Bosnian Bulletin #18
August 19, 2000
Greetings from Sarajevo,
It's a lazy Saturday afternoon in Sarajevo and we're waiting for
some friends to come over to go out for the favorite Bosnian
pastime -drinking coffee. Coffee drinking is done very
differently here in Bosnia than it is in North America.
There is no such thing as a "to go cup". Cars are
not built with coffee cup holders in them. Coffee is
not an addictive beverage to drink on the run, but rather it
is a reason to get together with friends and sit and talk.
One cup of coffee can last for an hour or more!
The weather here continues to be hot, but a little more bearable
than before. We have had some rain lately and though it is
still very dry the produce in the market looks as wonderful as
ever. Watermelon stands are popping up on every corner!
Since I last wrote, we attended MCC Europe Summer Retreat in
Northern Ireland. Yes, strangely enough, it was our second
trip to Northern Ireland this summer. But to put
Europe into perspective for you, a trip from Sarajevo to
Belfast is approximately like traveling from Kansas City to
Seattle! At any rate, the retreat was wonderful, as
always. The other MCC workers in Europe and Former
Soviet Union have become such good friends and an important
support network for us. It was very hard to
say good-bye to those MCCers whose terms are finishing
this fall and will be returning
to North America. This year's
retreat was a joint retreat with MBM (Mennonite Board
of Missions) Europe workers, so we had a very big
group -and very good hymn singing! Nelson
Kraybill from AMBS (Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary)
was our guest speaker and shared his thoughts on an
eschatological view of hope. Highlights of the week
include: singing, sharing times, meetings, meals together, late
night card games, outings around Northern Ireland and the
opportunity to learn about the conflict there from people who are
working for peace. One man, who spoke to us, spent 15 years
in prison for setting off a bomb that killed 2 people.
He is working with recently released prisoners who,
like himself, are now eager to work for peace instead of the
destruction that led them to prison. It was an inspiring story of
hope that human beings can change for the better -even
amidst societies full of hatred and conflict.
Here in Bosnia we continue to look for those signs of positive
changes. We do see signs of hope for long-lasting
peace. Steps forward can be very small and slow, and
sometimes there are set-backs, but we continue
to have hope. Some examples:
The United Nations recently reported that 19,500 refugees and
internally displaced people have returned to areas of
Bosnia-Herzegovina where they are minorities so far this year. By
comparison, just 2,000 people returned during the same period
last year. This raises hopes for the return of a
healthy, ethnically mixed Bosnia, and concerns about renewed
ethnic tensions where minorities are returning. Recently,
while traveling in one of the most heavily destroyed areas of
Bosnia, we saw graffiti spray-painted on a destroyed house that
read, "A dead returnee is the best". John and I
hope to explore options for MCC to send "Welcome
Home" humanitarian packages to those refugees who are
returning. The most they can hope to return to is
a minimally reconstructed home (if they have been lucky
enough to receive aid from an international aid
organization). They most likely have no jobs (and
little prospects of getting one -especially as minorities),
very few belongings and very little money. Some of
them return because of the even more desperate
situations they have been living in, or because they simply
want to live in the place that had always been home to them, or
still others are forced to return by the countries they have been
living in. The process of rebuilding a life is slow and
difficult, but some are succeeding. Now as we drive through
Bosnia, we can see some villages that just two years ago were
destroyed and abandoned which are now rebuilt with laundry
on the lines, gardens full of vegetables, hay stacked in
mounds, and people working in the yards and in the fields.
Another on-going work in Bosnia is the process of locating mass
graves and exhuming and identifying bodies. While it is a
gruesome process, it is a necessary step for many people who lost
loved ones and need to find closure to their questions to allow
them to move forward in the healing process. The
traditions of all the ethnic groups in Bosnia place a special
importance on the graves of family. Therefore, not
knowing where the bodies of your loved ones are, increases
the sense of loss. The missing persons commission has so
far exhumed the remains of some 10,000 people -6,000 of
which have been identified. The fate of some 22,000 war
victims -- of whom over 20,000 were believed to be Bosnian
Muslims -- is still uncertain. An estimated 200,000 Bosnians (of
a prewar population of 4 million) are estimated to have been
killed during the 1992-1995 war.
One of the greatest obstacles for return of refugees, use of
agricultural land and tourism is that of landmines. About
one million mines are estimated to lie scattered in 19,000
minefields around Bosnia -a country of only 51,233 sq.. km
(slightly smaller than West Virginia). Around 1,200 mine
accidents were reported between the end of the war and March this
year, 40 percent of them fatal and 20 percent involving
children. Mine removal is tediously slow and extremely
costly. Mine Action Committee (the leading mine removal
organization in Bosnia) estimates that even with sufficient
funding (which is highly unlikely) complete mine removal in
Bosnia could require an additional 30 years.
