THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME

THE YOUNG IN B&H - TO GO OR TO STAY

Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of rare countries with a high percentage of highly educated waiters, drivers, cab-drivers, secretaries...At the same time, economists, doctors, architects are unable to find work...To stay in or leave Bosnia is a question which has become a fateful question. There are thousands of reason to leave and much less to stay. Among those who come back to Bosnia many wish to return to where they came from.

AIM, SARAJEVO, September 24, 1997

When a reputable international organization engaged in the study of crisis areas tells you that some 60 percent of people in your country have no work, isn't that the necessary and sufficient information which you needed to realize that the time has come for you to move to some better places? The fact that such an organization exists in your neighbourhood is disquieting in itself. This is accompanied with a picture of hopelessness which is forcing an increasing number of the young and educated people to abandon B&H.

According to the Employment Office data in the first five months of this year 168,015 job seekers were registered in the territory of the Federation with Bosniac majority. Among them economists, lawyers, agricultural and mechanical engineers, dentists and doctors are in the majority, and surprisingly there are also unemployed architects despite the post-war reconstruction efforts. This bleak picture of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian unpromising future is completed by data of the State Statistical Office according to which there are 190,465 unemployed on the overall territory of the B&H Federation. Out of that number only 674 are on the dole.

Out of the total number of unemployed as much as 1.927 are highly educated people. This figure also includes 65,520 unemployed women, which is most certainly much higher as the Statistical Office does not have data on unemployed women on the territories under the HVO control, nor in the other entity. The number of job seekers would be much higher if all the unregistered persons could be traced. Fortunately or unfortunately, 150,00 citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina live from "moonlighting".

Unemployment is not the only reason for leaving B&H. When it is known that the capital city has only one real and two so called disco clubs, two concert halls, two theatres, when the Visoko Museum is being shut down and exhibits transferred to a cellar in order to use the building for other purposes - the SDA Headquarters - then the evil has conquered good and the time has come for the young to flee.

Spite Without Results

Before the war Bosnia and Herzegovina had 4.3 million inhabitants. During the war 1.2 million of them left the country. After the signing of the Dayton Agreement only 90 thousand of them returned to their homeland. According to the UNHCR estimates, as much as 70 thousand to Sarajevo. In a way this has caused new migrations. Those who were here, mostly the young, are going across the Atlantic wishing never to return. The majority will tell you: the further the better. Trying to justify that, to themselves too, they say that they do not want to be second-class citizens. If that is bound to happen, they will at least live like that somewhere where no one knows them.

After five years of war it could be said that disappointment is a collective psychological characteristic of the young generation. Former veterans especially do not see any sense in staying here. They will tell you that they do not know what to do with themselves after all they have been through.

This year the USA have offered a programme for 8,000 people from B&H who could get permanent immigration visas for this country. According to unofficial sources, as much as 5,000 of them applied in only one month. Apart from the USA, Canada and Australia have similar immigration programmes. The first condition these 8,000 people have to fulfill is to be young, healthy, educated and possibly, to come with their families. It seems that such people are welcome everywhere but in their own country. According to the Ministry for Social Welfare and Refugees 5,000 Bosniacs have accepted this offer from overseas till now.

Major migrations occur during wars. After the conflicts are over, at least 30 percent of refugees do not return to their mother country, the majority being the young ones. The reason is the model according to which various countries grant asylum. Most of them give priority to people who quickly and successfully complete language training. After that they easily get jobs. Naturally, it is easier for the young and educated to learn the language. Some of them immediately decide to stay permanently, while some want to stay only until they can earn enough to return. This process can take as much as ten and more years. During that time many of them start families, adjust to new environment and forget where they came from.

Recently, Germany offered a project for the employment of 1,000 young Bosnian experts. The project envisages the linking of young experts from various fields who are exiles in Germany with the B&H firms offering jobs. Germany undertakes to allocate each of them monthly wages of 450 DEM individually for the period of one year, plus 7,000 DEM for the procurement of equipment necessary for the work of one person. To these sums each firm would add a regular income which would come out of its funds. Our Government did not do anything as regards this project, so that the work is done by NGOs in B&H. Also, the media ignored this idea totally.

"Genocide" Over the Youth

The idea on the payment of full-time studies was received better. Despite the fact that it was rejected, at least by the Government of the Sarajevo canton (it is not know for how long), students are still in a state of panic. Many of them are prepared to terminate their studies or go abroad where they would continue their studies under different conditions. As for the professors - they say that in case this plan is truly realized there could be another "genocide" in B&H, while the victims would be the young people. A state without the youth, no matter how trivial this may sound, has no future. Competent scholars estimate that as a result of massive brain-drain B&H lost till now more money than it went for the reconstruction of the war-devastated Bosnia and Herzegovina! Namely, enormous sums are spent on the education of every young man (about 10,000 DEM annually), and when he goes abroad even larger sums, which he could have produced by his work, are lost.

As it usually happens in life, one has to fight for everything one cares for. The state give very little encouragement to the young to stay in B&H. And the manoeuvring space exists. Experts say that it is absurd to plan economic development while social development is at the same time being neglected since they are closely interlinked. They propose introduction of changes in the housing policy because very small number of young people have tenant's rights. They demand the introduction of family counselling services or even of the Swedish or Croatian model which have a Family Planning Ministry. They propose many things, but little is done, at least as the young ones see it. At the same time, the Americans, Canadians and Australians offer them castles in the air. Once you get there things are not so great, say those who had tried it.

Still, few of them have decided to return to B&H. They are prepared to work in America 16 hours a day, doing even the worst jobs, just to be far from B&H. And yet, when they come visiting they quickly find well-paid jobs here as they have to earn the money for their life abroad, and the locals again end up empty-handed. No matter how painful it may be, this confirms that it is much better to go than to stay. It seems that the only thing in favour of staying is the feeling of belonging which is not very important in life. At least there are shrinks in the States who treat such problems, and here you can't get even them.

Faris DERVISEVIC

(AIM Sarajevo)