Intervju: ˝BiH ima izuzetne ljude, ali užasnu vladu˝ Amerikanac Chris Mathieu veliki zaljubljenik u BiH

Intervju: ˝BiH ima izuzetne ljude, ali užasnu vladu˝

11:55, 1 Februar, 2012

Amerikanac Chris Mathieu veliki zaljubljenik u BiH

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Koliko god da sam dao Bosni i Hercegovini, vratilo mi se desetostruko, kazao mi je na početku razgovora Chris Mathieu iz Chicaga, koji je nakon svog prvog boravka u BiH ostao impresioniran ljudima i ljepotama ove zemlje. Kako i sam kaže, toliko ga je opčinila naša zemlja da je svom sinu dao bosansko ime.

TIP: Kada ste prvi puta došli u BiH i zašto?

Chris: Moja porodica je tipična američka porodica, koja vodi prijeklo od francusko- njemačkih i škotskih predaka. Oženjen sam suprugom Kristy, koja je dva puta sa mnom dolazila u BiH, i sina, po imenu Dejan Alen. Zaista smo željeli da nosi bosansko ime. Mi iznimno poštujemo strukturu bosanske porodice i to kakvu djecu odgajate u Bosni. Željeli smo da ‘usadimo’ nešto od toga u našeg sina.

˝Imati Bosanca za prijatelja znači imati zaista pravog prijatelja˝

Uvijek smo bili impresionirani bosanskom djecom i ja uvijek kažem, da je imati Bosanca za prijatelja imati zaista pravog prijatelja. Radim kao operativni menadžer za jednu veliku kompaniju koja prodaje lijekove u Americi. Također pišem za Eurobasket.com, pokrivajući bh. košarku širom svijeta. Također radim neke nezavisne poslove vezane za Bosnu, neke fotografije su bile korištene u knjigama i prezentacijama, te me često kontaktiraju da pomognem naći ljude ili informacije za druge. Ako na Google-u tražite bilo šta vezano za Bosnu na engleskom, vjerovatno ćete naići na fotografije ili priče koje sam ja postavio na web. Trenutno radim na projektu, blogu ‘I love Bosnia volim te‘. Također, cijelu godinu radim priče o ratu u BiH ispričane od strane preživjelih, stranaca i onih koji su otišli zbog rata. Do sada je sve to bilo interesantno, tužno i potresno. Posebno mi je interesantno saznanje da roditelji nisu bili svjesni toga koliko su im djeca patila brinući se za njih. Mislili su da je ta briga većinom bila jednostrana.

˝Imam kolekciju od preko 900 amblema AR BiH˝

Također radim na izlaganju nekih od predmeta iz rata u BiH. Imam kolekciju od preko 900 amblema AR BiH i sličnih amblema, kao i veliki broj postera iz rata, kapa, šljemova, uniformi, dokumenata, razglednica, zastava, itd.. Želim ovog ljeta, u Chicagu i St. Luisu, napraviti kulturološku postavku pod nazivom: ‘BiH rat: Vojni i kulturološki otpor genocidu’. Imam neke predmete koji nikad nisu bili viđeni od strane šire javnosti.

Prvi puta sam namjeravao doći u Bosnu 13. septembra 2001. godine, ali svi znamo šta se desilo pa sam u tome bio spriječen. Torbe su mi bile spremne i samo sam čekao, ne znajući da li će letovi biti otkazani taj dan ili ne. Morali smo zvati svaki dan i provjeravati da li su letovi ponovo uspostavljeni. Taj let je bio otkazan i konačno sam otišao godinu dana kasnije. Ustvari, bio sam u Bosni na samu godišnjicu 9. septembra, osjećao sam se kao kod kuće, potpuno miran, čak i u tom teškom momentu. Bosna i Amerika su izgradile čvrste veze zbog rata i zbog činjenice da tako veliki broj Bosanaca sada Ameriku zove kućom.

