flat section to Padeži and then another descent in the Mjestova Ravan. It is extremely interesting, with springs of mountain water, and a constant change of vegetation,” describes Abazović.
This area and its mountain also tell an interesting historical story. Although information about this place dates back to the fifteenth century, when the Ottomans conquered Bosnia, it seems that the campaign of the Austrian arsonist Eugene of Savoy in 1697 forced people to move from the valley of Bosnia to safer Bosnian forests. Fertile areas suitable for pastures developed slowly, quadrupling the population during the twentieth century.
The famous battle on the slopes of Palašnica in the Second World War is well known, when the German 7th SS ‘Prince Eugen’ Division inflicted heavy losses on the Fifth Kozara Brigade of the Yugoslav Partisans. It was then that one of Bosnia’s national heroes, Rade Kondić, was killed in a picturesque mountainous area, and a monument was erected there on Palašnica. The monument was renovated about ten years ago by local anti-fascists.
War did not bypass this mountain and some of its areas were mined. However, the trail is quite safe now. It mostly leads to already-cleared roads far from any action or slopes that were not even covered by the war.
Local Mountaineers Protect Their Mountain
The mountaineering association “Mahnjača 1358” is not an ordinary association. Part of their mission is to preserve the beauty of the mountain, protect its forests, and open locals’ eyes to this natural treasure.
Thus, cameras connected by mobile internet monitor for places where irresponsible individuals throw garbage and create illegal waste dumps.
“The situation is very bad because garbage is thrown into nature uncontrollably and thus its appearance and beauty are disturbed. We are ready to do everything to stop illegal garbage dumps, and for those who continue to dump waste illegally, after it is determined by reviewing the recordings, the responsible forest management will impose a fine in the amount of 500 BAM,” explains Tutnjić, the president of the Association.
Local mountaineers are also aware of the role they can play in remembering the history of both the people and the mountain. This year, they will welcome participants from the memorial tour, “Way of Salvation.” It is a march in memory of a few thousand inhabitants of the Novošeher region who escaped from their villages to Željezno Polje in 1993 through forests and canyons.
Tutnjić adds that from conversations with many mountaineers, he saw how much Mahnjača has to offer guests. The Association is financed by membership fees and donations, so in the next period they expect to enrich Mahnjača and welcome even more guests.
“Currently, we need a space for our Association where we could keep all the necessary documentation and meet as needed. This very important item is being resolved in order for our Association to continue with its normal work,” concludes Muris Tutnjić.

