Messages from/to Sarajevo for 31 March 95 22 h

Message 1
Welcome to "Sarajevo Alive, Sarajevo On Line."   From March 29 to 
April 7,  our network of 26 newspapers around the world is linking 
the people of the besieged city of  Sarajevo to the Internet 
Community.  One of the greatest restrictions felt by the citizens of 
this city is the inability to communicate with the outside world:  
there is no paper to print newspapers on, there are no telephone 
lines linked 24 hours a day with the outside world.  Helping them to 
overcome this feeling of entrapment is one of our primary goals.

So World Media Network; in cooperation with the local media 
(Oslobodenje, Studio 99...) are inviting the residents of the city to 
respond to questions posed by the Internet community.  In 
marketplaces, in shops, and in editorial offices, we are installing 
suitcase satellites and are giving  the Bosnians a chance to 
communicate.

Finally,  World Media Network newspapers will publish the best 
conversations that appeared on the Internet, on April 5, 1995, the 
third anniversary of the beginning of siege of Sarajevo.

Here is the first posting from Sarajevo. More will follow.  We at 
World Media posed the first questions.  They are basic questions. 
Needless to say, they'd rather address themselves directly to 
anyone of you, with a name and a country to refer to. So please 
send us your questions.  People in Sarajevo look forward to hearing 
from you.

 

FROM: Zoran  Illich
TO: The Internet community

I am Zoran Illich,  deputy editor-in-chief of Independent Radio and 
Television "STUDIO 99" - Sarajevo. I am 39 years old, not married.  
I have worked for Studio 99 since its inception and I have worked 
at the radio during the entire war. 

Q: What have you in mind today? Are you more or less afraid than 
before?

A: What I have in my mind is not so interesting.  Usually I work 
from morning till the night. We try to be normal and I see that 
people in Sarajevo are thinking about war and crimes less than 
before. Also, my opinion is that people are not afraid.

Q: How is everyday life ? Do you have electricity, water, gas, 
heating? Is it expensive?

A: I live very well because usually I'm not in my flat. I said before 
that I work constantly.  During the last few months, there has been 
enough electricity, water, etc... Life is not expensive if you have 
your salary and if you are employed.

Q:  But we hear that you need Deutsche Marks to live?   How do you
manage to get Deutsche Marks?

A: If you are not employed, probably you have family abroad and if 
they help you than it's not a problem to obtain DMs.

Q: Do you find meat every day? How much does it cost?

A: I donπt like to eat meat, but I suppose that meat is expensive for 
ordinary people.

Q:   How long have you been living in Sarajevo? What do you need 
most? What do you miss the most?

A: I have been living in Sarajevo for the past 25 years. What I need  
is a normal life and  my friends.  Many left Sarajevo at the 
beginning of the war. Today I miss my family the most.

Q:  Would you like to leave Sarajevo?  If so, where would you go?

A:   I have been out of Sarajevo several times since the beginning of 
the war.  Actually I had a chance to leave Sarajevo. But I didn't! I 
love Sarajevo. I love my friends and people who work with me at  
Studio 99.

Q: Do you care about politics? If yes, do you belong to any political
organisation?

A: I care about politics because my radio and television are engaged 
in politics. Like most from Studio 99, I am not member of any 
political party. But I am member of the Association of Independent 
Intellectuals and "Circle 99". It is not political organisation. Our idea 
is to live together and in democratic society.

Q: Are there still many ethnically mixed families in Sarajevo?

A: There are still many mixed marriages and mixed families. The 
problem is not in Sarajevo among Sarajevans because we still 
respect each other. The problem, concerns nationalistic extremists 
from the national parties. If you donπt believe that, please come to 
Sarajevo.  In my opinion, you will be surprised.  Sarajevo is still 
under siege but people have the spirit.  Donπt be afraid we will 
survive.

In conclusion, let me ask you all question: 

Is it possible in Europe to accept new politics without nationalistic 
and separatist ideas and leaders?

That's all and many greetings from Sarajevo. Zoran Illich.  


FROM: Deniza Ticic
TO: The Internet community

I am  Deniza Ticic. I am  20 years old and  I  study  French and 
English  at University of Philosophy. Also I work on Studio 99. I am 
a refuge from Grbavica and now I live in centre of the city with my 
parents and younger brother.

Q: How is everyday life ? Do you have electricity, water, gas, heating 
? Is it expensive?

A: I live much better then before.  We have electricity, water etc. 
Maybe that will sound ridiculous to you but our wants are small.

Q: Are you more or less afraid than before?

A: Now  I  am  just afraid  of  what will  happen to us. 

Q:   We hear that you need Deutsche Marks to live?   How do you
manage to get Deutsche Marks? 

A: If  you  don't have DM  you can not buy food which  is very  
expensive here.

Q: What do you miss the most?

A:   I  miss most my friends  and people who left Sarajevo.  
Loneliness is a big problem for the people who stayed here.

Q: Are there still many ethnically mixed families?

A:  All three nationalities live here, and we live together. 

Q: Do you care about politics?

A: I don't care about politics.


FROM: REDINA LJUMANOVIC
TO: The Internet community

I am  Redina Ljumanovic.  I am twenty years old and  I study 
medicine. Also I work on Studio 99  as a cameraman.  I live with 
my parents, brother and sister  on the front line near the Grbavica.