Perhaps these things don't sound very hopeful!! The
problems can seem overwhelming on a day to day basis -and many
days we ARE overwhelmed!! But over our two years here, we
are able to see those small steps forward. There is so much
that needs to be done -not only in the physical rehabilitation of
Bosnia, but the psychological and spiritual healing of the
people. That healing is the hardest to measure -there is no
way of collecting statistics and no way of counting success
stories. Likewise, it is difficult for John and I to look
at our work at Face to Face Interreligious Service and see what
we have "accomplished". Our work is relational
and measured not by the number of projects we do, but by the
effects of our work on peoples' lives -something we will never
know. But, we have hope that the small steps -both the
physical reconstruction and the psychological and emotional
healing of the people -continue to move forward toward a
long-lasting, whole peace.
Just briefly, I want to mention my new hobby. I'm
fulfilling a long-time dream by learning to spin!! I've
watched many village women sitting outside spinning by hand, and
I've wanted to learn. Everyone in Sarajevo thought I was
crazy to learn such an "outdated, village-like"
craft. ("You can BUY socks!") But, after
finding a drop spindle and distaff, talking with many people and
having some lessons from refugee women living in Sarajevo, I am
spinning!! I got some wool from our MCC partners in Croatia
(who run a chicken and sheep farm) and washed it (the apartment
smelled like a barn!), combed it with my hands (they don't use
the carders in Bosnia) and began spinning it. My next step
is to learn to dye with natural dyes (walnuts, lichens, plum
skins, cherry skins, etc.), and then learn to weave!
I'm really enjoying learning about the rich tradition of spinning
and weaving in Bosnia (a craft found in almost all cultures of
the world!). Bosnian rugs, unlike similar Turkish rugs, are
full of symbolism that reflects the culture and history.
For me, it's been an important outlet and another way to fall in
love with Bosnia, instead of becoming infatuated with the
conflict. There is so much more to Bosnia and its people
than the war. John and I enjoy living here when we can
see Bosnia as a larger picture -the richness of
language, music, craft, stories, foods, places, people, etc.
Right now, we are most excited about the upcoming visit of my
parents!! That's right, Gene and Virginia are coming to
Bosnia!!! They will arrive Wednesday, August 23rd (12:35
p.m.!!) and will stay until the 5th of September. They will
be the first family to visit us in Bosnia since we left home more
than 2 years ago! We can't wait to show them around
Sarajevo and Bosnia, introduce them to all of our friends (half
of Sarajevo knows they are coming!), show them the rich culture
and tradition of Bosnia, eat Bosnian foods, etc. We've also
planned a 3-4 day trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia on the
Dalmatian coast (a chance to swim in the Adriatic!)
Note: Our only other visitors from North America were Tim and
Mary Waltner of Freeman, who visited us in Banja Luka and found
it so interesting they might consider coming back
again!! Right, Tim and Mary?? If you, too, are
considering a visit, ask them or my parents for their
impressions!!
And now, though this is already too long, we'll answer one...
Frequently Asked Question:
What is the climate like in Bosnia/Sarajevo?
In general, we would say it is similar to that of South
Dakota. There are definitely four seasons, with hot summers
and cold winters. However, this year has included the
snowiest winter in 30 years and the hottest summer in 30
years!! (Some of our Muslim friends believe Allah is
punishing Bosnia for its sins.) Bosnia has very diverse
terrain from the northern flatlands (North of Banja Luka), to the
mountainous regions in central Bosnia (including
Sarajevo's mountains featured in the 1984 Winter
Olympics!). Higher elevations see cooler summers and more
severe winters. The southern portion of Bosnia
(historically called Herzegovina) is a hilly, stony region that
is very arid -good for producing wine. The coastal region
has mild, rainy winters.
So, with that, we'll close. I apologize if this bulletin
got too long, heavy and tedious! Next month will include
the report on Mom and Dad's visit!!
Thanks for your e-mails, thoughts and prayers -for us and for
Bosnia.
In God's Love and Peace,
Karin & John
Face to Face Interreligious Service
Splitska 39
71000 Sarajevo
Bosnia-Herzegovina
home tel: 387 33 207 860
office tel/fax: 387 33 442 468
home: jandk@bih.net.ba
office: ociuoci@bih.net.ba
http://www.progressive-bih.com/ociuoci
P.S. Please note change of phone number. Sarajevo's city
code, 71, has changed to 33. The old will still work for a
while, but the new should already be functioning. Feel free
to call us! :)
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