Kategorie: Tox of Wox
Wahrnehmung, die Krise der
Post Loop
dada Post loop
Tox o Wox
Walk of Shame XVII
XVII
Walk of Shame XVII ended at Paolo’s, like the Walk Peace before…
I would also like to refer to:
- WoSI: PAR Framework (WoS evaluation)
- Walk of Serbia: Actor-Mapping;
- Trilogie Meet&Walk Trento: what’s in a name, Dynamics of the Balkan Route, SOP.
Programme:
| Fri, 18. | Zagreb – Sarajevo | 
just the 8 of us:fate brought us together on the way to Sarajevo. Oh no, Hermann & Shouke came directly to Sarajevo. Here we eat together with… downtown… |
| Sat, 19. | Tunnel of Hope |
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| Sanella |
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| Sun, 20. | Hamza et al. | |
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| Mon, 21. | CWS |
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| Lipa | 
Symbolbild: Because we followed the no-pictures-taking rule at Lipa Camp, I use instead a picture from the visit to the tunnel of hope. Lipa Camp has a Capacity of 1500. With the children and family wings externalised into town, the occupancy is at around 200. Transition from IOM oversight to national ownership shows. |
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| Tue, 22. | Ipsia |  
BRAT is a programme by the Italian Development Association supporting minors and vulnerable populations in mending social cohesion after the migrant crisis in Bosnia. CWS is part of it while JRS have come on board later instead of EMMAUS. SDGs are mainstreamed and monitored according to the indicator 10.7.2… |
| Rahma |   
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| Wed, 23. | JRC |
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| Thu, 24. |
Cemetery |
  memorial interreligious dialogue |
Fragen und Antworten…… wie ich mir den Prozess vorstelle: …contributing your feelings and opinion with regard to the memory to the unknown victims of the Balkan route.
How is the process of such decision-making to be led, to maximise reflexivity, participation, dignity and effect? I still believe that upgrading (activating and instrumentalising for these purposes) the adjacent monument of inter-religious dialogue would be the best use of the money. And I’m slightly disappointed that not even the grief experts among us come up with such understanding of what is and what should be, but that this community of practice (of ours) far more tends towards negating anything that doesn’t lie on the path of how things go. Ich erinnere außerdem an die (Kunst-) Aktion des Institut für politische Schönheit, der 2016? Kreuze an die Türkische Grenze gefahren hat Meine Überlegungen dürfen gerne nachvollziehbar sein, in erster Linie geht es mir aber um eine Kriteriensammlung und Prozesssteuerung. (Und in zweiter Linie tatsächlich um dieses unsägliche Monument der Kriegsverherrlichung, von dem ich mich garnicht traue zu spreche wegen relativierender Gegenstimmen). Dieses Rondell, zentral und prominent auf dem Friedhof, den Gefallenen der letzten Balkan Kriege gedenkend, beeindruckt jeden naiven oder Trauer-geschwächten Besucher des Friedhofs. Es konkurriert mit und überragt und verdrängt das Gedenken an die unbekannten Toten der Balkan-Route. Das Monument des interkulturellen Dialogs könnte einen Ausgleich schaffen. Ja, dieser Friedhof und seine Denkmäler mögen verwirren! Verstand es (bzw. sie, die Hintergundgeschichte) immer als flexibel, dynamisch und reflexiv aktivier- und instrumentalisierbar. In diesem (symbolischen) Sinn hab auch die Nutzung als Notunterkunkt von PoMs begrüßt und verteidigt. Also, wie geht’s weiter / vorwärts? Was hältst Du von meiner Prozessskizze? Würde noch n bisschen Wellen schlagen müssen, um Partizipation einzufordern und Transparenz zu schaffen. Hab aber auch nur begrenzt Kapazitäten (und Nerven). Wo siehst Du die Chancen, den existierenden Fond (für die Gräber) als Anschubfinanzierung für die Aktivierung und Instrumentalisierung des Monuments zu nutzen..? Du meinst, ich sei zu verbissen? Ich liebe den (anarchistischen) Provisisorismus in Bosnien, sehe darin einerseits große kreative Potentiale andererseits ebenso die Möglichkeiten der kontraproduktiven Instrumentalisierung… Naivität, Ignoranz und Verblendung… sind die Türöffner und Steigbügel für die ganze internationale Miserie, in der wir uns befinden… Ich mein (und komm vom Häpfchen zum Zäpfchen), die Geflüchtetenwelle von 2015 ist 1:1 mit der Finanzlage (Insolvenz) von UNHCR im Mittleren Osten zu erklären. Wenn jetzt UNRWA kollabiert, machen sich weitere 6mio Menschen auf den Weg. Wo ist der Plan? Du möchtest die Kritik, die man natürlich ein bisschen geschickt formulieren und ausarbeiten müsste, an SOS-Balkanroute rückmelden und vorschlagen, das Monument mitzudenken?! Könntest ja mal bei ihnen nachfragen, was die Idee war… team@sos-balkanroute.at. verstehe den Unmut, aber das ist mir ein bisschen zu unterkomplex als Erklärung für die Welt. Aber ja, es wird nicht einfacher und in Anbetracht dessen mag man nur den Kopf schütteln in Reaktion auf diese unnötigen Debatten und das populistische Geschwafel. Habe eben erst “aus Versehen” ne schlimme Doku in der ARD-Mediathek gesehen….Grenzen der Zuwanderung heißt die. Eine Katastrophe. Hab mich direkt mal bei ARD und dem Autor beschwert und der taz gesagt, die soll das mal anschauen. 😀 |
Having wondered for some time how well assistance was delivered to migrants in the difficult political environment of Velika Kladusa, where two Muslim fractions had fought each other during the war, some understanding has been gained today: Alma whose father had been an Imam and Jasmin whose two brothers had fought on opposite sides of the war, set up formally the organisation Rahma, collecting international donations and distributing locally. Help for refugees seems to have been a natural platform for redemption. Peace schooling a la Franjo Starcevic may be another way for reconciliation and active peace maintenance.Team-Building
In the darkness
You light a candle
that never dies
that never dies
Just the 8 of us…
You see, my grandfather, after his 6-months nighty flight from Sibiria, heeded Titos call and participated in building the Autoput…That’s how I came to Bosnia to implement the Dayton peace agreement…
…Having written his PhD thesis at the Nazi Race Institute (with an avantgardistic methodology concluding that the Suabian (“Šwabo”) people actually decent from a “Gypsy” tribe, he was a Nazi, no question… He escaped from Russian captivity and walked for 6 month night after night. But every day he found some friendly locals who would hide him. He felt the uttermost gratitude and respect for the Russian people all his life.