˝Moj interes za BiH potiče još iz školskih dana˝

Sjećam se, pred kraj 1980.-tih, moja nastavnica je putovala u BiH, u Međugorje, i po povratku nam je pričala o tome. Tako da moj interes za BiH potiče još iz školskih dana. Također se sjećam Olimpijskih igara 1984.-te godine i kako su veličanstvene bile. Svako koga sam sreo, a ko je bio u Bosni, kaže da su ljudi u Bosni predivni domaćini. Kad je rat počeo u Bosni, nisam mogao shvatiti kako smo mogli dopustiti rat u zemlji u kojoj su se upravo održale Olimpijske igre, koja je bila u Evropi, Zapadno orjentisana i civilizovana. Rat je bio nešto što se dešavalo zemljama u razvoju u Africi, Južnoj Americi, Aziji. Kad su počele pristizati slike iz Bosne, bilo je jasno da je to rat protiv civila u prvom redu, i vrlo sličan Drugom svjetskom ratu. Postao sam opsjednut time da shvatim šta se zapravo dešava u Bosni. Bilo je toliko termina za ljude u Bosni i na zaraćenim stranama Bosanci, bosanski Srbi, bosanski Hrvati, Srbi, Hrvati, Bošnjaci, bosanski muslimani, ustaše, četnici, islamisti, pravoslavci, katolici itd. Nije ni čudo što većina na Zapadu nikada nije shvatila ko je ko u tom ratu. Kad sam shvatio ko je ko, i kad su nastale slike iz srpskih logora koje su podsjećale na one iz nacističke Njemačke, postao sam opsjednut time da pomognem Bosni. Pokušao sam uraditi dvije stvari, podići zabranu ilegalnog uvoza naoružanja Bosanskim vlastima i slati medicinsku pomoć u BiH tokom rata. To je bio tako frustrirajući proces. Kraj rata učinio me tužnim i praznim zbog činjenice da je toliko ljudi moralo umrijeti zbog ideala koji su trebali biti završeni sa krajem Drugog svjetskog rata, etnička superiornost i osvajanje. Tada nisam znao da će i dvadeset godina kasnije, Bosna biti tako veliki dio mog života, ali ona to jeste, samo na drugačiji način. Mislio sam da će se, nakon rata, Bosna dići iz pepela kao feniks i postati kao Švicarska, zbog svih prirodnih resursa, ljepote i ljudskih resursa kojima raspolaže. Nisam imao pojma da će uslijediti efekat odliva mozgova usljed odlaska velikog broja Bosanaca (i velikog broja umjerenih Srba koji su još početkom rata otišli ne želeći biti dio ˝velike Srbije˝). Problem je svakako u tome što je Dejtonski sporazum bio ustvari mirovni sporazum koji je trebao biti zamijenjen pravim ustavom za prosperitetnu multietničku državu. Najveća tragedija je to što nije urađena ‘denacizacija’ nakon rata. Oni koji su počinili zločine su većinom ostali nekažnjeni i čak su i nagrađeni.

˝Najveći neiskorišteni resurs Bosne je u dijaspori˝

Proces oporavka u Bosni bio je spor više nego što sam očekivao. Moj interes za Bosnu je prerastao rat i šta se u njemu dogodilo i sada je više fokusiran na budućnost i zaštitu kulturnog identiteta BiH i onoga što je preostalo od njenog multietničkog karaktera. Mišljenja sam da je najveći neiskorišteni resurs Bosne u dijaspori, njena ‘expat’ zajednica koja je visoko obrazovana i razbacana svuda po svijetu.

TIP: Vaše prve impresije o državi, Tuzli i Bosancima i Hercegovcima

Chris: Pa, moj prvi dojam o Bosni je da je to zemlja nevjerovatne prirodne ljepote čiji je ‘mješoviti’ blagoslov to što je, kroz istoriju, bila na liniji odvajanja civilizacija. To je bilo i njen blagoslov i prokletstvo. Dalo je Bosni nevjerovatno dinamičnu historiju i kulturu, ali je u isto vrijeme bilo uzrok frikcije i pijun između velikih imperija i regionalnih centara moći, kao što je to sada slučaj. Mislim da to Bosnu čini tako posebnom i daje Bosancima jedinstvenu perspektivu na život, time što je Bosna toliko kroz svoju historiju bila u milosti drugih. To što je mala zemlja smještena između kompetitorskih religija, čini Bosnu ranjivom ali i fascinantnom. Bosna ima problem suprotan onome koji imaju Amerika i Amerikanci. Amerikanci generalno nemaju uvid ili ideju o tome šta su stvarna patnja i siromaštvo, zato što sami diktiraju veliki dio svjetske politike. Bosna i Bosanci su u obrnutoj situaciji, zato što su kroz historiju često bili u milosti drugih. To je dalo Bosancima dubinu karaktera, uvid, odličan smisao za humor, …, oni žive za trenutak i cijene život. Ja se poistovjećujem sa ovim karakteristikama i dijelim ih sa Bosancima zbog moje prošlosti i mojih iskustava u životu. U Bosni se osjećam kao kod kuće više nego na bilo kojem drugom mjestu na svijetu.

˝Mislim da je Tuzla izuzetan grad˝

Ono što najviše volim u vezi Bosne su njeni ljudi koji, uprkos svemu što su doživjeli, nisu dozvolili da ih to slomi. Da li ih je promijenilo? Da, bez sumnje, ali Bosanci su i dalje isti ljudi koji su uvijek i bili. Uzmite Izraelce, na primjer, oni su iz žrtava (Drugi svjetski rat) postali zlostavljači (tretman Palestinaca), jer sve im je prihvatljivo sve dok se njima ne dešava. Učinili su Palestincima sve ono što je rađeno njima, osim tjeranja u gasne komore. Pomislili biste da bi trebali biti čuvari ljudskih prava, a ustvari samo su gledali unutra i garanti su jevrejskih prava. Bosanski odgovor na istu situaciju je potpuno drugačiji. Pa čak sam čuo Bosance koji izražavaju sućut zbog onoga što se dogodilo Srbima. Bosanci su izgubili ljude, zemlju, Srbi koji su podržavali Karadžića i Mladića su izgubili sve, uključujući i svoje duše.

Drugi puta sam došao u Tuzlu 2010. godine, da posjetim moga bosanskog brata Edina Kabila, koji je doktor na tuzlanskoj Klinici za srce. Njegova porodica je kao moja porodica i ja ga volim kao brata. Njegova porodica posjeduje poznate Kabilove pekare u Tuzli. Uvijek sam volio Tuzlu, jer je jedini grad koji je u toku rata zadržao svoj multietnički karakter. Sarajevo uvijek dobiva pažnju u vezi s tim, ali je Tuzla jedini grad koji je ostao istinski multietičan u toku rata.

