Alison Morse , Mount Holyoke College '02, is a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where she is focusing on development economics and issues affecting refugees and displaced persons, particularly women. This summer, she is working with BOSFAM (BOSnian FAMily), a non-governmental organization that supports Bosnian women who were displaced by war by providing them with income-generating handicraft products. Alison, who is keeping a blog about her experiences, originally contributed this article to I-Witness.
Sarajevo is a city on the mend. New construction, chic European stores and all the ice cream one could ever eat make for a happy façade to this city that saw over 1400 days of conflict just a decade ago. I arrived in Sarajevo to hours of honking in celebration of a football win over Turkey. I was immediately brought back to the 2004 Red Sox World Series win when the streets filled with happy revelers and cars honked until dawn. The mood in Sarajevo on the night of my arrival demonstrated the life of a city that has celebrated every small victory in an effort to move beyond its not-so-distant tragedies.
The remnants of war are of course still present in the city. Many buildings remain gutted and covered with tarps. There is a general darkness to parts of the old town that can only be attributed to the drabness of Tito’s era. Craters in rooftops, windows without panes, and wires dangling from buildings are not uncommon once one leaves the main tourist drag. Transportation, though excellent and inexpensive, is the most obvious remnant of international aid. UNHCR buses that have not been upgraded in ten years are packed each morning with school children –worn tire treads carry sagging frames that are filled to capacity. The tram cars vary between those with German slogans and those marked with Japanese flags, both donations to the post-war reconstruction effort.
As every guide book will tell you, Sarajevo has a rich history –it is in fact the proverbial “crossroads of civilizations.” The sights and sounds of Sarajevo prove that the city remains a bastion of both religious tolerance and mingling cultures—the Muslim call to prayer is followed by the clanging of church bells around the city. Nuns travel in tight packs followed by bands of teenagers in tight jeans talking on cell phones. The main promenade gives way to the cobblestone streets of the old town where men and women sit outside shops hawking their wares. Fine French fashion is sold just doors away from display cases of Turkish delights.
It is from here, this city on the mend, that I will make my way to Tuzla, the third largest city in BiH and largest coal producer, to begin my summer internship. I will be working with a small non-profit that assists refugee women build sustainable livelihoods through handicrafts…so if nothing else, I will have an enormous supply of wool socks and hats to ward off the cold winters in Boston.
Sarajevo is a city on the mend. New construction, chic European stores and all the ice cream one could ever eat make for a happy façade to this city that saw over 1400 days of conflict just a decade ago. I arrived in Sarajevo to hours of honking in celebration of a football win over Turkey. I was immediately brought back to the 2004 Red Sox World Series win when the streets filled with happy revelers and cars honked until dawn. The mood in Sarajevo on the night of my arrival demonstrated the life of a city that has celebrated every small victory in an effort to move beyond its not-so-distant tragedies.
The remnants of war are of course still present in the city. Many buildings remain gutted and covered with tarps. There is a general darkness to parts of the old town that can only be attributed to the drabness of Tito’s era. Craters in rooftops, windows without panes, and wires dangling from buildings are not uncommon once one leaves the main tourist drag. Transportation, though excellent and inexpensive, is the most obvious remnant of international aid. UNHCR buses that have not been upgraded in ten years are packed each morning with school children –worn tire treads carry sagging frames that are filled to capacity. The tram cars vary between those with German slogans and those marked with Japanese flags, both donations to the post-war reconstruction effort.
As every guide book will tell you, Sarajevo has a rich history –it is in fact the proverbial “crossroads of civilizations.” The sights and sounds of Sarajevo prove that the city remains a bastion of both religious tolerance and mingling cultures—the Muslim call to prayer is followed by the clanging of church bells around the city. Nuns travel in tight packs followed by bands of teenagers in tight jeans talking on cell phones. The main promenade gives way to the cobblestone streets of the old town where men and women sit outside shops hawking their wares. Fine French fashion is sold just doors away from display cases of Turkish delights.
It is from here, this city on the mend, that I will make my way to Tuzla, the third largest city in BiH and largest coal producer, to begin my summer internship. I will be working with a small non-profit that assists refugee women build sustainable livelihoods through handicrafts…so if nothing else, I will have an enormous supply of wool socks and hats to ward off the cold winters in Boston.
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