He arrived back home on my mothers 2nd birthday, onn13.08.1946, the first born complaining, who is this man? While switching between Pevertin (“Panzerschokolade” = Crystal Meth) and Morphium addiction, his university career picked up, only because of my grandmother doing all the (mediocre) work…
In 1956? he left for Yugoslavia, not being able to bear the bigotry and hypocrisy of post-war Germany. My mother would never be able to forgive him for leaving her, blaming the Communists for hijacking fathers, and denying me by the Foreign Office during my assignments in the Balkans
Maybe he met Giacomo Scotti who came to join Yugoslavia from Napoli, I think around that time
He had a stroke in 1978 while on the loo pressing too hard, so they say, when in fact everybody was happy that he couldn’t speak any more. A true activist
Back to the original claim: I concede to the official compromise, according to which Tito could keep the communal tensions under the carpet for a while… but even in this reading, that while was considerably longer than the functioning of the Dayton regime
I’m trying to build an argument against nation-building and a bridge to the Ukraine where offensive nation-building has led to a proxy war… but fail. Because every conflict and war is unique?
Franjo Starcevic
The significance of Franjo Starčević
(personal) Rekke-Report to Gorski Kotar, 23-27 April 2025
Michael Ickes
The significance of Franjo Starčević lies both in his actual endeavors during and after the war in Gorski Kotar, as well as in his symbolism and example for further peacebuilding in Croatia and beyond. His legacy is not only historical but also deeply inspiring for the present and future – a call to continue walking, literally and metaphorically, in his footsteps.
In this sense, I too became a walker in his tradition – not as a historian or tourist, but as a kind of pilgrim. Walking the paths he once chose was not only an act of remembrance, but also a personal confrontation with the question: How would I have acted in such times? The physical journey became a spiritual one, a reflection on courage, vulnerability, and what it means to embody peace.
The war in Gorski Kotar was, in a sense, none. Unlike other regions of Croatia that experienced heavy propaganda, armed conflict, and ethnic polarization, Gorski Kotar remained relatively calm. Places like Mrkopalj showed remarkable resilience – not in heroic resistance, but in quiet steadfastness and refusal to be pulled into provocation or fear.
This peacefulness was not simply the result of one man’s action – it likely stemmed from a blend of geography, community culture, and historical experience. Yet Franjo Starčević can be seen both as a product of these peace-promoting conditions and as a conscious expression of them. Through his symbolic marches, personal courage, and educational efforts, he externalised what made Gorski Kotar resilient and offered it to the world as a model for peacebuilding.
- A. (Plan): REKKE CONCEPT PAPER (DRAFT FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION)
*“In the Footsteps of Franjo Starčević” – A Fact-Finding and Reflective Walk in Gorski Kotar*
*1. Background*
This *rekke*—a deliberate, multi-day walk from Delnice to Jasenak—draws inspiration from Franjo Starčević, a local teacher and peacebuilder who, during the early 1990s conflict in Croatia, walked between communities, encouraging peace and discouraging violence. His symbolic and actual steps served to open channels of communication and build trust. He was also engaged in post-war efforts to institutionalize peace through a short-lived “Peace School.” Today, these acts remain sparsely documented, but remembered by some. The *rekke* aims to retrace his steps to uncover this history and ask what it may offer for current peacebuilding efforts.
*2. Aims of the Rekke*
– To *trace and document* known and possible additional routes and meetings initiated by Franjo Starčević during the war and post-war period.
– To engage local *residents, leaders, and institutions* in dialogue on the relevance of his actions for reconciliation and peaceful coexistence today.
– To *evaluate* whether and how a revival or adaptation of his “Peace School” approach could serve in both *local healing* and *broader peacebuilding curricula*.