Uvijek sam želio da vidim ovaj grad i zaista sam ga zavolio. Centar grada je vrlo lijep, slana jezera unikatna. Vidjevši trg gdje je toliko omladine ubijeno srpskom granatom, jako sam se rastužio. Sa pomiješanim gorko-slatkim osjećajem gledao sam na to što su svi skupa sahranjeni u zajedničko memorijalno groblje u Tuzli. Nema većeg zločina od onog namjerno usmjerenog na djecu. Iznenadio me manjak dobrih hotela u Tuzli. Onaj visoki koji su kupili Slovenci još nije bio otvoren, tako da sam morao odsjesti u malom hotelu u centru grada, koji nije pružao sav potreba komfor. To je meni bilo ok, ali moje su supruga i sin Dejan bili sa mnom, kao i naša prijateljica iz Amerike, Danica, koja nije nikad bila u Bosni, iako je BiH porijekla. Mislim da su oni bilo malo iznenađeni.

U Tuzli sam bio i 2006, kada sam sa par prijatelja posjetio Memorijalni centar Potočari u Srebrenici. Mislim da postoje manje kulturološke razlike između Bosanaca iz različitih krajeva BiH. Uvijek sam gajio najdublje poštovanje za Bosance iz Tuzle bez obzira na njihovu ‘pozadinu’ i činjenicu da su ostali ujedinjeni tokom svega. Postoji tendencija da Tuzla bude ignorisana jer svi idu u Mostar i Sarajevo, ali ja mislim da je Tuzla izuzetan grad.

TIP: Šta Vam se najviše svidjelo?

Chris: Volim provoditi vrijeme sa prijateljima u Bosni, u kafiću, pričajući o životu, pogledima, porodici, budućnosti. Bosanci su brižni ljudi sa izuzetnim pogledom na život, nešto što je teško naći u Americi, nažalost. Volim gledati historiju Bosne, stajati na mjestu gdje je počeo Prvi svjetski rat ili na Starom mostu ili obalama Neretve. Putovao sam zaista puno, ali nema na svijetu mjesta kao što je Bosna. Volim kafu, kupovinu i hranu, a Bosna ima svo troga u izobilju. Imam na stotine dobrih priča koje vam mogu ispričati o Bosni i njenim ljudima. Sjećam se da smo, tokom moje prve posjete Bosni, otišli u malu prodavnicu na uglu i da mi je vlasnik, nakon što mu je moj prijatelj Edin rekao da sam prvi puta u Bosni, dao nekoliko stvari da probam, besplatno. Prošle godine, bili smo na sarajevskoj Baščaršiji, prodavac je mom dvogodišnjem sinu poklonio frulu. Kad Bosanci shvate da si im prijatelj, učinit će sve za tebe. Moja supruga isto to osjeća.

Prošle godine, kad smo napuštali naš motel u Sarajevu, ispred njega su se djeca igrala fudbala. Moj dvogodišnji sin Dejan je na sebi imao dres BiH reprezentativca Pjanića. Djeca su ga počela dozivati ‘Pjanić! Pjanić!’ i insistirali su da zaigra s njima. Navijali su za njega i hrabrili ga kad je udario loptu i dao gol. To je jedan od najljepših momenata u mom životu. Svaki puta kad nas djeca iz komšiluka vide zovu ‘Hej, Pjaniću!’ Saudin Bećirević mi je prije nogo što je umro dao svoju uniformu, kapu, značke i zastavu svoje jedinice na poklon. To je tipično vrsti ljudi kao što su Bosanci.

TIP: Ispričajte nam neku od Vaših anegdota iz BiH?

Chris: Bili smo na večeri u Parku prinčeva u kojem je bend svirao bosansku muziku, a moj je mali sin plesao i plesao. Tu je bila i grupa djece koji su bili članovi nekog sportskog kluba i oni su mu pljeskali i hrabrili ga, a prije nego su otišli slikali su ga i poljubili na rastanku. To je bilo stvarno slatko. Kad smo sletjeli na sarajevski aerodrom, bila je ponoć, a mi smo putovali cijeli dan. Taksi nas je odvezao do motela u Hrasnom, bilo je mračno i ja sam greškom vozaču dao novčanicu od 100 KM, misleći da mu dajem 50 KM. On mi je dao kusur od 50KM i otišao. Nakon 10 minuta se vratio. Rekao je da sam ja prijatelj BiH, da sam mu dao previše novaca i vratio mi ostatak kusura. Bio sam iznenađen da u zemlji sa tolikom stopom siromaštva, ima toliko poštenih i iskrenih ljudi. Otišli smo u muzej i trebali se popeti na drugi sprat. Moja je supruga rekla da će me ona sačekati na prizemlju sa bebom i kolicima. Gospođa koja je vodila muzej ponudila je da pazi na našu bebu dok mi pogledamo postavku. To se nikad ne bi moglo dogoditi u Americi.