created: August 3rd, 2021

author: Redžo Efendić


text:
Queer Resilience & Activism in Bosnia and Herzegovina | Balkan Diskurs
Taylor Whitsell
August 10th, 2021
In 2019, queer activists in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) organized the country’s first-ever Pride March in Sarajevo.
The event received international coverage and was widely acclaimed for its significance. Academic research has even shown that it helped improve public opinion toward queer people among residents of Sarajevo.
Yet the fight for equality extends far beyond the coordination of annual, high-visibility pride marches. Not to mention, the state of the world has changed dramatically since 2019, most obviously as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. How have queer people and activists in BiH built upon the momentum of the 2019 Pride March while navigating newfound challenges caused by the pandemic?
Progress since Pride
Since the 2019 Pride March, queer activists have observed a changing political, legal, and social environment, and have achieved some key successes. In an interview, Dajana Bakić, Executive Director of the Tuzla Open Centre (TOC), an LGBTQI+ activist organization in BiH, emphasized that Pride constitutes the “most visible tool used to place a spotlight on the issues and needs” of the queer community. This, in turn, helps change public perceptions of queer people and what Pride actually is—a protest for equality, rights, and freedom.
Queer activists argue that this form of visibility has placed LGBTQI+ rights more effectively on the public agenda. In an interview, Branko Ćulibrk, member of the Organizing Committee of the BiH Pride March, said, “violence and discrimination issues directed towards the LGBTI community and individuals are more and more often a topic of debate and we have seen an increase in reporting hate crimes. Moreover, from a normative standpoint, the pending Draft Law on Same-sex Partnerships in FB&H has become a hot topic, but also an Action Plan for LGBTQI+ equality at the state level is underway. These are all small steps that lead to a brighter future for this country, for all of us.” Bakić adds that activists were “included in different kinds of working group discussions about the laws of freedom of assembly,” allowing them substantive input on the processes of forming these new laws, particularly in the Sarajevo Canton and the Tuzla Canton governments.
Pride cannot, in and of itself, generate institutional change, but activists can harness the visibility and public awareness that Pride brings to amplify queer issues, to be taken seriously by political actors, and to be included in reform processes. As Bakić emphasizes, “Lives are not changed by one Pride. We still have the same laws. We still face violence and discrimination. But, the March was a huge step in changing how pride is perceived. Also in the legal framework, things started to move a bit.”
These small victories are important but have also been endangered by the pandemic. The aforementioned Draft Law on Same-sex Partnerships has been taken up by an inter-ministerial working group at the Federation of BiH, which was formed in February 2020. This was certainly a positive development. Darko Pandurević of the SOC noted that “the working group is mostly comprised of people who are willing and open to do their job, who approach the assignment professionally, and who do not have preconceived notions or attitudes about the subject. They also saw the Sarajevo Open Centre as a partner in the entire process, which dispelled some initial concerns that the work itself and our involvement in the working group would be a battle with windmills.”
But the working group’s progress, already relatively slow, languished throughout the rest of the year. Ultimately, only one meeting was held throughout 2020. This slow progress has not deterred activists from pursuing the legal path to equality. For instance, Pandurević also highlighted the SOC’s continued use of strategic litigation to advance queer rights through the judicial system.
Adapting to the Pandemic
Responding to slow institutional progress through strategic litigation is just one example of how queer activists have navigated challenges to progress in BiH: through creativity and a willingness to adapt. This mindset has been a crucial tool in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ćulibrk said, “our struggle must have continuity, despite current circumstances, where we are forced to conquer public space in new and imaginative ways.” In other words, the pandemic did not deter queer activists, but rather emboldened them to devise unique ways to accomplish their objectives.
Ćulibrk provided several specific examples of how queer activists creatively worked to promote visibility. “Although we were forced to cancel the Pride last year and it was not held in the form of a protest march, we were still present in public spaces, working on the [visibility of the] LGBTI community and other issues the entire time. This year we had several activities, and one of them was the celebration of May 9, Victory Day, where we, in cooperation with other organizations from BiH, held street actions in five cities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, we created the campaign ‘Behind Margin Walls’, which arose from the need to provide an open space for sharing LGBTI experiences in their day-to-day lives. Our goal is to enhance the visibility of the wide spectrum of experiences that the community is going through, to fight against the neglect and ignorance of those experiences. In short, to give a voice to those who go unheard by the general public,” he said.
Activists also developed new ways of connecting with and providing direct support to the queer community in BiH. Bakić explained the TOC’s approach: “We asked people to write us stories, send us photos, and share their concerns and voices about what they were going through in the pandemic. We also made a publication focused on queer art during self-isolation, and [published a book] of [various] queer stories. We did a small questionnaire with the LGBTQI+ community on what their needs were. Did they need money or did they need any help? Most of the answers that we got were related to a lack of gathering, because usually our workshops and our parties are the only safe space for them.”
Sustaining Community and Building Solidarity
The ability of queer activist organizations to serve as safe spaces for the queer community in BiH has been a fundamental part of addressing the newfound challenges that the pandemic has created for queer people all over the world. In particular, social distancing and lockdown measures have resulted in many queer people spending more time in potentially unwelcoming or unaccepting home environments. Naturally, this can have a severe negative impact on the mental health of queer people. This has made the work of queer organizations in BiH that much more important, as their role extends beyond what most people associate with activist organizations, like political advocacy and public awareness campaigns. Their function as a key support network manifests both in their ability to offer important services, like counseling and sexual education, but also to provide a place for queer people to gather and to find refuge in one another.
For instance, this summer, the SOC and TOC organized “Kvirhana,” a queer arts festival that featured films, exhibitions, and drag performances. The festival also included time for queer individuals to socialize and get to know one another. In an interview with Radio Free Europe, the Executive Director of SOC, Emina Bosnjak, emphasized that Kvirhana was intended to constitute a space where “queer people… [could] not only be what they really are, but also celebrate their identities.”
Bakić places this year’s Kvirhana in context, saying that “what was different from previous years of organizing the International Queer Film Festival Merlinka —this was our seventh festival—is that most of the people there were from the LGBTI community. Usually it was supporters and allies [attending], as people are afraid to go to public events because of possible labels and security reasons. People were crying after the festival ended because they felt so happy and free and accepted, so being able to provide that kind of space and support and change for their lives … that’s our mission.”
A queer woman who interviewed with PCRC’s Love Tales Project explained the impact of having these spaces on her own life. “In Sarajevo, there is the SOC Association and the CURE Foundation. Without these associations we would be nowhere. We would remain invisible. It’s a small group of people. I know them all. I hang out with them. I’m really grateful that there is someone who does something for us,” she said.
Challenges Remain
Queer activists have persevered through the pandemic, sustaining and expanding their efforts to achieve greater visibility, motivate political and legal reform, and improve the wellbeing of queer Bosnians. Nevertheless, it is important not to minimize the obstacles that continue to affect their work.
For one, the pandemic has also proven a convenient tool for authorities looking to restrict queer activism. In the past, authorities have used a flurry of stringent bureaucratic measures, including requiring queer organizations to take on the cost of expensive security barriers, as a method of disincentivizing them from planning events. This trend appears to have continued with the pandemic. The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network cites Mirza Halilcevic, a queer organizer, who said at a Pride-related webinar, “it is symptomatic that under the excuse of security or pandemic issues, gatherings that have an LGBTIQ prefix are being forbidden. It is a reminder of all those other excuses when we were rejected for this or that reason. When you find yourself in a situation with a similar pattern, where you have already experienced that your gatherings or requests have been rejected, it requires deeper research and questioning of the reasons – did we postpone the march because it had become a security issue, or was this just another of those homophobic challenges that we need to overcome? I believe it is both.”
Next, increased visibility can be a double-edged sword. While necessary in order to place LGBTIQ+ rights on the public agenda, queer visibility can trigger backlash, particularly in the form of hate speech and hate crimes. The SOC found that “since the First B&H Pride March took place in 2019…the increase in threats and violence in public places and/or online sphere/social networks tripled.”
Finally, the strength of ethno-nationalism and the political dysfunction embedded in BiH institutions creates perhaps the most difficult barrier to progress. Pervasive ethno-national narratives have painted the struggle for queer rights which differ from the identities that political elites in BiH extol for electoral success. However, some research does indicate that activists’ efforts may be piercing through these narratives, at least to some extent. Nevertheless, particularly rule-of-law institutions often fail to take violations of LGBTIQ+ human rights seriously. Ćulibrk argues that “it is a huge responsibility of institutions that are not ready to take a public stand and say that they will do everything in their power to protect LGBTI people from violence, to call for cooperation and to report cases of hate crimes.”
A Path Forward
When asked what people should know about the status of the LGBTIQ+ movement in BiH today, Ćulibrk emphasized, “the fact that the fight for LGBTI rights is not exclusive, but rather inclusive – we are more than open and ready to provide support in all cases of injustice to various groups.” He continued, “in this sense, the BH Pride is one of the tools to create a free and fair society where all citizens are equal. Understanding and compassion are key components to creating such a society, even when we don’t see eye to eye, we should accept that differences exist and that LGBTI people are just as important as anyone else in this society.”
Queer Bosnian activists achieved something remarkable when they organized the first Pride March in 2019. It was just announced that the second Pride March will be held in-person on 14 August 2021, which will hopefully serve as an important marker of visibility for queer people in BiH once again.
What is equally important to acknowledge is the dedication and determination that queer activists display each and every day. While this work cannot always be easily encapsulated by an international headline, it is a necessary ingredient for the construction of a just society in which queer people can not only publicly exist, but prosper. Each new challenge has spurred queer people and activists in BiH to leverage their creativity and ingenuity in order to expand and magnify their efforts at achieving progress.
The experience of the pandemic in particular demonstrates that against all odds, queer people and activists display incredible resilience in BiH. As Bakić put it, “We are queer. We are proud. Our lives are tough and it’s quite challenging, but we are brave enough and ready to challenge the system and fight for our freedoms and rights.”