– To begin work towards a *commemorative platform*, including a possible reenactment of the 1992 community gathering in Tuk on its 35th anniversary in 2027.
*3. Why Starčević?*
The symbolic power of Starčević lies in his *local credibility*, *non-partisan stance*, and *courageous persistence* in fostering peace during a time of fear and polarization. His actions point to a grounded, community-based peace ethic. In Gorski Kotar—where the Serb population declined considerably less than in other regions of Croatia—his legacy could be seen as emblematic of this region’s potential for coexistence.
*4. Actions and Engagements*
– Walking the route Delnice → Mrkopalj → Tuk → Jasenak (c. 35–40 km over 2–3 days).
– Community conversations and informal interviews with residents and stakeholders.
– Gathering oral history accounts and locating individuals or families who were involved in or recall Starčević’s efforts.
– Building trust and confidence in the value of commemorating and learning from his legacy.
*5. Challenges and Open Questions*
– How widely is Starčević’s work remembered or acknowledged across communities?
– Was his initiative explicitly aimed at enabling Serbs’ return—or more broadly peacebuilding?
– Are there political or social sensitivities that should be approached carefully?
– Can such a commemorative and dialogical process help to sustainably generate tourism, cultural initiatives, or employment in the region?
*6. Follow-Up and Broader Potential*
The *rekke* is a beginning. It is hoped to:
– Trigger further conversations, educational activities, and local documentation projects.
– Encourage cross-border or trans-regional *memory walks* or exchange programs.
– Lay the groundwork for a *re-enactment* or commemorative gathering in 2027.
– Spark conversations on *resilient, locally rooted peace models* in global peacebuilding discourse.
– Curriculum Module (Sample Idea): As part of the follow-up, a draft *“Peace Curriculum Module”* could be developed, inspired by the *rekke*, and offered to schools, youth groups, or peacebuilding institutions. Key elements could include:
– *Mapping personal and collective histories*
- B. (Review): The transition of war;
Psychogramm of FS
This question arises from the context of assuming that the war has largely passed by Gorski Kotar – with the ethnic groups coexisting today as they have before the war. This is obviously an idealised, utopian assumption, yet it provides an analytical framework according to which the impact of Starčević can be evaluated and appraised. It is also a somewhat strange question, for one would expect from a peaceful transition a non-violent transformation of a conflict, rather than the by-passing of a raging war, as in the idealised case of Gorski Kotar.
Admittedly, when choosing this terminology I felt inspired by the transition of Jupiter and its esoteric alignment with Mars, which signifies the dawning of the Age of Aquarius – with love, peace, and happiness. The question thus implies that the particularity of the Gorski Kotar region is that it was largely unaffected by the war and that its social structure has remained relatively intact.
The truth may lie somewhere in-between. Yes, the region was relatively unaffected by the war – but mainly due to its low strategic importance and its remote geographic location. Its isolation from larger Serb settlements and the comparatively well-established, locally integrated population may have contributed to its resilience against ethnic strife and warmongering. Demographics may also have played a role: Gorski Kotar was indeed a rural, structurally peripheral area.
Starčević’s personality was deeply marked by both political resistance and personal tragedy. In the 1970s, his critical stance against Titoist dogma had cost him his academic position – a significant rupture in his intellectual life. Just before the outbreak of the war in the early 1990s, his wife Kladmila passed away – a blow that must have shaped his emotional landscape during that time. This combination of political exclusion and personal loss shaped a man who had already known rupture – and yet chose the path of peace.
What emerges is a kind of psychological profile: reflective, uncompromising, and socially courageous. Not bitter, but sharpened. His response to suffering was not retreat, but advance – toward the other, across divides. This made him both a witness and an instigator of reconciliation.
His concrete peace actions began at the very outset of the Yugoslav wars. As ethnic tensions grew and armed conflicts erupted in other parts of the country, Starčević chose to walk – literally – into villages that were growing suspicious of one another. With a white flag and open hands, he entered spaces where others saw only danger. His intention was not to mediate in a formal sense, but to be present, to listen, to rehumanize the ‘other’ in the eyes of fearful communities.
One of his most powerful gestures was to walk between Serb and Croat villages in Gorski Kotar and Lika, alone or accompanied by a few others, often unannounced. These marches carried no banners and issued no manifestos – their strength lay in vulnerability and visibility. At a time when many sought safety in separation, he moved toward the frontlines of mistrust, insisting on presence as a form of resistance.
This evokes the image of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who in a different context – Nazi Germany – chose a deeply risky position of theological resistance. While Bonhoeffer’s path ultimately led him to active resistance and even involvement in a conspiracy against Hitler, both men shared a radical commitment to faith-based responsibility. For Starčević, too, the question was not whether one wins or survives, but whether one remains true to the values of peace and human dignity.
Later, with Josip Butković, he helped found a peace education initiative – a kind of informal ‘peace school’ – that aimed to engage young people in understanding conflict, memory, and reconciliation. His belief in dialogue as a lifelong practice was not just rhetoric: it shaped the rhythm of his days.
Ultimately, his actions were grounded in what I perceive as a lived theology of the Sermon on the Mount. His vulnerability, his refusal to retaliate, and his insistence on reconciliation echo Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 5–7: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” In a world driven by ethnic fear and political calculus, his decision to walk between enemies was an embodiment of these words – not as abstraction, but as path.
