From: wam@zamir-zg.comlink.de (Wam Kat)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.yugoslavia
Subject: Zagreb Diary
Date: 17 Aug 92 09:35:00 GMT
Organization: ComLink-Network Germany - For Peace Zagreb


Zagreb Diary
16-08-1992

Dobar Dan,

"Well come on all your big strong man uncle ..... (Slob, 
Franj, Ile) needs your help again, ...... be the tenth in 
your block to have your boy come home in a box...." 
Woodstock, once a year around this days the blood start to 
cook again and I have to see the film. Luckily today some 
friends from the Netherlands arrived (some we have 3 Dutch in 
the office, 1 American in Aida's place, 1 Dutch and a 
Taiwanes in my (Vesna's) house, 40 from all countries in 
Gasinci, 5 Italians, Bask in Osijek and I don't know how many 
coming) and brought me things from home, biologic peanut 
butter, shag, drop, video films (among them Woodstock which 
is now running) clothes, my kids send a big bag of their play 
toys with them for the kids here and a lot more. A Sunday in 
the land of a thousand faces.

Among all those things their were also local newspapers with 
article about EYFA (European Youth Forest Action, where I use 
to be International Coordinator up to 4 1/2 months ago), it 
is going good with them. The article were great Chuck 
insulted Bush in Munchen last month during his 
pressconference, which was shown worldwide, Burkie sitting in 
a nice white Mi Za Mir t-shirt (probably just out of bed) in 
our Sittard office telling about the fact that the main aim 
from EYFA was to spread hope around Europe and a small 
description of the Sittard office and it's international crew 
(Dutch, German, Japanish, American, Danish, French, Polish, 
Slovens and Estonians). I suddenly realised again how 
colourful the office where I work always are. For nearly 15 
year I am use to work with people from all kind of 
nationalities, it is just normal. But it is not. 

Joel is back from Serbia with a bag full papers and magazines 
(and money from Serbian Krajina) and a head overloaded with 
stories and impressions. He talked so quick that he felt over 
his own words. The reason of his delay was the simple (what 
simple ?) fact that he has been to Vukovar. Yes you read it 
clearly, he has been in Vukovar. But he was to exhausted and 
to full to tell all the stories, so you and I have to wait 
until he had a good night sleep, wash his clothes and writes 
his MIRacles. I promise it is going to be a interesting story 
to read. Those who travel can tell nice stories.

I am not travelling so much, I stay put in Zagreb, why are 
you not going home for a week somebody ask me today, since I 
am afraid of going home I answered. Afraid that people back 
home don't understand what happened to me in these last 4 and 
half months. If I tell the same stories sitting in a bar in 
Sittard they think I became totally nuts in these countries, 
It is the combination of living on the egde of a vulcano I 
think somehow things become more clear, the essential things 
of life. The paradoxes of our civilized world. 

I think. humility that is the magic word, it something we 
often forget when we go somewhere, to be humble and not 

knowing it better. It is what I often think when I see all 
those people passing by telling my friends here what to do, 
what to think, what the solution for these countries, these 
problems are. It is if they come in with a thing in their 
mind, like you are all crazy and under developed down here, 
but here is the cavalery, we know what is good for you. I am 
not saying I am humble, but at least I hope I try. 

One thing he told was that in his opinion there is a battle 
about power going on between Panic and Milosevic, he told us 
that he hadn't heard anything in Serbia about Panic debacle 
in Sarajevo the other day, but that he heard that a lot of 
people support Panic. It is normal that governments in 
Eastern Europe have a lot of foreigners in their rows, also 
here Vesna T. told me the amount of Americans and Australians 
(from Croatian origin) is high among ministers and high 
officials (A friends of both Vesna's is tennis teacher and 
has of course so it's own rumours about the social life and 
intelligence of the ruling class). Not that we hear a lot of 
them, since this is a presidential state. The government and 
the parliament are just democratic decoration, but Tudjman 
has the real power. He and his staff of advisors, which he 
elects are the real powers (When I was trying to make 
appointments with different ministries for the this French 
people who are coming we found out that nearly all the 
important people are on holidays anyway).

He brought also the latest TIME with him, with the foot of 
this afraid and asking looking skinny guy behind wire on the 
front cover. For over 7 days I think we keep on seeing that 
guy now on television (film from CNN about the dead and 
concentration camp in Nothern Bosnia). That was also 
something, from which you don't hear anything in Serbia, Joel 
said, due to the boycott no foreign newspapers are for sale. 

When I was walking in the park today with some Dutch people 
they had to admit that it just was like any other city. 
People on a Sunday strall in the park, rowing boats in the 
little lake. Hara Chrisnas singing their songs, Jahovas and 
Mormons (there are now about 12 of them, nice shaved, well 
dressed and very clean looking, with a very tide shedule, 
around 6 o'clock the whole group sits in the pizzaria having 
their daily pizza and cola) doing their preaching. I feel 
sorry for them, they are like cats in the wrong warehouse, as 
we say in Dutch. It is like those TMs, who are still saying 
that if 3% of the people will meditate te war will be over. 
It has to do a bit with not respecting the believes of 
others, why should the God of Muslims, Croats and Serbs not 
be the same God as theirs.

Slowly the wounded people are getting back from the war 
hospitals and you see them on the streets, young people 
without arms or legs, wounded for their whole lives, and for 
what ? For a dream that becomes a nightmare. Now they are 
maybe seen as heroes, but in a few years from now, when the 
people want to forget the war and all things which happened 
they are the scares of society. Living rememberings of one of 
the biggest mass misleading by leaders, who are only 
fullfilling their own dreams, willing to secrifies their own 

people for their crazy fantasies.

With Love from ZA-mir-GREB,

Wam:-)



  

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