˝Način na koji smo tretirani u BiH u odnosu na Hrvatsku je bio dijametralno različit˝

Kao što sam već rekao, moja ‘usvojena’ porodica Kabil je kao moja rođena porodica. Pažnja sa kojom mi je Edinov otac pričao priče (Midhat Kabil je preminuo prije par godina i bio je veliki čovjek)… Njegova majka Envera je zadivljujuća osoba, a Edin mi je kao brat. Zaista osjećam da su oni moja bosanska porodica i želim da moja porodica uvijek zna da imamo drugu porodicu u Bosni. Kad smo moja supruga i ja posjetili Bosnu 2005, išli smo i u Hrvatsku. Način na koji smo tretirani u BiH u odnosu na Hrvatsku je bio dijametralno različit. Kad smo otišli u Dubrovnik, tretitani smo kao nepozvani gosti, i generalni stav u Hrvatskoj je ‘Ti si došao da vidiš mene, ne ja tebe’. U Bosni smo tretirani kao dobrodošli gosti i iako sav komfor nije uvijek prisutan, ljudi bi učinili sve za vas i tretiraju vas kao prijatelja.

˝Bio sam vrlo tužan kad se Sloboda Dita ugasila˝

TIP: Fan ste nogometne reprezentacije BiH?

Chris: Veliki sam obožavatelj BiH fudbalske reprezentacije. Upravo je objavljeno da će BiH igrati protiv Meksika u Chicagu, 31. maja! Jako sam uzbuđen što ću ih, sa porodicom, moći vidjeti ovdje. Bh. fudbal je sada na odličnoj poziciji, 19-ti na svijetu i ne mogu dočekati da dođu do Olimpijskih igara. Također sam veliki obožavatelj BiH košarke, pa sam išao na neke utakmice reprezentacije, ali i domaće utakmice. Bio sam vrlo tužan kad se Sloboda Dita ugasila, obzirom da je toliko izuzetnih igrača došlo iz Tuzle, Mirza Teletović, Mirza Delibašić, Jasmin Hukić, Damir Mulaomerović etc…

˝Dodik je kreacija Dejtona i pogrešaka međunarodne zajednice u BiH˝

TIP: Kako gledate na političku situaciju u BiH?

Chris: Politička situacija u BiH je teška. Čini se da Srbi sa Dodikom imaju kontrolu i dobijaju što žele. Uskomešali su emocije nacionalistički-orjentisanih Hrvata i ubijedili ih da je treći entitet moguć. Oni stalno potkopavaju BiH kao državu i niko im se od međunarodnih zvaničnika ne suprotstavlja, što znači prećutnu podršku. Njegova je nacionalistička retorika nagrađena tako da se čini neizbježnim da je trenutna BiH forma neodrživa, što je upravo ono što on želi da dokaže. Neodrživa je upravo zato što je to njegov cilj. Pravo pitanje je u šta će Bosna biti reformisana i kada? Srbiji je još dozvoljeno da se miješa u unutarnje stvari BiH i ima interese u drugoj suverenoj državi.

Pravo je pitanje i to šta će se desiti kada Srbi odluče da se izdvoje? Već su izgradili paralelne institucije, uključujući i njihov sopstveni lobi u Americi, te de fact ambasade u inozemstvu, čemu je bilo malo suprotstavljanja. Unutar Federacije postoji podijeljen i manji interes za građenje centralne vlade, a veći za jačanje Federacije. Bosanska vlada koja je 10 puta veća od onoga što bi trebala biti, ne čini ništa da unaprijedi živote građana, a sav novac koji se troši na vladu i njihove plate, znači manje novca za investiranje u infrastrukturu, biznis i narod Bosne. Nadam se da se rat neće vratiti u Bosnu, ali ne vidim kako se Bosna može slomiti, jer ista pitanja ostaju Mostar, Brčko, i da li bi Sarajevo sebi dozvolilo da bude na par kilometara od države koja je neprijateljski raspoložena prema njemu? Šta je sa memorijalom u Srebrenici, jer kad bi im se dao izbor, siguran sam da bi ga Srbi pretvorili u prostor za parking i rekli da nikad nije ni postojao. Dodik je kreacija Dejtona i pogrešaka međunarodne zajednice u BiH. On je gurao i gurao i testirao šta će mu sve proći nekažnjeno i niko mu se nije suprotstavljao. Problem je u tome što su lideri u BiH i dalje podijeljeni po etničkim linijama i interesima. Šta se drugo može očekivati kad se glasa po etničkim linijama i za kandidate svoje etničke pripadnosti. Ja mislim da Bosna ima sjajnu budućnost, ali mora prvo razriješiti svoju prošlost, tj. Dejtonski sporazum. Mirovni sporazum nije osnova za ustav. Moja supruga je u SAD vazduhoplovnim snagama i imao sam priliku sresti pravnike koji su kreirali Dejtonski sporazum, koji nikad nije ni namjeravan da bude dugoročno ustavno rješenje za zemlju, već privremena solucija da se zaustavi rat.

Znam da ima onih u američkoj vladi koji su bili uključeni u BiH dešavanja u 1990.-tim i nikada nisu mogli zamisliti inerciju koja je uhvatila ovu zemlju. U protivnom, mnogi bi podržali tip akcije kao što je bila operacija Oluja u Bosni, za koju su se neki već i zalagali. Bosna ima izuzetne ljude, ali užasnu vladu. Dok se Bosanci ne ujedine u jedinstvenijoj viziji, država će nastaviti da stagnira i ima probleme u najosnovnijem funkcionisanju. U Americi je lakše biti onaj koji želite biti i izdići se na bilo koji mogući ekonomski nivo.

