Topic: Zagreb Diary 
** Written  5:28 PM  Jul 30, 1992 by wam@zamir-zg.comlink.apc.org in gn:yugo.antiwar 
Zagreb Diary
23-07-1992

Dobar Dan,

To my big surprise I found out that my diaries, how badly written they are, are still read around the globe. Not be receiving mail, but my peeping in conferences I never saw before and the find out that my stupid stories were used elsewhere. Crazy feeling to find out that people are actual reading it still.

We were talking about symbols, so with the elections in front of you the town looks very wild. The nationalistic colours are screaming from every wall. And of course you see the private actions of the different parties and supporters among each other. That is hardly now poster can stand the night, a new posters with some bodies face or a nice election slogan is drawn at, but more normal half removed from the wall or trees. With other words you see Tudjman without face, Paraga for the half, Savka's mouth, etc., etc. Two new parties I never heard of were the for me translated as Country Building Union and a groups, party, which is establish in 1981 by Croats in Beunos Aires (both more ultra than Paraga's HSP, inclusive paramilitary, with guns of course, what you think, with wooden sticks, how uncivilised)

But even this afternoon I saw two old ladies, taking some posters off Savka's face, for them the voting was not such a secret thing, it is clear who they support. But it was strange to see such old grand mothers, who normally in my country, absolute are not interested in politics and just walk through the shopping street suddenly stop at a light pool and start to take off posters (put them in their backs of course and carry them to the first waste paper box, they don't throw them on the street).

Tudjman's main posters, but HDZ is everywhere in all colours and slogans is fantastic, Tudjman smiling with both corners of his mouth, it has cost he lost of problems (normally he smiles only with one corner) and he has obvious cramp in his face and a hand with is sticking up like a wooden hand. But they don't stay long clean. An other thankful poster is also from HDZ, it says :"Prvi U Obrani, Prvi U Obnovi (first in defence, first in building up)" the symbolic of the poster is beautiful, a hand who builds up a wall from red stone bricks, with hole between the brick so it look like the chess board of the Croatian weapon of arms. But by changing the "R" in the word Obrani into a "M" you get the word OBMANI, and that means something like lying, demagogy, 

But for foreigners the poster from Paraga with UNPROFOR GO HOME will make to most impact. What are you not happy with UNPROFOR, yes, my dear readers HSP don't likes UNPROFOR, and so many people don't like UNPROFOR, but for different reasons. HSP don't like them since they like to take the occupied territories for Croatia with their HOS and other armies. The chance that Paraga becomes president is lucky enough not big, their amount of posters are not representative for the amount of support. Like HDZ they must have a lot of foreign support, otherwise this overkill of posters are not understandable. And I don't know which idiots are giving that money for which reason, but in a country with such enormous troubles it is at least for me totally stupid to give so much money to an election campaign, for certain if you know already for 75% what will happen.

But a similar outburst of nationalism I have seen in CSFR after the velvet revolutions, in the Baltic, in DDR, in Poland, in Rumania, and from the pictures in the Netherlands after the war. We as Dutch child had to go to sing for the queen when she was having her birthday and got remembering shield for every born prince (princesses never been born in the Netherlands in the last 25 years). And a big parade in front of her palest, recognisable things for my Croatian friends, only queen was here Tito, in CSFR nowerdays Havel, in Poland on this moment Walensa, but before in those countries the communist revolution.

Or what to think of all those military parades in all countries of the world, at least ones a year, since I have been here I haven't seen any, I see soldiers parading through the street checking the girls out, but that is different.

It is a question were do you want to recognise symbols, her or in your own country. What is more disgusting the fact that people in these countries shoot at each other, or the German relief organisation, which uses asbestos in their shelters for refugees in Macadonie, forbidden in Germany since 1982, that can on the same pile as over due food, on usable clothes, to old medicines and mineral water like the French to Sarajevo, where the only workable plant produces mineral water, thank you, but no thanks...  (the people in Sarajevo asked the French if they would like to take theirs back (the ones from Sarajevo) back to sell and make money for Sarajevo). 

Solidarity is needed, Why should we eat whole food for our bodies and let refugees eat bullshit. !3 years ago I started Rampenplan to bring good food to demonstrations, Rampenplan is a symbol in Europe, known in the whole action world, And now I get confronted with this shit. Of course a lot of refugees are a problem, but they are also each of them a human being, with he and their needs. They at least couldn't help. 

We can help and we can helping helping them selves, in Gasnice they started in the camp to make their own baskets for selling, to do something during the day and to have more security, houses must come for the winter, if tents are to cold and to thin. We should not get mad from waiting you know, it can take ages before this people will turn back to what was their homes.

You outside can help us here, not only to come to a workcamp, that would be nice, or to give money to uberhaupt make the organisation of workcamps possible. But also by stressing your local third world shops and oxfam place to buy those products from Croatian refugees camp and sell them. Just give us ideas of what we could let be produces by refugees and what could be sold. With that money we can pay volunteers here to get trained and do the work themselves in the camps (one of the dark things is that people here in Croatia really like to help their people, but have to work to not become an economically refugees themselves, otherwise you can't study, so simple). Those students are not laying in the sun, but they are working in the tourist industry (serving people of their own age on Interrail).

 We made the strange experiences today that it needs some time to win the trust of the mothers and children, it takes a while before they are coming to play or their mother let them come to our workcamps. Who are those strangers, who are their to play with our kids. What do they want ?...

I hope my dear readers that you read to whole story, I am not saying Croatia is fascistic, not yet, but watch out, just like all the other states Croatia has the ingredients, but so has every country, isn't it. Let's show they other side.

With Love from Za-mir-greb,

Wam:-)


 
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