created: August 10th, 2021

author: Taylor Whitsell


text:
The Artists who Took Politicians off the Billboards | Balkan Diskurs
Andrea Aleksić
August 18th, 2021
“I think that the culmination of the epidemic and the fear from death made art shine with its full splendor, giving people back hope and reminding them how unimportant politicians really are for their lives. Turn off the TV and they disappear,” – Jelena Medić on the occasion of her exhibition, “Budni,” which debuted after the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The unique exhibition, “Budni” (“The Awaken” in English) replaced the faces of politicians on pre-election billboards with a new set of smiling faces after the general elections were held in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in November 2020.
The goal of the exhibition was to bring new hope and a good laugh to people. The exhibition was shown in the streets of Banja Luka, Sarajevo, Mostar, Trebinje, Zvornik, Bijeljina, Tuzla, Doboj, Prijedor, Novi Grad, Brčko, Modrića, Derventa, Prnjavor, Gradiška, Laktaši, Čelinac, and Kotor Varoš.
As the artist Jelena Medić said, people started gathering in large groups, laughing. It was already a sign of new hope.
She presented her exhibition “Budni” to the public two days after the elections, because, as she says, the public’s attention on politics was enormous at the time. It was wise to take that attention and turn it to something more positive.
“It seemed logical that in the year of the economic crisis, after the elections, there would be a lot of empty advertising spaces, which, with a little understanding and thinking, could serve as advertising for what is really important,“ she explains.
Using photography, she presented 25 people that she believed had the capacity to free themselves from their own and others’ images of themselves to enter into a deeper process of self-discovery.
“People are waking up slowly. Not just here, but all over the world. Some wake up willingly and joyfully, some by force, and some, unfortunately, will not wake up even at the cost of their lives. These misfortunes are certainly the result of a long sleep walking, too much alienation from the body, too much reliance on systems. And a man is not a screw, no matter how much he once wanted to be simplified to that extent. Art has a way of showing people that, if they are willing to see it,” says Jelena.
Unusual Times Bear Creativity
She called the “Budni” exhibition “one of the most successful pandemic projects.”
Some of the successful people whose photos adorn the streets of Bosnian cities are photographers Tea Jagodić and Tajana Dedić Starović, and actor Zlatan Vidović. The three of them, each in their own way, experienced the “awakening” process that Jelena describes, not only in front of the camera, but also in front of the entire population.
“It was interesting to see that someone else was photographing me in the studio for the first time, since I have been working on my own for ten years. I really liked that change. It was unusual in the beginning until I got used to  it,” says Tea Jagodić.
Jelena wanted to photograph people and their personalities. She wanted to move away from the commercial photography that she was fed up with.
“She mentioned some possibility of creating a photo calendar. So at that moment I couldn’t even imagine that our photos would be part of a phenomenal calendar, much less that it would be an exhibition on billboards across the country, which was a really amazing idea,” Tea added.
According to her, her family and friends were very happy to see her on the billboards, immediately letting her know the location of her billboard.
“A lot of them go to work using these roads, so I greet them every morning at the entrance to the city, which I liked in the end. When I first approached the photograph, the billboard, for publication, archive, and memory and saw myself, I was shy in front of myself because it was too unusual for me. Later it became completely normal for me because I am part of it together with a large group of people and we are doing a phenomenal story together. I am not alone, although we all stood on our own in very large formats,“ she explained.
Successful Faces Instead of Already-Seen Ones
What Tea noticed was that the unusual times we all find ourselves in make people do positive things and try to rise above evil.
“If we don’t make ourselves feel better, at least for one day, no one will do it for us. If we were always well and everything was as it should be, I think we would be lazy and not do a lot of things. This exhibition on billboards is an example of a strong symbolism where no further comments are needed – artists who ‘removed’ politicians from billboards across the country,” Tea says.
Another photographer who found herself in front of the camera was Tajana Dedić Starović. For her, this was an amazing experience.
“The way Jelena approaches the model is really specific. I am both a photographer and a psychologist by profession, but Jelena swept me off my feet. She is so good. I felt really comfortable, but also naked. It was wonderful when the project was finally realized, when all the wonderful photos and those wonderful people appeared on billboards. I felt that I was part of something very important and big,” said the young artist.
She noticed that the public was interested in the project, and people mostly saw it as something beautiful and likable.
“I think awakening happens in times of crisis. Everyone is trying to find their own place and, in the end, some kind of explanation. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as we manage to stay rational and consistent with ourselves and our beliefs,” she says.
Actor Zlatan Vidović, who is no stranger to this experience, also stood in front of Jelena Medić’s camera.
“Jelena Medić and I have known each other for a long time. We also worked together on some theater plays that she directed, in which I acted. She has also photographed me before, but this was really a new experience, which is very valuable for me. It was a great pleasure to be a part of this project. It was an even greater pleasure to see photos of successful people on billboards instead of politicians and all that nonsense that bombes us every day. I think that this is a great refreshment and a real thing that really happened on Jelena’s initiative,” he says.
Culture Must Ask Questions
He believes that more projects like this one are needed in the future, because the Bosnian society, as Zlatan explains, is currently lethargic, living in a time that offers no answers.
“And we are somehow introverts, and we don’t ask a lot of questions. One of the ways to ‘get out’ of such a state are exhibitions like this. Culture must ask many more questions, to awaken and be socially engaged, and to provoke. Young people need to take matters into their own hands, because their energy is what will start and turn this world. And this world is currently in a very bad state,” Zlatan says.
On the way to this successful exhibition, Jelena Medić left commercial work and followed her dreams as an artist.
“Courage is the other face of fear. The greater the fear, the greater the courage. I could clearly see that I would get sick if I refused to accept whatever was coming next, and the very thought of illness scared me. So I understood it as a lack of choice. And not having a choice is the strongest motivation,” she explains as she thanks the artists who stood in front of her camera for the project.
They trusted her, and some of them, as she explains, gave in easier, some harder, but in the end they all opened up emotionally and with each of them she experienced, at least for a moment, the beauty of full presence and connection.
“The experience that each of us went through individually, left a mark on the entire group and the changes that happened in us will inevitably initiate similar changes in the observer. It is that invisible power and beauty of art,” emphasizes Jelena.
As she explains, she is now concentrating on returning to a state of internal peace in order to write the novel she has started.
“The illusion of ‘changing the world’ that the exhibition brought me is very tempting, so I still, as before, firmly believe that I can change something. But I deeply believe that all change happens inside. Thanks for asking me that. I will allow myself to be inspired again. Producer Zoran Galić from Vizart and I would like to continue the collaboration and do something magical again. We will see what life thinks about it,” she concludes.
Jelena Medić was born in 1980 in Novi Sad, and in 2000 she came to Banja Luka to study, which was the right moment, she says, to start looking for who she really is. She graduated with a degree in acting and dramaturgy, and everything she did in her life, she did, “as if playing some game.” In the end, she says that the subject she will deal with for the rest of her life is man and his internal character.