- (Action) Rekke Activities
|
Action / Activity |
Conceptual Reference |
Insight / Outcome / Next Steps |
|
Visit to the Tourist Info Office in Delnice (23/04/2025) |
Visibility of memory sites as civic recognition |
Beautiful but incomplete tourist map of Gorski Kotar. Franjo Starčević not marked – opportunity to advocate for inclusion as local peace figure. |
|
Visit to Franjo Starčević’s grave (evening, 23/04/2025) |
Personal and spiritual anchoring |
Gardener recalls: “He liked it simple.” Evokes humility and Franciscan identity – poetic point of emotional entry into FS legacy. |
|
Visit to local pub run by Franjo Starčević’s nephew (23/04/2025) |
Grassroots memory recovery through informal networks |
Unplanned proximity to FS’s biography. Spontaneous, embodied memory in lived local setting. |
|
Thunderstorm overnight (23–24/04), charged atmosphere |
Symbolic framing of experience and mood |
Lights flickering, car unlocking – moment experienced as magical threshold. Opens sensory-emotional connection to the Rekke. |
|
Visit to Mrkopalj’s Tourism Desk (24/04/2025) |
Institutional pathways to remembrance |
Goranka Tuhran committed to recognizing FS. EU delegation has visited. Existing media (hymn video) may aid future advocacy. |
|
Morning coffee again at Franjo Starčević nephew’s pub (24/04/2025) |
Dialogical continuity and trust-building |
Sustained contact within everyday rhythm. Foundation for long-term relational engagement. |
|
Testing route to Jasenak (24/04/2025) |
Cartographic inquiry and potential pilgrimage infrastructure |
Logging road passable. May serve future route planning. Mapping enhances spatial coherence of Rekke. |
|
Visit to Jasenak (24/04/2025) |
Absence of local institutional capacity |
Coffee in town. No clear response from mayoral office. Redirection to Ogulin illustrates disconnection from peripheral localities. |
|
– |
Center–periphery dynamics in post-conflict regions |
Lack of hostility, but systemic detachment. Possibly war-affected (Krajina). Highlights structural marginality. |
|
Continued conversation with Franjo Starčević’s nephew (26/04/2025) |
Dialogical persistence and micro-biographical excavation |
Deepening insights into FS’s personality. Family memory as moral archive. |
|
Visit to ethnographic collection with Anna, Irene, and Paolo (25/04/2025) |
Joint learning and cultural preservation |
Goranka discusses merging FS-related artifacts. Raises question of future hybrid peace-and-culture museum. |
|
Visit to the “School of Peace” house (25/04/2025) |
Revival of peace school as historical-pedagogical space |
Deteriorating but symbolically potent. Community-owned. Could become reactivated learning site. |
|
First conversation with the Orthodox Church keykeeper in Tuk (25/04/2025) |
Interfaith spontaneity and Rekke method of approach |
Found Ljelko by knocking on doors. Serendipitous but meaningful first contact – field practice of “Doing FS.” |
|
Continued conversation with Orthodox Church keykeeper Ljelko (27/04/2025) |
Trust-building across religious lines |
Growing rapport. Ljelko could serve as future interreligious bridge. Peacebuilding potential. |
|
Visit and conversation with the “Wool Women” – former School of Peace organizers (27/04/2025) |
Feminist legacy and grassroots microeconomics of peace |
These women embody care infrastructure behind FS’s work. Their current cooperative ties economic resilience to past civic engagement. |
|
Group reflection and synthesis of observations (26/04/2025) |
Participatory meaning-making |
Joint analysis of events and dynamics. Forms methodological nucleus of Rekke cycle. |
|
Return to Mrkopalj with Andrea (27/04/2025) |
Rekke origin story and mentor lineage |
Andrea initiated this Rekke node and bridges past anniversary efforts with present. Entry to Valentina Otmačić’s network. |
|
Visit to Begovo Razvolje and northern trail to Jasenak (27/04/2025) |
Topographic memory and spatial storytelling |
Croatia’s highest inhabited village. Northern trail recon reinforces cartographic loop. |
|
Mapping path to Jasenak (27/04/2025) |
Infrastructure prototyping and participatory cartography |
Team divided north/south. Shelter found for 12+. Basis for future pilgrimage/peace trail. |
|
Visit to memorial for 24 partisans who froze to death (27/04/2025) |
Ambivalence of martyrdom in peace culture |
Site memorializes 1944 partisan encirclement. Tension between heroic memory and peace education lens. |
- D. (Resultat): Curriculum Development
The Rekke is part of an ongoing exercise in curriculum development in conflict transformation. Conflict transformation is thus understood as a cycle of sensitisation / mobilisation, escalation, negotiation, settlement and peace maintenance (similar to the Cycle of Grief or the didactic Model of Complete Action)
Whilst FS has actively affected all those five stages of conflict transformation and can thus be appraised as a practitioner of conflict transformation on his own, the circle of conflict transformation in Croatia and beyond is still ongoing, which is why FS actions shall be continued, replicated and extended.