TIP: Razlike (pozitivne i negativne) između života u BiH i SAD-u?

˝Za jednog prijatelja iz Bosne, dao bih stotinu američkih˝

Chris: Amerikanci se nažalost unose u male, površne stvari i ne razumiju zašto nisu sretni kao većina Evropljana i ostalih. Potrošački mentalitet kakav imamo u Americi je zasnovan na potrošnji i najbolji način da nagnate ljude da više troše je da povežete potrošnju sa osjećajem sreće. Bosanci imaju puno manje slobode i mogućnosti u odnosu na ove koje imamo u SAD, ali imaju bolje razumijevanje sreće i porodice.

Pogledi na život su im bolji iako im okruženje nije uvijek pozitivno kao u SAD. Sretan sam što ne moram birati, ali za jednog prijatelja iz Bosne, dao bih stotinu američkih. Znam da mogu vjerovati svojim prijateljima iz Bosne. Oni imaju čast, povjerenje i stajalište. Kad se penzionišemo, moja supruga i ja želimo preseliti u BiH, ali to zavisi od političke situacije.

Da budem iskren, ljudi u Americi ne znaju ništa o Bosni, ako nisu bili ovdje ili su vezani time što su ovdje služili ili znaju nekoga iz Bosne. Moja žena je učiteljica u školi i uči djecu o Bosni, a i ja uvijek govorim ljudima o Bosni, i ako žele slušati o noj, a i ako ne, baš me briga. Bio sam šokiran da na 10.-tu godišnjicu Srebrenice, niko u Americi nije znao ništa o tome šta se dogodilo. Ja sam učestvovao na komemoraciji 10-te godišnjice Srebrenice u Čikagu te godine, koja je bila vrlo potresna.

TIP: Kako Vaši prijatelji u SAD-u gledaju na BiH?

Chris: Većina mojih prijatelja zna za BiH zbog mene, i ja ih uvijek podsjećam. Kao što sam već rekao, ubijedio sam prijateljicu Danicu da dođe s nama u Bosnu i potroši svoj američki novac u vašoj zemlji, zbog čega sam vrlo ponosan!

TIP: Kako provodite vrijeme kada dođete u BiH?

Chris: Obično provodim vrijeme sa prijateljima u Sarajevu razgledajući, jedući, pijući opuštajući se i kupujući. Uobičajeno je da napravimo par kraćih izleta unutar zemlje kako bi vidjeli različita mjesta Tuzla, Mostar, Travnik, Jajce, Počitelj, itd. Ako je moguće, uvijek odem na što više košarkaških utakmica dok sam tu.

Dvije stvari želim da uradim naredni puta kad dođem, a to je da odletim do Zagreba, iznajmim auto i vozim se kroz Bosnu, provodeći vrijeme u različitim gradovima BiH kao što su Velika Kladuša, Bihać, Banja Luka i možda Brčko i neka druga mjesta gdje ranije nisam bio. Druga stvar koju želim uraditi je učestvovati u memorijalnom maršu sjećanja na Srebrenicu i prepješačiti ili dionicu Tuzla - Srebrenica ili Žepa - Srebrenica. Za to ću čekati da moj sin malo odraste, kako bismo to mogli uraditi skupa. Važno mi je da Dejan zna zašto toliko volim Bosnu i zašto je važno to što se ovdje dogodilo. Naročito zato što smo mogli uraditi toliko toga da zaustavimo to što se dogodilo, ali smo Međunarodna zajednica i mi odlučili učiniti ništa, umjesto toga. Planiram se vratiti za 100.-tu godišnjicu Prvog svjetskog rata u ljeto 2014, najkasnije.

TIP: Jeste li zadovoljni turističkom ponudom BiH?

Vrlo sam zadovoljan ponudom koju BiH nudi turistima. Moja supruga i ja smo avanturisti, tako da uživamo u nekim od izazova koje nudi Bosna. Ljudi su toliko ljubazni i dragi, tako da ne postoji drugo mjesto na svijetu gdje bih radije trošio svoje vrijeme i novac. Moje iskustvo iz kontakta sa ljudima koji su posjetili Bosnu je da su se ili zaljubili u nju ili su je zamrzili. Moja porodica voli Bosnu i većina ljudi koje znamo da su bili ovdje osjećaju isto.

(TIP/A.J.)

No problem I find it an honor that you are interested in my story...Whatever I have given to BiH I have received 10x more in return.

My name is Chris Mathieu I am from a small town outside Chicago, Illinois. My family is a typical American family in that I am from French/German and Scottish descent. Mostly German though.

I have a wife Kristy who has also travelled with me to Bosnia twice and a son we named Dejan Alen. We for sure wanted him to have a Bosnia name. We have so much respect for the Bosnian family structure, what kinds of children are raised in Bosnia we wanted to instill some of that in him. We have always been very impressed with Bosnian kids and I have often said having a Bosnian friend is having a true friend indeed.