created: August 18th, 2021

author: Andrea Aleksić


text:
An Investment in Bosnia’s Future: Compensating Survivors of Sexual Violence | Balkan Diskurs
Alec Anderson | Chiara Zardoni
August 25th, 2021
The sexual violence endured by women and men during the Bosnian War has had a concrete and lasting impact on survivors.
“The topic [of compensating survivors] is still young and there are many things that have to be discussed, improved, and written on paper. The good thing is that something is happening now, and it is not something that will stop.”
– Alma Taso Deljkovic, Head of the Witness Support Office of the Court of BiH
The sexual violence endured by women and men during the Bosnian War has had a concrete and lasting impact on survivors. One of the ways this manifests itself is economically. Whether due to physical disability, psychological trauma, or community stigmatization, many survivors face barriers to earning a living, which, unfortunately, may lead to a permanent reduction in their quality of life. Granting survivors reparations for what they have suffered helps them reclaim their past and build a better future, a necessary step in overcoming the legacy of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). But economically empowering survivors is not the only crucial function of reparations. As outlined by the International Center of Transitional Justice, granting reparations to survivors expresses “to victims and society more generally that the state is committed to addressing the root causes of past violations and ensuring they do not happen again.”
However, despite the clear need for reparations, the complicated practices of courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) often prevent survivors from obtaining compensation.
Ostensibly, there are laws that entitle survivors of sexual violence to monetary compensation across BiH, particularly the national Law on Protection of Civilian Victims of War, which was an important first step that shouldn’t be overlooked. With that said, this law is applied unevenly across the different entities of BiH. For example, unlike the Federation of BiH, Republika Srpska does not recognize survivors of sexual violence as a separate category within the umbrella status of civilian victims of war, and the application deadline for those seeking reparation was in 2007. These barriers and numerous others across the entities, including inconsistent requirements for medical certificates and proof of physical damage, has led the UN Committee against Torture to order BiH to “establish an effective reparation scheme at the national level.” Unfortunately, today there is still no such law in place.
The final step for survivors seeking reparations is going through court proceedings. However, pursuing this option in BiH has been extremely difficult and discouraging for survivors, with many giving up and not seeking reparations at all. The main problem lies in how compensation claims are dealt with by courts. According to OSCE analysis, many courts have been reluctant to grant such claims, instead referring survivors of CRSV to civil proceedings following the conclusion of the criminal trial. This practice has had devastating consequences for survivors; most give up on pursuing reparations to avoid the trauma of re-testifying and losing the privacy granted by protective measures in criminal proceedings. Essentially, survivors are forced to choose between their privacy and their right to claim non-material damages.
Notwithstanding these obstacles, progress has been made in recent years. Alma Taso Deljkovic, head of the Witness Support Office of the Court of BiH, explained during a July 6th interview that a crucial turning point in Bosnia came via a 2015 decision of the Court of BiH that granted compensation to a CRSV survivor during a criminal proceeding for the first time. Since then, courts have increasingly discussed compensation claims in criminal proceedings, only referring survivors to civil proceedings when evidence is insufficient. According to Deljkovic, there is room for improvement, however. With the issue finally in the spotlight it is likely that improvements can continue in coming years, thanks to joint effort between the competent authorities and civil society organizations (CSOs). For instance, CSOs like Trial International are working in the country to inform survivors of what their rights are and what they can do to obtain reparations. Lejla Heremić, director of Social Pedagogy at the survivor-supporting organization Medica Zenica, mentioned in an interview that the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy has granted Medica Zenica the ability to issue survivors certificates that maintain their civilian victim of war status. This, she said, has caused many survivors to come forward to Medica Zenica, receive a certificate, and pursue monetary reparations after.
Work is being done on an international level as well. The Global Survivors Fund (GSF) is a new, but outstanding Geneva-based organization which, as explained by their Communications Advisor Maud Scelo, emerged in 2018 from the work of Dr. Mukwege and Nadia Murad, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to end CRSV in 2018. The Global Reparations Study, a project that the GSF is currently undertaking, focuses on the status of reparations for survivors of CRSV in over twenty countries, including BiH. As Scelo explained, securing reparations is an extremely complicated ordeal for survivors, who often have to deal with the unwillingness of states to grant judicial reparations and excruciatingly long wait times. Moreover, no universal solution exists; reparations take different forms depending on the specific context, country, culture and gender of the survivor. In addition to the recognition of non-material damages before courts, economic reparations can also come in the form of a monthly salary, physical and psychological rehabilitation, education funding for the children of survivors, the coverage of health care costs, and more. The GSF’s purpose is to step in when states are unable or unwilling to provide survivors with effective reparations. Vitally, their initiatives utilize survivor-centered approaches, including understanding and mapping survivors’ real-life needs, providing interim reparative measures when legal reparations are lacking, guiding CSOs and national authorities, and advocacy campaigns aimed at national and international authorities that ensure that reparations stay at the top of the political agenda.
Indeed, compensating survivors is just one of many forms of reparations. Nonetheless, in a country such as BiH, shared historical truth can be hard to come by, especially in politics, making broader collective reparation policies an uphill battle. Thus, investing economically in the future of CRSV survivors is imperative if the state is to acknowledge their responsibility and repair past damage to the extent that it is possible. Finally, compensating those who have suffered can build trust in the government, which is critical if BiH is to heal the broken relationship between CRSV survivors and the state—for a democracy that casts one group aside fails all of its people.
———
This article is part of the series “Progress and Challenges in Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,” highlighting the experience of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad.

