My time with Women in Black (WiB) here has become much more active. I have been able to participate in several of their activist street actions. I have been a part of several of their monthly vigils for the recognition of the victims of the Srebrenica massacre. I have also taken part in their anti-fascism demonstration as well as several of their anti-militarism demonstrations. These have been great experiences for me, and also very good for my research!
Images from WiB Srebrenica vigil on May 11th
Further, right before the public film screening at the CZKD that I mentioned in the previous post, I organized an evening for a group of visiting American students to come to the WiB offices, learn a bit about the organization and their role as peace activists during the war and today, and an opportunity for them to see the above mentioned film and Q&A with the film maker. It went pretty well!
Also in May, I gave a lecture on the Militarization of Media for WiB here in Belgrade. I was so nervous because I really wanted to impress the leader, (who can be very hard to please for various reasons I can go into another time), but everything went really well. She was pleased with my talk. And so, after seeing me speak, and after all the work I put into the film night, she has started to respect and trust me a lot more, and has organized for me to give talks to other groups in the network from throughout the region!
So, in line this, a couple of weeks ago I went with WiB for a weekend seminar in the south of Serbia. It was a seminar for women in the network from throughout the region. After a 4 hour mini-bus ride - which included a stop at a rest-area with a tiny little restaurant called “Tito” – complete with a mini-museum of Tito artifacts collected by the owners - we kicked off the weekend with a pretty elaborate anti-militarism demonstration in the city of Leskovac.
Also in May, I gave a lecture on the Militarization of Media for WiB here in Belgrade. I was so nervous because I really wanted to impress the leader, (who can be very hard to please for various reasons I can go into another time), but everything went really well. She was pleased with my talk. And so, after seeing me speak, and after all the work I put into the film night, she has started to respect and trust me a lot more, and has organized for me to give talks to other groups in the network from throughout the region!
So, in line this, a couple of weeks ago I went with WiB for a weekend seminar in the south of Serbia. It was a seminar for women in the network from throughout the region. After a 4 hour mini-bus ride - which included a stop at a rest-area with a tiny little restaurant called “Tito” – complete with a mini-museum of Tito artifacts collected by the owners - we kicked off the weekend with a pretty elaborate anti-militarism demonstration in the city of Leskovac.
Rest-stop on the way to Leskovac with Tito tribute museum
The atifacts inside are from the owners private memorabilia
Another view of the museum atifactsWe began the demonstration in Leskovac by gathering in the center. After about ½ hour, when all the participants arrived, a pyramid made of shoeboxes, each with the name of a current global conflict written on it, was stacked in the middle of us. First we chanted some anti-militarist slogans and then as the leader called out the name of each conflict, and activist would take that box away and smash it until eventually the pyramid crumbled. This was meant to symbolize the ways in which the global culture of militarism is interdependent, but that each of us working in small ways against this can help dismantle militarism.
Images of some of the signs from the first performance
Image of some the the activists and the box pyramid during the first performance
Another image of activists and the pyramid during 1st performance
Some activists during 1st performanceAfter that, we paraded through the city for about 90 minutes with signs, chanting slogans, etc. Reactions to this were mixed from curiosity, to support, to anger and spite. But for me the best moment came when, at one point, we were spontaneously joined by a group of Roma (Gypsy) children. In accordance with another initiative that WiB is participating in at the moment for greater Roma rights and Roma inclusion (Roma are essentially invisible beings with no rights, no citizenship, etc.) the group started chanting “Roma are Serbian” and “Better education for Roma Children” and stuff like that. The Roma kids loved it! They were dancing along side of us and cheering. It was really amazing.
You see…before I lived here, my experiences with Roma were limited to begging in the streets of Greece, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, etc. I knew that they had few rights and bad living conditions, but I was not really aware of what all that meant. Since I have been here I have learned a lot more about the issues and I see it as a multi-level problem that needs solutions on the legal and social level in Serbian society as well as a concentrated outreach and education initiative in the Roma community. Anyhow, there is much more to say on this topic, and maybe I will write more about it later.