By proposing a (module in a) curriculum of conflict transformation on FS, I consider this to be both, a tool for peace education as well as part of the (fractal, circular) path of actual conflict transformation. That’s why I call this methodology P.A.R.ts-pro-toto, like in
- Project, Action, Results
- Participatory Action Research
- Tempelhof-Schöneberg for the whole world (local-global-glocal).
The reflexivity of this methodology is given by the related cycle of
Lebens-
werte
entwürfe & wege
Whereas the path of peace was only vaguely projected ahead of the Rekke by engaging with the local population, tourism development and talking the walk, some concrete aims can now be dissected, which serve as windows of opportunity to mainstream a conflict transformation agenda into a (national) curriculum or promote Franjo Starčević among conflict transformation practitioners.
- Putting FS on the tourist map of GK:
Goal: To establish Franjo Starčević as a peace figure on Gorski Kotar’s tourist map.
Learning opportunity: FS sites (cemetery, pub, School of Peace, etc.) offer concrete starting points for learning about memory culture in public spaces.
Steps:
- Mapping: Digitally and analogically map Franjo-Starčević-relevant sites (using GPS, photos, short texts).
- Collaboration: Discussions with tourist offices and civil society actors for joint implementation. Please note, that the ethnographical collection of Mrkopalj is supposed to be moved and may be merged with the collection on Franjo Starčević of Nada Glad. The move may coincide with the 35th anniversary of the decisive meeting of community leaders on 21st September 2027.
- Storyline: Development of short, accessible narrative texts for on-site use (e.g., QR codes) – focusing on Franjo Starčević as a mediator, not a saint.
- Pilot route: Creation of a prototype (e.g., flyer or app test version) with students or local groups.
- Evaluation: Collect visitor feedback – possible integration into larger peace or cultural routes.
Didactic potential: Learning through spatial experience, biographical storytelling, interactive media use, civil society project work.
- Reopening the school of peace
- Providing for a curriculum in conflict transformation
The Rekke Team is in a good position to advance the memory of Franjo Starčević in this way because it brings together a great variety of people, initiatives and networks, namely:
- Walk of Shame, a spin-off of the Civil March for Aleppo and the Dutch initiative “let’s bring them over” as well as yet another spin-off from the latter, the World of Neighbours;
- The Walk Peace
- Per un mondo…: Hosting summer camps for disadvantaged children…
Bibliography
- Otmačić, Valentina. Resisting Inter-Ethnic Violence: Community Approaches to Conflict Transformation in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Abingdon: Routledge, 2025.
Discusses grassroots approaches to post-war reconciliation and peacebuilding. Central reference for understanding the framework of the Rekke.
- Otmačić, Valentina. Škola mira: 30 godina mirovnog obrazovanja u Mrkoplju. [School of Peace: 30 Years of Peace Education in Mrkopalj]. (Publisher TBD).
Commemorative volume on the legacy of peace education in Mrkopalj.
- Glad, Nada. Goranski mir-ovi. Delnice: Matica hrvatska / Tiskara Marcu, 2017.
Ethnographic and historical insight into peace-related narratives and practices in Gorski Kotar, paying homage to Franjo Starčević as a regional figure.
- Tourist Office Mrkopalj (Goranka Tuhran). Promotional Video: Hymn for Mrkopalj. YouTube, accessed April 2025.
https://youtu.be/ndsuld8v5vQ
Cultural framing of the region supported by the European Commission.
- Field Notes and Informal Interviews.
Conducted April 23–27, 2025, including exchanges with Ljelko (Orthodox Church keykeeper), Andrea (peace educator), local bar owner (Franjo Starčević’s nephew), and Goranka Tuhran.
- Regional Memorial Site (Partisan Freeze Site, 1944).
Historical location visited on April 27; site of tensioned memory politics between heroism and victimhood.
- Personal Communication.
-
- Goranka Tuhran, Mrkopalj Tourism Office
- Andrea [Last name TBD], initiator of the Mrkopalj Rekke station
- Ljelko [Last name TBD], Orthodox Church keyholder
- Nada Glad, local author and ethnographer
SOP
standart operational procedures
P….rogramme
… A …ction: … methodology (toolbox, techniques, tool), organisation, …
… … R.ts-pro-toto.de
Die Sozialpädagogik untersucht die Lehre gesellschaftlicher Gruppen. Die Lehre ist die perpetuierte Darstellung eines dynamischen Systems, heuristically vorgestellt als ein Ei oder auch eine Eizelle, aufgespult bzw. wirksam auf Basis einer 3D-Eulerschen Spirale nach den Gesetzen von Navier-Strokes.
organisation
hobos glocales (edgeryder, unmonestary, telecomix, church…)
teambuilding, community-building of practice / action,
communications
reporting (who at who/m, optional), internal/external)
protocol, supervision
finances
After discussing with Anna, I would like to propose for the next Walk to create a fund / pool the (minimum) expected expenses beforehand and have one “finance officer” to pay the bills. It should provide for some more planning security to attract new Walkers, greater reliability and transparency and maybe even attract small scale donation / sponsorship. To be expected left-overs can be used to help out friends on the ground in a low-key but united manner. I also think, the Sunday Zoom meeting and it’s facebook messenger group (reactivating / filling with meaning existing structures instead of fragmenting discussions) should be used to discuss and announce respectively this and those issues.