created: August 25th, 2021


text:
Is mental health still taboo? | Balkan Diskurs
Mirza Mujdžić-Jojić
September 2nd, 2021
Twenty-one-year-old Kenan Suljić is one of the creators of the world’s first application to fight depression. The first-year student of the Faculty of Medicine in Tuzla is also a certified youth leader. In an interview for Balkan Diskurs, he reveals his perspective on mental health and how he managed to make his dream come true.
The old saying “knowledge is power” is true for Kenan Suljić. He is an activist, philanthropist, and lover of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and its people.
He says that he has a positive attitude. With constant hard works, he fosters his different self-identities. His favorite is to be a good and honest friend. Kenan is a fighter for justice and equality in everything, because he believes that only together can we create a better future.
Kenan is one of the creators of the first applications in the field of mental health, “D-App,” which fights depression.
“There are moments when we lose everything and cannot see outside of our four walls,” he says, explaining what it looks like for most people to face this disease.
Depression and anxiety are, as he says, states of fear and hopelessness when it seems like everything is disappearing and decaying and when we do not have someone to take our hand and pull us up.
“These are states and diseases when we often lie to ourselves and do not want to admit the truth. These are states in which we must be aware of the importance of an honest relationship, primarily with ourselves, moments where we need to know that we are never alone and that there is a way out of every difficult situation, a solution, and a better tomorrow. That is when it hurts the most, even though we do everything to make it better, seek help, and create a better situation,” explains Kenan.
What is D-App?
The ”D-App” for depression and mental illness is an innovative approach to treatment among health apps. The main goal is to provide professional, quality services to users and to combat the stigma in BiH of going to a psychologist.
“We all have feelings, emotions, and each of us hurts a lot. It often seems pointless and futile, but when a person gathers strength, admits to oneself where he/she is wrong and moves forward, he/she clearly sees the result of the struggle and an honest relationship [develops],” explains Kenan.
He is grateful that he did not go through difficult periods of depression and anxiety, but watching a friend and a complete stranger struggle with these problems and fears motivated him to start the app and give himself to others in need.
Statistics show that the app was needed in BiH. After seven days in operation, the number of users on the application was 700, with 150 realized requests between users and experts.
After 25 days of work, the number of users increased to 1,500 and 230 realized requests.
“The total number of users as of December 31, 2020 amounts to 2,125 users, of which 1800+ [are] active. And [there are] over 250 realized requests between users and experts. Also, today, after a few months break and construction of new parts of the application, we have more than 3,000 active users, and in June alone we have 400+ new users,” details Kenan.
Analytics in a story like this are one of the key indicators of Kenan’s success, something that cannot be explained with words.
The Struggle For A Better Bosnia and Herzegovina
This first-year student at the Medical Faculty in Tuzla, unlike most of his peers, dreams of staying in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He believes that Bosnia truly represents fertile ground for change, if young people are able to take advantage of it.
“If you are wondering if we have a Bosnian society living out of its comfort zone, we [do] have [it]. Proof of that is D-App, [with] more than 2,000 users in the first month and today, after all the changes, more than 3,000 active users and over 8,000 total sessions,” he says.
He believes that as a society we often make mistakes, mostly guided by those who do not work for the good of the people.
“They often call us by different names and place us in different groups. However, when we turn around, we have the opportunity to see the growth and development of society, a display of the desire and will of the little man to create an ideal environment conducive to a comfortable life,” he explains.
When asked if we live in a society that provides support, Kenan says that the presence of stigma is significant, as well as thinking “what will people say…”
“But it is encouraging when we see all the analysis, results and interest of the Bosnian society. The people need an opportunity. We are fed up with lies, deceptions, and stories that never come true. We are building an honest relationship and a path of mutual well-being, and the results will appear, we know [it]. We already have them!” he says.
The Key Is In Education
The education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he explains, faces huge problems and has had significant failures.
“We just pass by education. We don’t nurture it. There is visible inequality, injustice, and an approach that does not guarantee security for future academic citizens,” says Kenan.
The path of least resistance, corruption and crime, attract those are not getting what they deserve because their parents are not “someone important,” he says.
“A huge impact on mental health comes from every educational institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is up to us and those who make decisions to change this situation and make the education system the most important support to every young life in creating a life path,” he adds.
Family As The Biggest Support
A large number of accidents, he says, are caused by children’s misunderstandings.
“That is why we are here, to talk and point out to society the importance of mental health. To always be aware that the person next to us may need help and that we are the ones who have to react and show some level of humanity,” says Kenan.
In his opinion, Bosnian society is faced with a large number of those who degrade family and its importance in a child’s upbringing.
“There are simply periods of life that our parents do not teach us, but their presence always plays an important role in those moments. Giving love, attention, and commitment when a child makes plans on what he/she will strive for tomorrow has no price. Appreciate and respect parents, family, and what you have every day, because we know how important all this is in our lives only when we lose the ones we love,” he proudly states.
In his case, hard work is the key to his success, but gratitude for everything he has done goes to his family, his parents and brother.
“They are always here for me and are my biggest support, but at the same time my biggest critics,” Kenan adds.
He tells young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina that if they want the best for themselves and their society, they must take the most difficult step in life, and that is the struggle to create somewhat they will be remembered for.
“Let’s be responsible and aware of the fact that every change starts from each of us individually and ends in joint struggle and success,” he concludes.