An image of activists during the parade part of the demonstrationAfter the parade/march came the second street performance. For this one we stood in a semi-circle in front of Leskovac city hall and placed a series of military helmets in front of us. Then several activists filled the helmets with bread, eggs, potatoes, etc. and mounted signs that read “Did you know that for the same cost as one helmet you could buy a kilo of potatoes, a dozen eggs, 2 loaves of bread…” and stuff like that. Then a group of activists wore a caterpillar (reminiscent of a Chinese new year dragon) with various anti-militarism symbols on it and marched around while others filled the helmets with flowers.
Flowers in helmets during 2nd performance
A part of the catterpillar behind one of the flower helmets
Flowers in helmets during 2nd performance
A part of the catterpillar behind one of the flower helmets There was then a third brief performance at another location nearby with a parachute which was decorated with anti-militarism symbols and symbols from the various groups in the network. People from the different groups each took hold of parts of the parachute, waving it around and eventually we all got under it and let it fall around us. This was meant to symbolize the fact that all of us who are committed to an anti-militaristic society are connected, and together we can enact change.
Some activists with the parachute during 3rd performanceBy mid-afternoon we were headed to the small mountain village of Kukavica, about 40 minutes from Leskovac up the mountain. Here we spent the rest of the weekend with all of the network women from throughout the region at a mountain hotel where we had a series of lectures, activities and meetings. In association with this, I gave 3 talks – 2 short and one long lecture.
I am happy to report that for the first time, I actually gave a talk entirely in Serbian! Although it was only a small talk and only one of the three, this is a HUGE step for me as, even though I am a confident public speaker, I become the most ridiculously self-conscious freak when I have to speak publically in Serbian. Up to this point, I have lasted less than five minutes before switching to English, so this was a HUGE thing for me!
Now I am not saying it was awesome, but I did it!!! My long lecture was in English and for this I gave an expanded version of my earlier talk at Belgrade WiB on media and militarism. It was well received as well. But now my goal is to be able to give my longer talks in Serbian by the fall. I am enrolling in formal classes so I can better learn the Cyrillic alphabet as I have studied this language in Croatia, which uses the Latin alphabet, so even though I have some low-intermediate speaking skills, I am functionally illiterate here in Serbia.
The location of the seminar was really beautiful. I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but the former Yugoslavia at large has what I think is the most plentiful, various, and astounding natural beauty in the whole of Europe. I have been throughout Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia, but oddly enough, even though I’ve been here quite a while, I have not seen as much of Serbia. I had been to the North part, called Vojvodina, and it is lovely in an Austro-Hungarian way. But this was my first trip to the south.
It is a poor part of the country economically, but the nature is beautiful! Green mountains, clear streams, clean air…all of that. I had been so tired of being in the city where there is constant noise all the time from the 5am garbage man to the jack-hammers of street work to the constant hooting of car and bus horns to the general loudness of busses to the loudness of Serbs themselves (who, quite comfortingly, are somewhat like Americans in their vocal volume) I had been craving quiet. Here it was!
Now, most of the weekend was packed with seminar stuff, but on one afternoon we “internationals” (5 Americans, 1 Swede, 1 Brit, and a few Serbs who did not have official business at the meeting at that moment) had some time off. I went for a 3 ½ hour hike with the Serbian woman who is the WiB photographer. It was awesome! We walked up the mountain (not steep), stopped occasionally near the river, and – the BEST part – ate the wild strawberries that grow in the forest!!! So tiny cute and juicy! When I first saw her eating them I said “What are you doing? Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to eat berries you see in the woods? They can be poison!” To which she laughed and said – “C’mon! They are wild strawberries!” And in fact they were…and they were delicious!
That same night, after the dinner – around 10pm – there was a party. It was actually such a good time! Many of the women in the network are older (many in their 60s and beyond even), but I am telling you, these women danced their asses off! And all night long! I finally went to bed at 3:30am and there was still perhaps 15 – 20 people still rockin’!
Overall, I loved getting away for the weekend. I loved being a part of this seminar. I enjoyed the lectures and activities as well as the social parts. And I came away from it all feeling much more connected to the group and having gotten closer to a really great group of friends.