Issues:
* (dynamic) Map of Engagement (from WoS Serbia)
* changing requirements and responses of the Balkanroute
Kommentar
Vision:
·———–
Mission: Targets: Action: Activities:Output: Outcome:
Plan
Effects:Productivity:
Evaluation
Sustainability:
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#rehumanise Europe
has b
ee
n our d
eclared goal
•we want to show / let the people know that we are not supportive of the EU exclusion politics;•we want to change public opinion;•we want to express our solidaritywith People on the Move …
these aims of the Walk can be found in our manifesto and other publications
if not, it adds to the ambiguity of the Action .. .for those may be beautiful aims and goads,
however, they are too vague to be translated into concrete Action.
Plan Action
Walk of Shame Bosnia:
The allegorical narrative of the Children’s Crusade of 1212 captures weil the determination, yet the naivity and the insitutional dissent of the Civil March for Alleppo and its spin-off, the Walk of Shame.
[ • • •
personal mot,vat,ons ,nstead of
•
/
colect,ve negot,ated
•
Statements
]
rm ct,mlng 1hm In the en, we al \\,nt on eh Yhl!k
t
pc1sal 1cMs. bccasc wc wtmtcd to csapc tho conlincs of our CCMd-lokoned socies, to seek acmre and stheou,�ce.
-Anna claims, we all want to beheard, recognised, apprecieted for our goodwill and our capabilities. -No, 1 don’t want to spread my skept1c1sm –.��–�—–·-::
Evaluation
an assessment
we wanted to test / practice / spearhead the Walk of Shame … as envisaged since early 2020 …
#rehumanise Europe
has been our declared goal
•we want to show / let the people know that we are not supportive of the EU exclusion politics;•we want to change public opinion;•we want to express our solidaritywith People on the Move …
these aims of the Walk can be found in our manifesto and other publications
if not, it adds to the ambiguity of the Action .. .for those may be beautiful aims and goads,
however, they are too vague to be translated into concrete Action.
. . , because everbod� should be
��
t
;�;e
:�!�: :�
�a�
��
o
?�!
r
���e���!
:°�!���o�e�
r
=�
a
�!
m
iu���:: fuelecl
enabled to follow
the1r
dreams …
disappointed een if they make il lO the EU vklere the threat cf repatriali( loms Cntinuuty …
especially those people who have had do’s and don’ts
Thus, we better (a} create further capacities in our own countries; : (b) fight the root causes of migration in the sending
to endure all this hardship and –
injustice…
knowwhat you wnt
do what you say
countries; (c) strengthen the possibilities for travelling globally, to meet anywhere and connect with each other on the road Rikkosays,thal’s.atwedo: rheycno1,omeco 1., thal’.s why we o to lh, ‘.�.:,:.��
refect on whatyou have done
soup4thefamily
, 26.03.21
I want to first say that it was an absolute pleasure sharing this experience with everyone. It was only a week but it felt much longer in a way that is gratifying and memory building. It was really awesome talking with you all and exploring the challenges we face when operating within this environment. And just getting to know everyone individually was really cool. I told Rikko at one point that we probably wouldn
‘
t have associated otherwise without the walk so I am grateful for this event and the opportunity to connect with you all.
It’s things like this that make me want to exist, the times when differences come together and break oppressive borders, physically, mentally and otherwise.
So it was really special and thank you forincluding me and letting me share that time with you all. I hope we get more opportunities in the future to drink coffee, drink beer, drink rakija and just hang out together in whatever conte
xt we find ourselves.
I also want to say this is a
general reflection on the event as a whole
and I am trying to
speak to the general action or walk as a complete experience.
I
have been trying to reflect on the experience that was the
Walk of Shame
and attempt to frame it in a way that
is
beneficial tothe objectives of the walk while maintaining a critical eye with the hope of transformation
. I found it beautiful meeting people and
sharing space, time, food, and thoughts
with the individuals we met. Sharing the experience of the situation and being there in a way that emphasizes that people facing these borders know they are not alone and that people do care and are aware of the
abhorrent conditions
that exist due to the
border constructs
and that there are people who are not ok with it and do not want to stand idly by while these conditions exist. And, I think that was expressed explicitly and the we as a team did as well as we could within the confines of the trip. Moving though and with this environment though I feel there are
many pitfalls and blind spots
caused by our
backgrounds and privileges
. I try to keep in mind that any perspective I bring into this situation is built on a
colonial mindset
and my perceptions of this situation are coming from a place of privilege. My experiences and desires cannot be transposed onto people that we interact with within these spaces and doing so is inaccurate, damaging and a continuation of colonialism. We must be aware that while we can share the experience and the physical space, we cannot completely share the mindset the desires or objectives of the people with whom we walk. This is not a bad thing, indeed it is a good thing. Many differences and perspectives will be the catalyst for the change that we want to see in this world. We as people with papers and mobility must be open and listen since we have had our time to talk and plan and travel and now it is time to listen and take a back seat to those that haven
‘
t been able to speak or have been disadvantaged by our ability to act in the ways that we are afforded. It
‘
s with this that
I want to question the entire objective of the walk
and for who it is carried out? Who actually benefits from an action like this and what is the motivation for the walk?
