Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prijedor: school at Prijedor
Location
Elvedin Sofitć
When we talk about suffering of civilians during the war in Bosnia, we can not avoid talking about Prijedor. This area is known as place of concentrations camps, killing non-serb civilians and hard way for return of their families.
Even if Prijedor now belongs to Republik of Srpska, most of the people returned already 2004.
Still, with their return and serbian population living there, there have been parallel worlds created as a product of complete isolation of areas of return and quite discriminatory attitude of local authorities towards the returnees. This is particularly noticeable in relation to the organizational forms within the returnee communities. Condemned to self-organization, returnees first formed government in their religious and local communities. This was accompanied by the formation of non-governmental organizations that have taken on many burdens that otherwise should have the local authority.
Youth in returnee communities suffer the most. After completing primary and secondary education, it remains trapped in a kind ghetto sentenced to uncertainties of the future, confronted with high level of unemployment. This is particularly in a kind of enclave called Left Coast Sapna, which covers an area of 6 local communities with 99% Bosniaks returnee population. The two local communities have formed youth associations. One of them is a local community Hambarine which was renovated cultural center. In this house there is a library organized by humanitarian organization "Human Hill 2010" registered in Austria. There you can find books and place for interrogations, which would be perfect for a small internet oasis and door for the outside world.
In the local community Rakovčani returnees also created a youth center in the community center, planed for teenagers from Rakovčani and neighboring Rizvanović.
It would be good if there is a possibility to help this youth, at least in this way, by giving them chance to communicate with the world and learn about the world. Than, especially during winter time, we register high level of depression, especially among young people.
Date it was last updated: 09/06/15