created: September 2nd, 2021

author: Mirza Mujdžić-Jojić


text:
Artist Hanna Dujmović: With a lot of hard work, every goal is achievable | Balkan Diskurs
Mirnes Bakija
September 10th, 2021
Hanna Dumović is an academic sculptor, who describes herself as an imaginative, ambitious and unusual girl who lives her dreams. Unlike many of her peers, Hanna did not wait for the change to happen on its own after graduation, but actively worked on achieving her goals.
She has been involved in many projects involving creative workshops with children and young people, and has already had nine collective exhibitions around the world. She is currently working as a rhythmic gymnastics coach, and in addition to that, she is the founder of the atelier for all ages “EdusKreativus”.
This unusual girl believes that formal education is not as important for the development of young people in Bosnian society as it is important to be educated informally during their studies. She says that formal education is something that new generations no longer question, because “it is now always expected from everyone to have a college degree.”
“What I consider very important, in addition to formal education, are our interests and hard work. It is very important to read, research and upgrade your knowledge every day, because they will not teach us many things in educational institutions”, says Hanna for Balkan Diskurs.
The young artist says that her greatest passions are nature, art and music, and her greatest motivation is to constantly improve and reach the maximum of her personality. She adds that she finds passion in everything she does and if it weren’t so, she probably wouldn’t be able to realize many of her projects.
With her colleague and friend, Merima Prija, during her student days, she had many productive conversations about what to do after graduation. She says that she and her colleague have always been ambitious, so after graduation they decided to turn the designed concept into reality and open a studio.
After a lot of work and effort, they managed to find a place to open a studio, which operates within the Youth Center Gorica.
“As part of the studio, we offer a unique creative program for all those who want to practice art. We also do preparatory classes for enrolment in the High School of Applied Arts, and the Academy of Fine Arts. This year, our first generation of preparatory classes was sent off, and all our candidates were admitted among the best in the entrance exam. I think that says enough about how seriously and lovingly we do this job,” adds Hanna.
What the studio also offers are Art Therapy workshops for adults which contribute to relaxation from stress and everyday life. At these workshops, Hanna and Merima do relaxation sessions with music, where participants can relax and forget about all the problems through the means of creative work.
Hanna says that these workshops have proven to be very successful for all participants, and that many people are happy to return to the studio. During the sessions, the tasks are always new and interesting, and the final product is generally better than expected.
Additionally, this young artist is involved in many other creative projects, one of which is painting reusable grocery bags.
In response to the growing global problem of using disposable plastic bags, Hana started painting cotton grocery bags, which can be found on the h.tzekeri page. These grocery bags look interesting and modern, and the goal, she says, is to contribute to the protection of the environment.
“Painting cotton grocery bags is an idea that my colleague Merima and I primarily started in our studio. I turned this idea into a humanitarian action, so I could buy gifts for beautiful children by selling of eco checkers, with whom we worked within the Public Institution “Mjedenica”. I am currently painting grocery bags upon customers’ orders. Reusable grocery bags are long-lasting, an ideal replacement for disposable bags, but also a unique fashion detail because you have a wearable work of art, which we certainly can’t see that often,” says Hanna.
What is very significant in Hanna’s work is the cycle of paintings “Art in the Age of the Corona”. She says that artists create in accordance with the times, and usually draw inspiration from everyday life. Her inspiration for this cycle arose in response to a pandemic that still afflicts us.
The paintings are divided into several cycles, and the first was the cycle “Art in the Age of the Corona” – melancholic, depressed, aggressive, as a search for a way out and coping with the situation. In response to the first, the “Spring Dance” was created – the discovery of positivism within the imagination, the painting of cheerful, funny, colorful motifs with the figure of a woman.
Although a large number of artists have been left without engagement since the beginning of the pandemic, Hanna says that if you are willing to invest effort in new content, then you will easily find new potential buyers.
She adds that regardless of the pandemic, the art market is open-end; paintings can travel anywhere in the world, and certainly the profit from that is enough to survive in these difficult times.
She says that the advantage of artists in Bosnia and Herzegovina is that there is almost no competition when it comes to authentic works, so that a lot can be achieved with hard work and effort.
“If we take a metropolis like London as an example, then it is very difficult for your works of art to be visible to the general public at all, because the rivalry is huge. Some artists never even welcome their exhibition, while in our country, whoever works and creates, has the opportunity to present themselves to the audience. I think the future of artists in Bosnia and Herzegovina is promising. A lot is being done to popularize art, I believe it will bear fruit”, Hanna is optimistic.
This young artist believes that every goal can be achieved with a lot of hard work, a lot of setbacks, a lot of optimism and ultimately with a little luck. She says that we cannot know until we try, and as very important factors for the development of each individual, she recommends reading, watching quality movies, listening to good music, traveling, and meeting people of other nations and cultures.
“That’s what we lack, expanded horizons, dialogue, empathy and a little more mutual love. Young people are the key drivers of positive change, but I certainly think it is necessary for all generations to unite towards the goal of a better tomorrow, because young people are just one part of the puzzle,” says Hanna.
Given the situation with the pandemic, this young artist tries to go day after day with minimal planning. She says that challenges and creative ideas are always present, and emphasizes that the right time for implementation of those ideas will happen soon.
Hanna’s upcoming exhibition will open in Belgrade this month.

