Every
year, the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development
organizes a study trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Thirty students from Johns
Hopkins University SAIS Europe and the University of Bologna are invited to
participate on this four-day trip to Sarajevo to meet with representatives of
organizations working on post-conflict reconstruction, human rights issues, and
democratic development. This year, received by snowy weather, the beautiful
city of Sarajevo welcomed us to a heartbreaking, inspiring, and incredible
learning experience.
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| SAIS Europe visit to Sarajevo |
The
trip was an eye-opening experience. As we visited many multilateral
organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme, Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the World Bank, the Delegation of the
European Union, and the Italian and US Embassies, we had the opportunity to
learn more about their work on the ground. We discussed the numerous challenges
in the implementation of development projects as well as future challenges and
projects. We learned about labor market
policies, corruption, elections, ethnic division, the energy sector, education,
and human rights. We also visited the Constitutional Court and learned more
about the constitutional development in the country, taking into consideration
the ethnic and demographic divisions that still exist in the region. In our
meetings, we were exposed to a wide range of perspectives on local issues,
which provided us with the opportunity to draw our own
conclusions.
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| Srebrenica Memorial |
The trip also exposed us to the
local culture. Arriving one day earlier, I had the opportunity to visit Mostar,
a beautiful city that was also a major location of the past conflict. While
visiting the city, it is still possible to see the bullet holes in the walls of
the buildings. We also had the honor to tour Sarajevo with General Jovan Divjak
who shared his experience and took us to important locations of the conflict.
This included visiting the Sarajevo Tunnel, which was used to transport Bosnian
troops and to bring supplies into Sarajevo. In addition to studying the history,
we also had time to taste the fantastic local cuisine and to learn more about
local traditions.
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| Srebrenica |
One
of the highlights of the trip was our visit to Srebrenica. There, we visited
two organizations: the Mothers of Srebrenica Association and the Memorial
Center. While the women from the Association shared their stories of escaping
from the conflict and the challenges they faced upon returning to their homes,
it was impossible not to feel their pain in our hearts and to think about the
memories they have of a terrible time that took away their husbands, brothers,
and children. During our visit to the Memorial Center, many of us cried when learning
more about the torture and ethnic cleansing of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim
men in the Srebrenica genocide. It was a heartbreaking but incredible learning
experience that inspired us to use our studies at SAIS to protect those in need
and to prevent such acts from occurring again. When one of our colleagues asked
the mothers of the Association, “what is your message to the world”, they said,
“Never treat others different from you; when we are wounded, we all bleed red.”
As I am passionate
about development, meeting with the victims, representatives of the
organizations, and locals to hear their perspectives about the conflict and
current challenges exposed me to a unique perspective of the country’s current
situation. This trip was definitely an incredible learning experience that
inspired me to continue giving my best to make this world a better place.