I work for a large Drug Store company in America as an Operations Manager. I also write for Eurobasket.com doing coverage of Bosnian basketball around the world. I also do some independent work relating to Bosnia, some photos have been used in books and presentations and I am often contacted to help find people or information for others. If you Google anything about Bosnia in English you are likely to come across pictures or stories that I have posted on the web.

Two projects I am currently working on is my Bosnian blog “I love Bosnia volim te” I am doing stories about the Bosnian war this entire year from survivors, internationals and those who left because of the war. It has been interesting, sad and compelling so far. The most interesting thing I have taken from it so far is that parents didn’t realize how much their children suffered worrying about their parents. They thought it was only the other way around.

http://bosniavolimte.blogspot.com/

I am also working on a display of some of my Bosnian war items. I have a collection over 900 ARBiH and related insignia as well as a large collection of posters from the war, hats, helmets, uniforms, documents, postcards, flags etc. I want to put on a cultural display this year in Chicago and St.Louis the working title is called “Bosnian War: Military and Cultural Resistance to Genocide”. I have some items that have never been seen by the general public at large. You can find some of my collection in two locations…

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70022938723&v=wall

http://www.armijarbih.co.ba/

I first attempted to come to Bosnia on September 13 2001 and we all know what happened to prevent that from happening. I had my bags packed and I was just waiting, I wasn’t sure if flights would be cancelled on that day or not, you just had to call every day and see if flights would resume. It was cancelled and I went finally one year after that. In fact I was in Bosnia on the one year anniversary of 9-11 and I felt at home and at peace there even in such a difficult time. Bosnia and America have built a strong bond because of the war and the fact that so many Bosnians now call America home.

My interest in BiH goes back to school, I remember in the late 1980s a teacher went to Bosnia to Medjugorje and when she returned she told us all about it. I also remember the 1984 Olympics and how splendid they were. Everyone I have met who have been to Bosnia said that the people in Bosnia were such gracious hosts.

When war came to Bosnia I couldn’t understand how we could allow war in a country that just hosted the Olympics, which were in Europe and Western orientated and civilized. War was something for developing nations in Africa, South America or Asia. Once the Images starting coming and it was clear that it was a war against civilians first and foremost and the similarities to WW2, I became obsessed with figuring out what was happening in Bosnia. There were so many terms for the people of Bosnia and the warring sides Bosnians, Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats, Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks, Bosnian Muslims, Ustasha, Chetniks, Mujihadeen, Muslims, Islamists, Orthodox, Catholics etc…No wonder most in the West never figured out who was who in the war. One thing I have no doubt of, if the situation was reversed and it was Muslims doing the ethnic cleansing and murdering the war would have lasted a week.

Once I figured out who was who and the images that looked like WW2 Nazi Germany were coming out of the Serbian camps, I became obsessed with helping Bosnia. It was two things I tried to do, get the illegal arms embargo lifted against the Bosnian authorities (since they arms embargo had zero effect on Croatia and Serbia it was completely one sided) and getting medical aid sent into Bosnia during the war. It was such a frustrating process and the end of the war left me sad and empty that so many died for ideals that should have been left behind at the end of WW2, ethnic superiority and conquest.

I really had no idea twenty years later Bosnia would still be such a big part of my life but it is, just in a different form. I thought that Bosnia after the war would rise from the ashes like a phoenix and end up like Switzerland because of the natural resources, beauty and the human resources Bosnia has at her disposal. I had no idea the brain drain effect of losing so many Bosnians (also a lot of the moderate Serbs left at the beginning of the war who wanted no part in Greater Serbia). The problem is the Dayton Accords were a peace treaty that was meant to be replaced by a real constitution after a few years when things calmed down. Not the constitution of a multi ethnic prosperous state. The biggest tragedy is that there was never a de-nazification after the war. Those who committed the crimes generally went unpunished and in fact were rewarded.

The recovery process of Bosnia has been a much slower pace than I had ever anticipated. My interest in Bosnia has moved well beyond the war and what happened and is now more focused on the future and protecting the cultural identity of Bosnia and what is left of the multi ethnic character. I think the biggest untapped resource in Bosnia is its expat community that are highly educated and scattered around the globe.

Well my first impressions of Bosnia is that it is a country of amazing natural beauty that has been the mixed blessing of being on the fault lines of civilization throughout its history. That has been both a blessing and a curse. It has given Bosnia its amazing dynamic history and culture at the same time has been a source of friction and used as a pawn between great empires or regional powers jockeying for position as is the situation now. I think that is part of what makes Bosnia so special but also gives Bosnians a unique perspective on life as in much of her history Bosnia has been at the mercy of others. Being a small country landlocked between competing religions makes Bosnia vulnerable but also fascinating. Bosnia has the opposite problem as America and Americans, Americans generally have no perspective and have no idea what real suffering or poverty means because it dictates to the rest of the world policies. Bosnia and her people are in the opposite position because often in her history she is at the mercy of others. It has given Bosnians great depth of character, perspective, a great sense of humor and living for the moment and appreciating life. I identify with these characteristics and share them with Bosnians because of my own background and experiences in life. I feel at home in Bosnia more than anywhere else in the world.