created: September 10th, 2021

author: Mirnes Bakija


text:
Amila Ramović: Progressive and critical thought of real art | Balkan Diskurs
Kristina Gadže
September 16th, 2021
Amila Ramović, assistant professor at the Department of Music Theory and Pedagogy at the Music Academy of the University of Sarajevo, talks to Balkan Diskurs about critical thinking through art. In addition to her academic title, she is the President of the Musicological Society of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a member of the International Musicological Society based in Basel. The profession gives her the opportunity to meet many future artists.
“Art students are passionate about this vocation and in their work they are guided by optimism that the values they instinctively and intellectually feel will be recognized by their environment. That is why it is a special privilege for anyone interested in art to work with young people who are not yet „corrupt“ by conformism, which is the greatest enemy of progressive and critical artistic thought – as only such art is the real one. However, it is true that this attitude of theirs is quickly tested as soon as they finish their studies, because our society does not have any platform to support artists“, points out Ramović.
She says that the young musicians she works with, even the most talented and award-winning ones, usually give up artistic activities very quickly and look for a job in music schools, and that such daily work exhausts them.
„This is not strange at all, especially when we know that, for example, in the public institutional sector in Sarajevo, there is only the Philharmonic and the Opera where someone can play music professionally. In this sense, we can neglect the independent sector, because it is also neglected by the administrations with miserable financing. So young artists cannot do music for living. This reality worries them, demoralizes them and in the end they come to simply surrender to that reality“, she adds.
She survived besieged Sarajevo and saw how art works even in such conditions. It is under siege, she says visibly and clearly, that the experience of art is directly related to survival as one of the most resilient ways of preserving people’s identity.
„In a situation when our physical existence was called into question, when we as human beings were annulled by the aggressors, but also by the „civilized“ European world that surrounds us, the continuity of life was confirmed by the achievements of the spirit. At that time, we felt that biological survival, survival itself, having to eat, being warmed up, was not enough“, says Ramović, recalling that it was a period when citizens risked their lives to go to exhibitions and shows.
History and culture are always interesting topics for artists, she adds, and in BiH, which is burdened with historical narratives, this is especially pronounced.
„In post-war Bosnia, precisely because of the dominant policies and narratives that those policies placed, there was a flood of ethno-national kitsch in the field of art, based on historical and mythological narratives where devotion to the people and homeland is manifested in the format of works of art. I say in format, because these works are consciously or unconsciously conceived with the aim of initiating some empathic processes, in the way that pop culture seduces its consumers. In the end, such achievements are often strengthened by social support“, explains Amila Ramović.
She says that seriuos art requires a contemporary critical approach, contextualized in the knowledge not only of BiH reality, but also of contemporary artistic discourse. „Such artistic speech, which we recognize as the face of successful BiH art, is largely carried by artists who work internationally, independent of the reactions from our environment. Braco Dimitrijević is certainly the most important artistic figure of the BiH art scene of all time. His works are regularly in the permanent exhibition of the world’s most important museums. Despite that, I am not sure that he is recognized through the administrations in his full capacity, but also in our wider social space“, says Ramović.
She explains that the limits of artistic discourse are largely connected with the fact that BiH, at all levels, actually invests very little in critically oriented art, because it is not in the interest of what leading policies aim for.
When asked whether critical culture sometimes leads to separation from one’s own culture in the context of the departure of young people from these areas, Ramović answered that these two things work side-by-side.
„Young people are leaving BiH because they do not see the possibility that something could change, and that is especially true in the artistic milieu. What is true is that the situation can be changed by serious critical action. And that critical culture, that is, critical thinking through arguments, formation of attitude, articulation of attitude and its placement in public space, is what we as a society lack on every agenda. I often see young people, but not only young people, giving up critical action,“ she says.
Art is independent of politics, but the question arises as to how much they need to be connected, if they are to achieve some better goals. Amila Ramović believes that art involves people and therefore, in her opinion, it is political in nature, as it shapes the spirit and cultural heritage that builds the identity of a certain region.
„Good art is therefore political because it is highly sensitive to reality, because regardless of whether the topics it deals with are abstract or concrete, it educates the audience to critically recognize these nuances and enables them to understand the world in its ambiguity,“ she says and adds that good art is usually the enemy of right-wing politics, and good artists are almost always somewhere directed to the left.
She advises young artists to imagine the future, to have concrete goals in front of them and to fight to achieve them. „Very often, the achievement of these goals is quite realistic, only that the messages from the social reality lead us to doubt and pessimism. The dominant policy in BiH is based on the prevention of resistance and on breaking the will for rebellion and change, so we are ‘trained’ by both the administration and the media. But this position of theirs is fundamentally very weak and it can easily be defeated in the face of strong creative energy“, she explains.
She points out that it is necessary for associations of art students and young artists in the independent sector to articulate their own visions and use public space, social networks and media to put pressure on those who can create the conditions for their visions to be realized.
„I do hope that young musicians, but also young artists in general, will initiate some public actions and ask public administrations to change their attitude towards them, but that has not happened yet. If we look at the spending of budget funds, it turns out that refined intellectual work is not something that those who finance cultural production recognize as a value. That would have to change if we want BiH to get an active, stable, coherent and relevant art scene,” concludes Ramović.