#Rehumanizing
hasbeen used many times, but
the borders themselves are a human construct and part of our social makeup. They exist only because of humans.
So in this context
re-humanizing is the process of redefining and transforming the human relationships that create these borders.
Does something like the walk of shame fit into transforming these relations or does it reinforce our privilege and our ability to jump in and out of situations where others cannot do the same? I think to accomplish transformation it requires listening to those who are effected most by these structures that oppress so that we can work together in determining how we as privileged individuals can be involved in pushing up against these walls so one day they fall. I think the walk of shame is an attempt or could be an attempt at this type of listening and acting and this is why I wanted to participate. As privileged individuals, I feel it would be inappropriate project our lives on to those that we interact with, our good life is not the same as those who seek a life worth living and therefore must interact with
these border
areas and notacknowledging this
is a continuation of our colonial heritage
.
I feel that there wereaspects of the walk that perpetuate this colonial form of interaction with people. From my understanding the walk of shame was not done so much in collaboration with the people
with whom we want to share the experience with but was conceptualized and carried out as an external transposed action on people. At points for me it felt
invasive, opportunistic and voyeuristic,
but I do not think that it needs to be this way. I do feel that at points that maybe we were
infiltrating
and not so much a partnership with people, but again that
‘
s from my colonial perspective and is probably partly my own discomfort with my privilege and ability to move. We came into the environment looking for opportunities in: places to sleep, things to eat, stories to share. We came from the outside. We were invited to
share space and time but we also carried the privilege of having the ability to potentially help in some material or emotional way
or leave when we wanted. We carry the potential to better peoples opportunities and conditions and these elements may have sway when being extended an invitation.
I do not want to be cynical about the situation and the interactions that we had I just also want to consider that these dynamics exist and can be manipulative and I wonder about that in terms of a larger or another event.
I would not want to be a concern or the responsibility of someone within this situation who already has plenty on their mind because they think we can do more then what we can or are willing to.
I understand that the
objectives of the walk
were more in the way of
emotional, spiritual and personal connections
, but I think denying
the material reality of the situation
in which we were interacting and looking for these connections would also be unfair and problematic. I think maybe it might be beneficial to ask interested folks in Europe who
‘
ve undertook this journey how they
‘
d feel about this type of action and how it might be executed in a
collaborative way
. In order to share an experience it is important that all concerned parities be involved in the planning and execution.For me, a big question would be:
could the resources that went into this been utilized in ways that the people we try to stand with would have used differently and more to their ends had they been offered to them directly? I mean resources in the broadest sense. I do not want to deny the emotional aspect or the connections that we did make or our own agency, but we also should think about what actions are best to take with our agency. There were many beautiful moments within the walk that I think at least from my perspective fulfilled the very thing that the walk was meant to do. We made true connections with people and attempted to make neutral space where we were just humans sharing the experience of being. I think this the most beautiful thing, but we were also doing it in a situation many people do not want to be in.
My experiences are different then those I shared the experience with and the same vice versa so saying one action is wrong vs another is just counter productive, reductionist and fails to capture the complexities of our individual situations. I just know that we have resources available and that in order to use them we must ask how best to do that. I want to humble myself to the world that we want to build and give myself to mistakes, to discomfort and to put trust in those that we stand with. This is not one way direction, this is a conversation with many intersections and the process will be long. I think this initial walk really highlighted that.
In order to do an action like this again I would want
•
to communicate more precisely with the people with whom we were going to walk with and make sure that there wereclear boundaries about
what we were doing
,
what we can do
and
why we are doing
it and
•
then see if people are still comfortable with that because in the end we leave this situation and those that we share thisexperience with may not. They may stay there and for me the most important thing is
•
mitigating anything that may further reduce the quality of life someone is experiencing after leaving that situation, bothemotionally and physically.
I believe in everyone’s agency and autonomy and their ability to express andact.
However, being privileged, we are insulated from needing to listen to individuals we walk with and we have buffer. Ilike that in this respect the walk is something that could reduce these barriers by sharing the same space andexperience. I have to wonder though if we even have a right to this experience in this way? Or is this just another thingthat we can take because we have the papers and means to? I guess most importantly is how people approach thissituation and what their motivations are. I also realize that some of these feelings are likely due to the time constraints thatwe had, but I think that this will also be a concern on a larger or longer scaled event.
I think
for something in the future
it would be nice to do a walk in parallel. Not so much joining with people on the move but
walking in concert
as a separate but together thing that is also a part of the Balkan route
and inviting people to join.
This would give folks, people in transit or otherwise, the choice to be a part of it. Of course the walk could have a specific message and purpose and it could offer people in transit the opportunity to share their experience with walkers but the action wouldn
‘
t be put on the people transiting. This would require walkers to bear the responsibility of forming appropriate boundaries and expectations and wouldn
‘
t request this of people in transit but allow them the choice of taking part and sharing in the same way that privileged people can. This could also open up the space to give people in transit the opportunity to seek closer connections with walkers if that was what was wanted instead of walkers seeking people in transit and their experiences.