The things that I like Most about Bosnia are her people, even with everything they have experienced they haven’t let it ruin them. Has it changed them? Yes, without a doubt but Bosnians generally are the same people they have always been. Take Israel for example, they went from victims (WW2) to victimizers (treatment of Palestinians) because anything is acceptable as long as it isn’t happening to them. They have done everything to the Palestinians that was done to them except put them in gas chambers. You would think they would be the guardians of human rights; instead they have only looked inward and are the gauranteors of Jewish rights .The Bosnians responses to what happened has been so much different, I have even heard Bosnian show pity for what happened to the Serbs. Bosnians lost people, land resources, the Serbs who supported Karadzic and Mladic lost everything including their souls.

I went to Tuzla for the second time in 2010 to visit my Bosnian brother Edin Kabil who is a doctor at the Tuzla heart clinic. His family is like my family and I love him like a brother. The family owns the famous Kabil bakeries in Tuzla. I have always loved Tuzla as it was the one city during the war that had maintained its multi-ethnic character. Sarajevo always gets much of the credit for that but Tuzla was the one city that truly remained multi ethnic through the war.

I had always wanted to see the city and I loved it, the downtown area is very nice and the public swimming area is unique. Seeing the square were so many kids were killed by the Serbian shelling was so very sad. I found it bitter sweet that they were all buried together and there is a memorial for them in Tuzla, there is no worse crime than those intentionally inflicted upon children.

I found it surprising that lack of quality hotels in Tuzla though, the high rise one that the Slovenes bought was not open so I had to stay in a small motel downtown that lacked amenities which was ok with me but I had my wife with me, our son Dejan and I brought along an American friend of Bosnian descent who had never been to Bosnia, Danica and I think they were a bit surprised.

I was also in Tuzla in 2006 when I visited some friends after a trip to the Srebrenica memorial at Potocari. I think there are some minor cultural differences between Bosnians in different regions, I have always had the highest respect for the Bosnians of all backgrounds in Tuzla and that they generally stayed united through it all. Tuzla has a tendency to get ignored as everyone goes to Mostar and Sarajevo but I think Tuzla is great city in its own right.

I love spending time with friends in Bosnia, in a café talking about life, perspectives, family, and future. Bosnians are thoughtful people with great perspective on life, something I have a hard time finding in America I am afraid. I love to see the history of Bosnia, to stand were World War I started or on the Stari Most or on the banks of the Neretva. I have travelled quite a bit and there is no place in the world like Bosnia. I love coffee, shopping and food and Bosnia has a lot of all three.

I have hundreds of great stories I could tell you about Bosnia and her people.

I remember the first time I came to BiH, we went into a little a little corner grocery store, my friend Edin told the owner it was my first time in Bosnia and he gave me a few little things to try for free. Last year when we were in Bosnia we were downtown Sarajevo and a seller in a shop gave my two year old a flute for free. When Bosnians find out you are friend of theirs they will do just about anything for you, my wife feels the same way.

Last year when we were leaving our motel in Sarajevo there was kids playing football, my two year old Dejan was wearing his Bosnian Pjanic jersey, the kids saw him and started screaming “Pjanic! Pjanic! They insisted he play with them and cheered him when he kicked the ball in the goal. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life. Every time the kids in the neighborhood would see us they would start cheering “Hey Pjanic!”.

Saudin Becirevic the author gave me his personal uniform, hat, insignia and flag from his unit before he died, just as a gift. It is so typical of the kind of people Bosnians are.

We are at dinner at Park Princeva and there was a band playing traditional Bosnian music and my boy danced and danced. There was a group of young kids who were a part of a sport team there and they cheered him on, clapping and danced with him and when they left took pictures with him and kissed him, it was so sweet.

When we landed at the Sarajevo airport it was midnight and I had been travelling for almost a day. The taxi took us to our motel in Hrsano it was dark and I accidently gave the driver a 100km bill when I thought I have him a 50km bill. He gave me change for a 50 and left. 10 minutes later he came back, said that I am a friend of BiH and that I overpaid him and gave me the rest of my change. I was amazed that in a country with such immense poverty that there are so many honest people.

We went to a museum and it was on the second floor and my wife said she would wait in the lobby with our baby and stroller. The lady running the museum offered to watch our baby while we saw the museum. This would have never happened in America.

As I mentioned before my adopted family Kabil is like my own family. The care with which Edin’s father took to tell me stories (Midhat Kabil died a few years ago, he was a great man) or give me information on our trip to Croatia. His mother Envera is an inspiring person as well and Edin is like my brother. I do feel they are my Bosnian family and I want my family to always know we have another family in BiH.

When my wife and I visited Bosnia in 2005 we went to Bosnia and to Croatia and how we were treated in Bosnia vs. Croatia was a stark contrast. We went to Dubrovnik and we were treated like uninvited guests, the general attitude in Croatia is “You came to see me, I didn’t come to see you”. In Bosnia you are treated like a welcome guest and even if the amenities aren’t always the greatest they will do everything they can for you and treat you like a friend.

The first time I went to Bosnia my friend went out of the way to point out every time he could how stupid, lazy and dirty Serbs and Croats were. After about a week of this I told him “everyone in Bosnia generally are the same” He looked at me very seriously and said “No, you are right!”

I am a huge fan of Bosnian National Football Team! It was just announced this week that Bosnia will play Mexico in Chicago on May 31st! I am super excited to see them here with my family! Bosnia Football is in a great position now ranked 19th in the world and I can’t wait until they finally make the Olympics!

