Independence Day

July 4^th,

After spending a couple of days driving through Slovenia and Coatia and stopping to visit 2 of the most magical cities in Europe—Split and Dubrovnik, we finally crossed the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country that is home to a multitude of conflicting and overlapping histories, traditions, religions and ethnicities; a true cross-roads if there ever was one. This region was at the center of the 1992-95 Balkan War with many  Bosnian towns and villages being pillaged and plundered by its neighbors, Serbia and Croatia, and thousands of innocent Bosnians were chased from their homes or killed on the spot. It was madness --medieval, brutal and unforgiving-- and there are many visible and not so visible scars to be found in the landscape and among the people we have met so far.

Being here on the 4^th of July seems momentous somehow since in the US we take Independence Day so much for granted. Only 15 years ago, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and the other Balkan republics were fighting fiercely for their right to exist as sovereign states after the break up of Yugoslavia. Because they have been occupied by so many foreign powers for so long –Venetian, Ottoman, Austrian, Hungarian, Italian, German, and the battle for power between them—these people cherish their freedom and are staunchly nationalistic Despite a common language and shared histories, religion keeps them apart. It is an utterly complex social-political situation  rooted in years of hatred and war.