When asked about the DOP (Demokratski Omladinski Pokret, Youth Democratic Movement), the eyes of Ernad Deni Comaga go into space, while his hand mechanically grasped the cigarette that was smoldering in the ashtray to draw a latte. At 23, he is the leader of a major militant youth organizations in BiH, and seems to juggle a life rich in many facets.
In some places, an "apartheid"
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- Deni Ernad Comaga
The DOP was founded in 2005, and has almost 500 members. Far from the mainstream political parties Bosnian, often nationalist, he pluralism and multi-nationality of one of its main leitmotif, whether through the organization of round tables to promote dialogue between communities as well as by the presence of undifferentiated members of Bosnian, Croatian or Serbian in its ranks. Ernad describes me, terrified, the situation in some rural areas of BiH, in which, "on one side to another street, a cafe filled with Bosnian and Croatian coffee filled by face", as in Stolac, a town symbol of the division in BiH, where communal tensions are exacerbated. There, he says, it's a bit like an "apartheid", a separate corporation that is "worse than the separation caused by the Berlin Wall".
Convinced of the importance of educating young people to tolerance, an age category "abandoned by the international organizations" while its members were by nature "a more open mind because they have not directly experienced the war" , members of the DOP crisscross the country to meet with Bosnian youth in smaller communities and interact with them, making some fascinating encounters. Ernad tells me a meeting in a small town near Banja Luka (in RS), in which he discusses with a young age, with whom he will then have a drink, surrounded by other members of the DOP. The individual will tell him later that this is the first time he sits down at a table with a Bosnian, and he thought it was pretty cool. The ambition of the DOP is disarmingly simple: to enable young people to tolerate each other.
This objective is one of the two sides of the main project, that of giving back to the future BiH as a state plural and multicultural. The second facet is to encourage young people to participate in politics, and to invest more broadly in the destiny of their country. For this, the DOP conducts seminars to teach how to mount projects, to teach young people to lobby. The NGOs also argues that the new generations settled in BiH in the long run, even if they start doing internships or academic exchanges abroad. Bosnian diaspora are indeed more than a million people, including more than 100,000 people in Germany, Austria, Serbia or the United States, and Ernad think they settled in BiH would be the option for providing the country experiences, skills and greater openness to the world.
Be militant in BiH
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- The banner of Demokratski Omladinski Pokret (DOP)
The challenges are many, however. When asked why young people do not want to commit, the leader of DOP hesitate: "Some young Bosnians are a bit lazy, not too ambitious", he explains first , before referring to the corruption problems that plague the country, "here, argue is a problem". He then told me his difficulties with the administration of law school: one of his teachers could not bear to see him get involved politically at this point, and stopped him twice to move to the year higher, forcing him to redouble his first and his second year of law school. Here, in addition to registration fees, money to get the diploma: "2000 marks [nes: about 1000 euros]", for boys. For girls, we must sometimes pay for his body. When there are events must avoid being recorded on the tape of video surveillance cameras (extremely numerous in BiH), not to be subject to such problems.
As well as activists, funding may be difficult to find. Bosnian society is small: to openly oppose this or that party, in such a bill is making a visible disagreement and incur the risk of being withdrawn funding. So the price of scarce finances, the DOP appears to be independent. He also is interested in funding proposed by the NGOs or international organizations only when they fit completely with the plans devised, where other local NGOs seem to be all be used to make fire on the international cash cow. Ernad is concerned that it considers precarious financial situation. For 2010, the DOP is considering making a list in parliamentary elections. He describes the project, rather rickety, "so we will not be an NGO, but not really a political party either", then his eyes glaze over again in a vacuum, while his hands looking again this umpteenth cigarette burns: "Independence is not easy here", he concedes.
This article introduces a series to be known a priori to be regularly supplied with interviews, reports and interviews ...
Bosnia, for my brother to me | Nicolas Daudin's blog
2 years before
[...] Very interesting articles: Youth and activism in Bosnia and Herzegovina Mostar, Pearl [...]
Nicolas Daudin
2 years before
William,
I found this article really interesting - more than others because ... more "concrete", at least from my point of view and compared to my expectations. I hope others as well! Keep writing!
Nicolas.
Ivar Petterson
2 years before
Hello,
This work deserves to be plural activist best known and supported. Given the obstacles at the institutional level and takeovers, such movements are an alternative, provided they can expand to other communities working to address in the same direction (eg small-farmers) and open the debate on how social plan for Bosnia-Herzegovina?
This debate also exists in our country, and nt. France and Switzerland, although there is also a minority too. Further criticism of the dominant system and takeovers at the expense of the vast majority of workers and citizens-not-s (which the above article shows some aspects), appears to be convergence of research and the need to struggle redefine a new model of socialist self-management (socioeconomic) associated with environmental (ecology).
The engine is of course the individual awareness, learning autonomy, solidarity, self-organization, and the ability to federate.