Q: How do you live?

I live much better than before, because I can go out when I want.  
But it is not enough for me.  I want to finish my University but it is 
not possible here.  So what I can do?  I spend my time like all 
young people here.  In the morning I am on the University.  In the 
afternoon I am in Studio 99 and after that I go out with my friends.  
I have a scholarship.  It is enough to buy cigarettes and visit the 
cafe every day.

A: If you could leave Sarajevo, would you? And to go where?

Q: You ask me do I want to leave Sarajevo.  Yes, I do because I don't 
have normal life and I don't see a future for me here.   Thatπs 
because of the war.  You can't see on the streets people who lived 
here before the war.  Every day I lose my friends and soon 'I'll be 
alone. You can't study, you can't work, you can't make money, you 
can't make love (condoms are very expensive).  So, I want to go 
somewhere, but where.  Sarajevo isn't the place for me, but where 
is the place for me? 

FROM: Alma Duran
TO: The Internet community

I am an eighteen-year-old girl and I am a high school pupil.  I am a 
straight A pupil, but I also work as a English translator on 
Independent Radio called "Studio 99".  My parents are divorced and 
I live with my mother.  I also have an older brother, but he is 
currently living in Germany.  I am not married, and that is unusual 
in Sarajevo.  Young people get married here very often because of 
the war.  One can loose one's life very easily here every day and 
because of that people are getting married a lot, all the time.

Q:  Are you more or less afraid than before?

A:  Every day when I wake up in the morning, I am so happy 
because  I am alive.  Many of my friends are dead and so you can 
see why  I am so happy, because in Sarajevo to be alive is a luxury 
that many people cannot afford.  Right now, I am not afraid but if 
the shellings start again, I would go out of my mind.  Those things 
are the worst experiences in my whole life-- besides seeing my best 
friend's brain blown away.

Q: How do you live? Do you have electricity, water, gas, heating ? Is 
it expensive?

A:  Everyday life in Sarajevo is awful.  We do not have enough 
electricity, gas, water or heating.  Sometimes we do not have it at 
all.  Right now it is snowing heavily and the gas and heating 
systems are out of order so when I go back home I will be freezing 
to death.
	Since the war has been going on here for three years, people 
stopped working and so they do not have any salary. Because of 
that they can not pay for this gas, water, electricity, etc. That is why 
only such things are for free. For everything else one has to pay in 
DM. 

Q: People say here that you use Deutsche Marks every day.  How do 
you manage to get them?

A: Yes, everything is paid in DM.  Most of the people do not have 
them at all. Only if one works and gets paid in DM can one can buy 
something.  And that depends on pure luck. Also if one has any 
relatives abroad, those relatives can send money.

Q: What do you miss the most?

A: Personally, what I miss the most is a normal teenage life.  I 
should be traveling and having fun, making  new friends, seeing 
other cities and countries.  But instead of that I have to bring water 
to my flat and carry it in my hands for two or three miles. You see, 
during heavy shellings we did not have any water in our homes.  
We had to go to few natural sources of water, fill the plastic gallons 
with water and carry it to home.  That is very exhausting.  I also 
miss going out after ten o'clock, because there is a police curfew 
starting ten o'clock in the evening.  But although death is all around 
us ,we girls still try to look good.  Our way of fighting is to look 
beautiful and to show to those beasts that are killing us that youth 
and life will triumph over death.

Q: Are there still many ethnically mixed families in Sarajevo?

A: There are still some mixed marriages in Sarajevo. But not as 
many as before  because of the politics, which came into our lives.

Q: If you could leave Sarajevo, would you?

A: I would NEVER EVER leave Sarajevo, although I could and live 
with my brother in Germany. Why?  Because I have seen how 
people abroad treat Bosnian refuges and it is a disgrace! 

Q: Do you care about politics? 

A: I do not care about politics ,and I won't allow politics to destroy 
some of my friendships with people of another nationalities.

These are my questions:

How can people mark 50 anniversary of Auschwitz  and promise 
that such thing will never again happen, and then just sit and do 
nothing about Bosnia?

How can people be such hypocrites? 

Why don't you help us REALLY?


FROM: Samir Osmanovic

TO: The Internet community

I am eighteen years old.  I am a high school pupil.

My Questions:

Why  don't you stop this war  and help our people?
               

FROM: Mirsad Sukalo

TO: The Internet community

I am nineteen years old ,and I am in the army.

Q: Do you care about politics?

A: I don't care about politics because the politic is a whore and I 
hate politics. 

Q:  How do you feel today?

A:   If you ask me how I feel today, I feel like an animal.


FROM: Davor Milicevic

TO:Internet

Iπm eighteen years old and I go to the electrotechnical vocational 
school.

My Question:

How many people have been killed in Paris with sniper shot during 
one day?


FROM: Suzana Huskic
TO: The Internet community

I am 18 and I go to secondary school. I have parents and a brother.  
I was born in Sarajevo and all my family has lived here for 
centuries.

Q: How do you live today?

A: How I live?  That is a stupid question.  †I live like every woman, 
man and child in Sarajevo.  I work in independent radio and TV 
"Studio 99".  I am the assistant of "The Interview of the Day".  I like 
my job.  I want to finish school and one day I want to be a doctor 
because I want to help people. SO EUROPE WAKE UP!                                                                                                                                                                             

END