I am also a huge fan of Bosnian Basketball I have gone to some National Team games and some domestic games as well. I was really sad when Sloboda Dita shut down as so many great players come from Tuzla Mirza Teletovic, Mirza Delibasic, Jasmin Hukic, Damir Mulaomerovic etc…

The political situation in BiH is difficult. The Serbs behind Dodik appear to be in control and getting what they want. They have stirred the sentiments with the nationalistic Croats and convincing them a third entity is possible. They continually undermine the Bosnian State and no one internationally oppose him, which means they support him. His Nationalistic rhetoric has been rewarded so it seems inevitable that Bosnia in its current form is unsustainable which is exactly what he wanted to prove. It’s unsustainable though because that is the goal. The real question is what will Bosnia be reformed into and when? Serbia is still allowed to interfere with the internal affairs of Bosnia and have interests inside another sovereign nation. The real question is when the Serbs decide to secede what will the outcome be? They already have built parallel institutions, including their own lobbyists in the US and de facto embassies abroad and there have been little opposition. Inside the Federation there is a split and less interest in building a central government and more in strengthening the Federation. Bosnia’s government which is 10x the size it should be does practically nothing to improve the lives of citizens and all that money spent on government expenses and salaries means a lack of investment in infrastructure, business and the people of Bosnia. I hope war doesn’t return to BiH but I don’t see how you can break up BiH because the same issues remain Mostar, Brcko and would Sarajevo allow itself to be within a few kilometers of another country which is hostile to it? What about the Srebrenica memorial, given a choice I am sure the Serbs would turn it into a parking lot and say it never existed. Dodik is a creation of Dayton and the international communities’ missteps in Bosnia. He pushed and pushed and probed to see what he could get away with and no one opposed him. The problem is leaders in Bosnia are divided along ethnic lines and interests. What else would you expect though when you only vote along ethnic lines and candidates of your own ethnic identity? I think Bosnia has a bright future but it first must deal with its past and that is the Dayton Accords. A peace treaty is no basis of a constitution. My wife is in the US Air force and I have met lawyers who have helped draft the Dayton Accords, it was never meant as a long term constitution of a country, just a temporary solution to stop the fighting. I know there are those in the US Government who were involved in Bosnia in the 1990’s and they never envisioned the inertia that would grip the country. Otherwise many would have supported an Operation Storm type action in Bosnia, which some already had argued for. Bosnia has great people but a terrible government, until Bosnians come together with a more united vision the country will continue to stagnate and have problems with basic functionality.

Well America it is easier to be who you want to be and to rise to any level possible economically. Americans are consumed however with petty superficial issues and lack understanding why they are not as happy as most Europeans and others. Consumerism like we have in America is based upon consumption and the best way to get people to consume more is to tie that to happiness. Bosnians lack the freedom and opportunities that are here in the US but have a better understanding of happiness and family. The perspective is better even if the environment is not always as positive as the US. I am fortunate that I don’t have to choose but I would trade one Bosnian friend for a hundred American ones. I know that I can trust my Bosnian friends and rely on them they have honor, trust and perspective. My wife and I want to retire to Bosnia when we are old but it depends on the political situation.

To be honest people in America know nothing about Bosnia unless they have been there or are connected in some way either served there or know someone from Bosnia. My wife is a school teacher and she teaches her students about Bosnia and I am always talking about Bosnia with people if they want to hear about it or not, I really don’t care. I was shocked that on the 10th anniversary of Srebrenica no one in the US knew anything about it or what happened. I took part in the 10 year commemoration in Chicago that year and it was moving and powerful. For a few years I had a giant sign that I would stand by the lake front in Milwaukee with that had pictures from Srebrenica that said “Remember Srebenica: Never Forget!” People are so stupid in this country, sometimes thought it was protest about abortion! Most of my friends only know about BiH because of me but I always remind them. Like I said I did convince a friend to come with us to Bosnia, Danica and spend her American money in the country which I was quite proud of!

I usually spend my time in Bosnia with friends in Sarajevo sightseeing, eating, drinking relaxing and shopping. We usually take a few small trips around the country to see different places Tuzla, Mostar, Travnik, Jajce, Pocitelj etc. If possible I always go to as many basketball games as I can.

Two things I have on my list to do is to fly into Zagreb next time, rent a car and drive through Bosnia spending a day in different cities all over BiH in places like Velika Kladusa, Bihac, Banja Luka and maybe Brcko and some other places I have never been before. The other thing I have on my list is to participate in the Srebrenica Memorial walk either from Tuzla to Srebrenica or the walk from Zepa to Srebrenica. I will wait till my boy is older so he can do it with me, it is important for Dejan to know why I love Bosnia so much and why what happened is so important. It is because we could have done so much to stop what was happening, the International community and we chose to do nothing instead. I am planning on returning for the 100 year anniversary of WWI in the summer of 2014 at the latest.

I am very satisfied with what Bosnia has to offer tourists. My wife and I are pretty adventurous so we enjoy some of the challenges of Bosnia. The people are so kind and gracious that there is no other place I would rather spend my time and money than in BiH. My experience talking with people who have been to Bosnia is either you fall in love with it or hate, my family love Bosnia and most people who I know who have been their feel the same.