In a recent interview with Balkan Diskurs, Edhem Custovic discussed the recent establishment of the BH Futures Foundation (BHFF) and the launch of the Futures MakerSpace center in Srebrenica.
Many would argue that there is no prosperity or hope in this country. Young people are leaving to seek employment elsewhere, so who will be responsible for carrying out the changes necessary for a prosperous future?
More and more people, especially youth, are leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). According to World Bank estimates, approximately 1.6 million people who were born in BiH now live outside of the country.
“Anywhere from 25,000 all the way to 100,000 have been reported to have emigrated since last fall. Why are all these people desperate to flee the country that only years ago they ached to see free?”
As poet Mak Dizdar describes in “Blue River” there exists a country: “Beyond dread, beyond doubt, beyond nine, beyond ten, deeper and stronger, beyond silence, beyond darkness.” It is here that a good country exists. A country shaped like a heart. That country’s name is Bosnia-Herzegovina and a strange people live in this heart-shaped land.
From dawn till dusk in the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, transition always entails a dose of risk. Most of the time, it is simply fear of loss and failure. Our environment was unfortunately struck by both. Everything that once was is lost, and the fear of what will come tomorrow continues.