Only such a dynamic, constructive, can help to change attitudes, to avoid isolationism and especially the delegation of authority that only reinforce the haves and fatten Dodik.
I hope we can meet and discuss face to face, in April 2010 in Sarajevo and / or the March for Peace in Potocari Nezuk (July 8-10).
Ivar
Guillaume Daudin
2 years before
Dear Ivar,
Thank you for your comment (you let me tu).
The DOP has tried to work several times to control movements of convergence but without much success, partly because it seems to me that some NGOs have been enthusiastic international pension and therefore content to be managers, rather than try to ask, in clean, which would be good for their country.
I quite agree anyway that a model of socialist self-management associated with environmental, define obviously, can be a way forward, especially because the engines of which you speak are able to afford individuals to exercise their full political power, and would probably loosen, at least to some extent, the burdens "identity" and others ... but it's a long process, to a backdrop of pain and scarring Huge ...
I am no longer in Sarajevo or in BiH after the beginning of March 2010, but if you pass it before, wherever we can discuss when I return to France, it is a pleasure.
William
Ivar Petterson
2 years before
Dear William,
One must be very attentive to what is happening. At the institutional level, everything is blocked. The pressure on representatives to Butmir Bosnians clearly indicate that Western leaders are playing the card of Serbia and the RS (Republika Srpska).
As luck would have risen visas for Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia, and not for countries with a high proportion musulamne: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania.
And in the same period, the majority of Swiss citizens vote against minarets, but in fact against the Muslims, under the instigation of the UDC and fundamentalist Christian circles. Such a result would be similar in most European countries.
So there is a disturbing convergence between media makers and mass populism won, current itself permeable infiltration of fascist circles, now known as "identity".
When Serbia will be accepted in the EU, it will quickly take leadership of this radicalization, against a background of "Christian" Europe.
Given that much of the left and the far left are still marked by denial denying the genocide suffered by the Bosnian Muslims.
In Switzerland, it is only recently that the balance of power between the deniers of the left and we are changing in our favor. And thanks especially to the anti-Muslim position of the UDC.
It remains to make the connection between the mini-social movement, the DOP, etc.. Bosnia and Herzegovina and the unions and social mvts of our country.
But to realize such a comparison, it is necessary that these movements present an analysis and a credible, based primarily on a dynamic self-organizing local and capable of undertaking a role that is both critical and unifying.
And youth activism in Bosnia and Herzegovina | Do govorim dobro bosanski *
2 years before
[...] The first version of this article was already here, but here a second, more complete and [...]
Vrabac
2 years before
There is here as a wrong note!
Ivar you present yourself as an advocate of multi culturalism, and tolérences but you just pour an impressive dose of anti-Serb racism. Serbia for you is a potential leader of fascist radicalization?! For you all Serbs are without exception it looks like in them. I would like you to explain how you are diferent from those racist you flogged? You should not seek the reasons for Serbian independence movement further than in your speech.
Your speech on socialism Manager there is self-interest. What is your opinion on démentellement of Yugoslavia?
Ivar Petterson
1 year before
There is misunderstanding. I distinguish between fascist forces and positive forces and democratic Serbia, and I hope of course that they are carried by the new generation, which will eventually emerge in Serbia.
But given the risk of an economic recession and the rise of Islamophobic current in Europe, it is not unthinkable that the economy turns for Serb nationalists as being more experienced in handling and in the defense of Europe "Christian" (or at least displayed as such).
Indeed, they have already achieved a major victory by winning with the help of decision makers within the UN and the EU's thesis "civil war" in Bosnia-Herzegovina and imposing their solution of splitting the country into "entities ethnic. "
All this despite the fact that aggression and the division of Bosnia-Herzegovina have been decided a year earlier to Karadjordjevo between Milosevic and Tudjmann.
And they have managed to escape the condemnation of the International Court of Justice in February 2007, dismissing Bosnia and Herzegovina to the complaint filed in March 1993 for aggression and genocide.
So that the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina has not been rehabilitated and that divisions remain, with illegitimate seizure of the RS (Serbian Républiue) on the areas conquered by terror and genocide as Prijedor and Srebrenica.
This demonstrates their capacity and the network of complicity which they enjoy in Europe and internationally; to the detriment of the recognition of facts and a real reconciliation process.
This also at the expense of truly democratic and positive forces in Serbia, not enough known and supported in Europe.
One must distinguish between people and the ruling classes.
The abandonment of socialist self-management model (model for improvement taking into account the difficulties arising) is a tragedy for all populations of the former Yugoslavia.
It is clear that international and European policy makers considered this model as dangerous to their prospect of profit, which involves the division of people into passive individuals and consumers.
The breakup of Yugoslavia has certainly been tried. The CIA has strengthened the various anti-communist nationalism, including the introduction of "mudjahidins" transferred from Afghanistan ...
An important role in this plan has been played by Stanisic, Milosevic's right arm and head of the Serbian secret service. The CIA acknowledged that it was their main partner in the region.