In the coming weeks we have a globalization seminar coming up as well as the big annual trip to Srebrenica for the July 11th Commemoration. I will also be spending more time with some of the other NGOs I am researching for my work here. I am so happy to be here right now! This is exactly what I came here for! I am learning so much and I will have so much to bring back to my students in the US when I return (not to mention a very cool and somewhat substantial contribution in regional post-conflict books that I am going to be donating to our Holocaust Resource Center library for our graduate [and undergrads too] in Genocide Studies at my US university).
In all, my time here lately has been so amazing and really productive. I am so excited to be staying until the end of December! I am supposed to go back to the US for a few weeks this summer, and I am looking forward to seeing family and friends, but I have decided to cut the trip home a bit short so I can get back here.
OK, well thanks for reading! I will write another update soon…
Xina
I am happy to report that for the first time, I actually gave a talk entirely in Serbian! Although it was only a small talk and only one of the three, this is a HUGE step for me as, even though I am a confident public speaker, I become the most ridiculously self-conscious freak when I have to speak publically in Serbian. Up to this point, I have lasted less than five minutes before switching to English, so this was a HUGE thing for me!
Now I am not saying it was awesome, but I did it!!! My long lecture was in English and for this I gave an expanded version of my earlier talk at Belgrade WiB on media and militarism. It was well received as well. But now my goal is to be able to give my longer talks in Serbian by the fall. I am enrolling in formal classes so I can better learn the Cyrillic alphabet as I have studied this language in Croatia, which uses the Latin alphabet, so even though I have some low-intermediate speaking skills, I am functionally illiterate here in Serbia.
The location of the seminar was really beautiful. I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but the former Yugoslavia at large has what I think is the most plentiful, various, and astounding natural beauty in the whole of Europe. I have been throughout Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia, but oddly enough, even though I’ve been here quite a while, I have not seen as much of Serbia. I had been to the North part, called Vojvodina, and it is lovely in an Austro-Hungarian way. But this was my first trip to the south.
It is a poor part of the country economically, but the nature is beautiful! Green mountains, clear streams, clean air…all of that. I had been so tired of being in the city where there is constant noise all the time from the 5am garbage man to the jack-hammers of street work to the constant hooting of car and bus horns to the general loudness of busses to the loudness of Serbs themselves (who, quite comfortingly, are somewhat like Americans in their vocal volume) I had been craving quiet. Here it was!
Now, most of the weekend was packed with seminar stuff, but on one afternoon we “internationals” (5 Americans, 1 Swede, 1 Brit, and a few Serbs who did not have official business at the meeting at that moment) had some time off. I went for a 3 ½ hour hike with the Serbian woman who is the WiB photographer. It was awesome! We walked up the mountain (not steep), stopped occasionally near the river, and – the BEST part – ate the wild strawberries that grow in the forest!!! So tiny cute and juicy! When I first saw her eating them I said “What are you doing? Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to eat berries you see in the woods? They can be poison!” To which she laughed and said – “C’mon! They are wild strawberries!” And in fact they were…and they were delicious!
That same night, after the dinner – around 10pm – there was a party. It was actually such a good time! Many of the women in the network are older (many in their 60s and beyond even), but I am telling you, these women danced their asses off! And all night long! I finally went to bed at 3:30am and there was still perhaps 15 – 20 people still rockin’!
Overall, I loved getting away for the weekend. I loved being a part of this seminar. I enjoyed the lectures and activities as well as the social parts. And I came away from it all feeling much more connected to the group and having gotten closer to a really great group of friends.
In the coming weeks we have a globalization seminar coming up as well as the big annual trip to Srebrenica for the July 11th Commemoration. I will also be spending more time with some of the other NGOs I am researching for my work here. I am so happy to be here right now! This is exactly what I came here for! I am learning so much and I will have so much to bring back to my students in the US when I return (not to mention a very cool and somewhat substantial contribution in regional post-conflict books that I am going to be donating to our Holocaust Resource Center library for our graduate [and undergrads too] in Genocide Studies at my US university).
In all, my time here lately has been so amazing and really productive. I am so excited to be staying until the end of December! I am supposed to go back to the US for a few weeks this summer, and I am looking forward to seeing family and friends, but I have decided to cut the trip home a bit short so I can get back here.
OK, well thanks for reading! I will write another update soon…
Xina
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just great Christina!! love you
ReplyDeleteWhat? You're cutting your trip home short so you can go back to saving the world? XO
ReplyDelete