Nachricht Nummer : 467 Übertragungszeit : 3 min 48 sec Nachricht von : WAM@ZAMIR-ZG.ztn.zer.de (Wam) Betrifft : Zagreb Diary on 2 April, 1994 Kopienempfänger : /REG/NEWS/DIARY/WAM, /APC/YUGO/ANTIWAR, /CL/EUROPA/BALKAN, /SOC/CULTURE/BOSNA-HERZGVNA, /SOC/CULTURE/CROATIA, /SOC/CULTURE/YUGOSLAVIA Erstellungsdatum : 12.04.1994 11:32:00 W+1 Zagreb Diary 2 April, 1994 Dobar dan, I decided to stay this weekend on the Croatian side to have at least a bit of Easter weekend, on the Serbian side Easter is on the 2nd of May, due to their orthodox calendar, which is two weeks behind the normal calendar used around the world and also in normal live, spring has started 2 weeks later and the first full moon after the beginning of spring, Christian Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the beginning of spring, was this year just in between those two weeks, therefor Orthodox Easter is a full moon circle later. For ones I hope to stay in bed for a bit longer and slowly wake up in the morning. Just after the morning coffee and some chat in the office three people knock on the glass door. When it opens two of them start to talk in Dutch, they obvious know me, but for the time being I can figure out from where. Luckily they help me out and introduce themselves, they were one on of the introduction I have been given in the Netherlands when I was their in September last year and than they promised to pass by ones and so here they are. With them is a member of Mi Za Mir, it is a guy who has now the Dutch refugee status, but who for the Croatian Army deserted in '91. I can't resist to say to him that he is brave to come to Pakrac, one of the front- lines. It is a fact that people, even those who just flea from their home towns, but especially "deserters" are not the most popular guest in front- line regions, where lot's of the men stayed to fight and lost many of their friends. We talked a lot about all kind of peace actions and we help them to get a better picture of the humanitarian organisations in Croatia, who is who and who has connections with whom. They came to "control" if goods which were send by some Dutch Grassroot organisations has been delivered and used on the spot they suppose to go. I can imagine this controls, but on the other hand it is not always a sign of trust. Does it really matters where it ends, as long as it are goods which are no use for fighting forces, and even than soldiers (defenders) are also humans. It is probably as needed at that place as anywhere else. You can't design the ultimate control system anyway. Than we go via Skorpija to the other side, in Skorpija somebody comes up to me and ask if that boy is my friend and if he is all right and I say to him that everything is fine and asked him to tell the boy a bit about the experiences in the war in this place, not to scare him, but just to make him and others understand that this is not the same country as 3 years ago, that things has happened which are not yet forgotten, although the media some times give us the feeling that everything is over and gone. This may sound strange, but when you lived in this town for a longer period you are going to understand much more the "logical" reasons and the "true" for which people went out to fight and the fact that this is not a situation like Berlin. Yes, there is an invisible wall in between, but not like in Germany between one people, but between two groups who have been heavily fighting, at least parts of both groups. And even in this time of forgiveness (Easter) the wounds are still pritty much open. If their "logic" and their "true" are the absolute reality as other people from outside may see it are not a point of discussion yet. In the Skorpija I tell them that the Easter eggs they like to give to the children can better stay on this side, making it clear to do what happened last Christmas. Let's respect eachother religions, even when all over the world churches are talking about co-operation and celebrating each others "holy days" and even when that was also normal her 3 years ago, the Orthodox and Catholic priests lived door to door. It is hard to understand how little symbols can have a big effect. We went up the road and through the checkpoints, on the other side everything is very quiet. Only in "As" we find some familiar faces, it is a lot colder than yesterday and I am in a mood to explain a lot of things, especially from understanding the situation under which we are working and the principles I have in my head after 8 months. I tell them that I know less and less after being here longer and longer. They are surprised how people greet and know me here as well as on "the other side". In As radio Banja Luka is on this time, and out of the speaker comes one of what use to be some months ago the biggest hit in Croatia, ET with "Twelve o'clock" in Croatian. I have heard that it is also number one in Beograd, as well as some other Croatian songs. So there we are sitting on the "Serbian" side of the line, looking down on the destroyed city in the valley listening to a Croatian song coming from a Serbian radio station in a pub-restaurant run by a mixed Muslim-Czech couple. We walked back and are just in time to help the others in the office to put addresses on the "Kako Si", it came yesterday from the printer and looks great, a pity that we are so short on cash at the moment since otherwise we could mail them first thing on Tuesday. We had that situation a few times before, running out of money but having the big hope that soon new funds will come. After that our guest leave and we go via Skorpija to the discotheque in Lipik, not anymore in the Spa, since that one is heavily destroyed, but some where in an always over crowded stable. Also this night it is full, and together with half of the volunteers I dance my worries away. Mir from somewhere in Hrvatska, Wam ------------------------------------------------------ "Zagreb Diary" can be found on a lot of different electronic networks, it is copyright free and can be ported to any network or other means of communication you like, but please drop my a line, you can reach by sending a message to wam@zamir-zg.ztn.zer.de . Zagreb Diary is dedicated to Tyche, Pjort and Rik, so that they found out what there father have been doing all that time in Zagreb. Financial support for Grassroot relief work in Croatia or BiH can be send to Kollektief Rampenplan (atn. Lylette, Postbox 780, 6130 AN Sittard, Netherlands, tel:. +31-46-524803 and fax: +31-46-516460 or to Zagrebacka Banka, Zagreb, accountnr.: 2440291594, to Kat, Pieter Jan Herman Fredrik, Brace Domany 6 6fl nr3 (postbox 33), 41000 Zagreb. Please notify me if you send or have send any donations. 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