created: September 16th, 2021

author: Kristina Gadže


text:
Socioeconomic Issues & RECOM: A Research Agenda | Balkan Diskurs
Daniela Lai
September 23rd, 2021
Socioeconomic issues have become an increasingly important topic in transitional justice. A new research project developed in collaboration between PCRC and Royal Holloway, University of London, explores how they have been debated in the context of the Initiative for RECOM.
The socioeconomic dimension of transitional justice
For many communities affected by conflict, socioeconomic issues are central to efforts at dealing with the past. But what do we mean exactly by socioeconomic issues in transitional justice? They can include the provision of socioeconomic remedies – such as reparation or material compensation – in the aftermath of conflict. They can also refer to how communities experience forms of violence or injustice during conflict that we could define as socioeconomic in nature, such as the destruction of one’s home or being deprived of basic means of subsistence. The socioeconomic dimension of transitional justice is also tightly linked to the political economy of conflict – how groups use economic means for military purposes, and how the economy changes during war – and also of the post-war period, when the economic system is reconstructed and often reformed in ways that can affect the scope and success of transitional justice processes.
In practice, transitional justice mechanisms have been less focused on these socioeconomic issues compared to, for example, judicial accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. This is particularly prominent in the case of the former Yugoslavia, where the international community concentrated its efforts on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia – including by tying EU accession conditionality to cooperation with the Tribunal. However, more recent research has started giving us important insights into how important these issues are in the former Yugoslav region.
The role of RECOM
The Initiative for RECOM was set up by three leading NGOs (Documenta from Zagreb, the Humanitarian Law Center from Belgrade and the Research and Documentation Center from Sarajevo) to advocate for the establishment of a Regional Commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and other serious violations of human rights committed during the Yugoslav wars that took place between 1991 and 2001. As they expanded the Coalition of organisations across the whole region, they organised consultations to gather support for the Initiative and to discuss the set up and scope of a future Commission. This process ended up involving thousands of representatives from the civil society from across the region who took part in 128 consultation meetings. For this reason the RECOM process has been researched by scholars interested in the potential of such a regional transitional justice mechanism, the extent to which it better represents a ‘bottom-up’ approach to TJ or better responds to local needs other TJ mechanisms such as the ICTY.
While the goal of establishing a Regional Commission has not been achieved and might seem elusive, the consultation process in itself constituted an important avenue for local communities, victims, young people, and other sectors of the civil society to debate the question of dealing with the past in the former Yugoslav region. The consultations offered the opportunity to discuss not only the mandate of RECOM but also experiences, needs and expectations from local communities and organisations. Researchers often see the RECOM consultations as a TJ deliberative setting that can give us important insights into how ideas about justice, truth, and peace are socially constructed. Research on RECOM so far has tackled many questions (from reconciliation to gender, the composition and inclusivity of the initiative and differences between local, national and regional debates). However, the socioeconomic dimension of TJ has not been central in RECOM research thus far. Even a cursory glance at some of the transcripts, however, reveal that socioeconomic issues were present, albeit not dominant, in debates, and thus deserve further attention and research.
Researching socioeconomic issues and RECOM
Previous research on RECOM has been conducted through a variety of research methods. Some of it has relied on interviews with participants and non-participants to the initiative. A large body of work has relied on the wealth of data provided by transcripts of consultation meetings held between 2006 and 2011 across the region. The challenge of working with these consultation transcripts is the sheer amount of text that they produced. Due to this, some researchers have used quantitative or mixed methods approaches to analyse the data, while others have opted for a more qualitative analysis of a smaller sample of transcripts. Each of these methods can have advantages and shortcomings and be more suited to specific kinds of research questions.
This project also focuses on transcript analysis. A team of researchers from PCRC read through 61 RECOM transcripts and carried out a preliminary analysis based on a coding sheet prepared the project lead based at Royal Holloway, Dr Daniela Lai. This initial phase was funded by pump-priming funds from Global Challenges Research Fund at Royal Holloway, and ran from the beginning of March until June 2021. The first goal of this project was to map the kind of socioeconomic themes that emerged during RECOM consultations. The project therefore took a qualitative approach focused on identifying macro-themes that could guide further analysis in the following stages of the project. As the project moves forward, we hope that the preliminary findings will open a research agenda on socioeconomic issues and RECOM. Here are some of the questions raised by this phase of the project.
The first phase of the project allowed us to start mapping socioeconomic issues in a sample of RECOM consultation transcripts. While giving us only a preliminary idea of the frequency and saliency of these themes, this analysis has prompted such a wide range of questions that we hope will not only be explored in future stages of this project, but also inform a research agenda on RECOM and the socioeconomic dimension of transitional justice.

created: September 23rd, 2021

author: Daniela Lai