DLTQ.org

While the world for the last years has mostly been focused elsewhere, the people of the western Balkans have continued etching through a life. The last time I was in Bosnia was in March 2005, and since then I also have been mostly focusing elsewhere. Here, btw, are a few interviews with people I met in Sarajevo: Boris, Tarik, Ismar, Bakir.

About a month ago there was elections in Serbia, and the nationalist party, once again, got a lot of votes. I remember when I was in Serbia and saw signs for Seselj all over. It was scary, and it was scary to hear about all the petty techniques that the politicians used against each other. We had friends in Serbia who were chased by mobs of nationalists when they were outside putting up posters, and you always have the numbers at the back of your head: 1/3 of the votes in Serbia goes to the radical party (SRS), whose leader (Seselj) is in the Hague, charged with war crimes.

I would Love to see some videoblogs from The Balkans. For two years now I have tried to get friends in Serbia to start a videoblog, and indeed Mile started one for a period of time, but then he stopped doing it. Too bad.

So now Serbia is an even smaller country, the whole region is not doing too good economically, and there are a lot of youths in those countries who don’t really get to see the outside world.

So, today’s story about the ruling of the U.N. court made me think about my friends in Serbia and Bosnia again. About the important, but slow growth of a civil society there. About the importance of a crack-down on corruption in the countries. About how essential it is that the youth feel they can have a future there.

But then again, I also realize that there are a lot of youths, around the world, who have a lack of hope for their own country. Who just want to get away from their country as soon as possible.

Sad.