I also think we need to be careful about
communication
and how the situation is portrayed. We hold the tools and social capital to communicate what is happening within the the experience and this cannot be overlooked. There was a lot of interna
communication about this as well. I feel that some of the communication may be more centered on our experience as a group and our actions within the context more so then the situation and words of the people we were with. I think more could be done to amplify the voices of people we are with to share their desires, goals and experiences. Our feelings and emotions are valid too and fit into the image for me it’s just a matter of how much should these views be expressed. I know I didn’t say anything during the trip and I think this may actually be worse then sharing in that time. I do not know the boundary at which my voice exists in this context but I do not believe that it fit on the level at which the signal group existed. Maybe with more structure and direction this would be different. Overall, I am grateful for the experience and for having been included. I think that the walk as an idea has a lot of potential. I think being humans with humans is the most important and beautiful thing that can be done and I believe that engaging in these interactions with curiosity and compassion is the only way to do it. And that was expressed in spades within the group. I think the walk works within this, I just also think that we need to remind ourselves that just because we can doesnÕt mean that we should. I can only live and speak to my life and I know that I can express more widely and move more broadly then most and my only desire is that everyone be able to do the same.
Dear Loic, Rikko suggested that l’d contact you bilaterally to address some of the issues in the absence of a dedicated orga meeting. l’m very happy both, with the channel and with his suggestion, although the inabilit to have a proper evaluation meeting reaffrms my frustration somehow. For it is this inability to see a simple action plan through that lie at the bottom of all ambiguity, which in turn opens the door for misunderstandings, conflict and respectively poses the risk of being contraproductive to the mission / action. lt hasn’t come to that, allhamdüdilah, on the contrary, we’re getting positive feedback throughout, which we are all allowed to celebrate. However, 1 also wish a more critical and deeper discussion about this past action, particularly in view of further action at a larger scale. Let me start by apologizing for the trouble I have caused when I rioted that night in the signal group. 1 was very much annoyed with U1at happy, happy sunshine attitude both, of my team members as weil as on the list. Then 1 was hit with the destitute of !hat squat I had visited. And finally -call me an ashole for !hat -1 did want to try out the reaction. Again, in the end l’m rather pleased with the outcome: Everybody reacted very weil and professionally, the team relationships became more solid and the discussion somewhat more meaningful. l’d hope that I can constrain myself next time but we shouldn’t pretend that such a spat is out of the world for any participant of a scaled action. That’s why I strongly recommend (a) to separate communications from reporting, whereby (b) communications is internal and purely (but completely) operational while (c) reporting is vetted for external use according to agreed standards and criteria. That’s really standard procedure and should have been in place for this trip. l’ve been (slightly) pissed that as dedicated communication officer, l’ve not been able to install the necessary procedures. lnstead I get to hear that the recruitment drive was a failure … “But it sweapt me into the team … ” -“Oh yes, except for you (ol course).” Thanks a lot. 1 don’t have to teil you what other things (communication channels, stickers, car … ) went completely out of line. Again, l’m trying not to blame anyone and in the end, it turned out fine. However, such good fo11une cannot be expected in a !arger operations. Regarding reporting I had my bit of gasping when Anna wrote that “generally, … migrants are not allowed in restaurants … by (order of] the local authorities … ” In its very wrongness, it not only displays a lack of understanding and sensitivity of the situation, but also poses the real threat of jeopardizing our action and u,e mission of many well-meaning and hard-working people on the ground. For every European citizen must acknowldge that the Balkan countries carry a double burden: Not only are they exclUded from the comfort of the EU but they also have to deal with (all) other people who are not welcome. That tensions run high from time to time is perfectly normal and calls us into action in the first place. Thus, apparently, last year indeed, local shop owners hung signs saying “migrants not welcome”. Even that incidence need not be attributed to a condonable xenophobia but rather to a �rustration over the (international) management of first the refugee crisis and then the migrant crises. For yes. those are indeed two ver different dynamics and people … 1 n any case. it was indeed the Mayor of Bihac who quite promptly had those signs removed and who is quite force�ul in maintaining reasonable community relations despite the ethnic / politically motivated boldheads in Sarajevo. The present situation in Bihac today is that the people on the move, living oft daily handouts from EU financed IOM, have no inclination whatsoever to go into a touristy restaurant to eat. Yet, there have been no reports of begging or stealing either. Thus, there is just very little connection between the people on the move and the local population -and litUe incentive. Thus, more reason for us to become active … And again, 1 would even go so tar as to concede that our team-internal regurgeration sucessfully led to Anna projecting quite a feasible way forward. 1 mean, if she is successful in her way to attract young people locally, regionally and internationally to volunteer with local NGOs working on behalf of the IOM to add some human touch to their operations; and if a courtesy visit to the Mayor is on the priority list for the next visit; and if Rikko is sucessful in managing a compromise while everbody’s saving face, 1 would say, Mission accomplished. And for now, l’m swollowing my pride. Best regards,
a
nn
a
p
erm
o
nd
oBe
f
o
re
I f
or
g
et, he
re
’
s the results of my further inquiry into the matter: is it true that generally people on the move are not allowed in r
es
t
a
ur
an
t
s
a
nd
b
a
rs in
Bihac?
If
y
o
u rem
ember
,
I had
wri
tte
n a
po
st
ab
out
it
, bu
t
the
m
ember
s
of my
team f
elt i
t
wasn
’
t fair to report s
o
m
ethi
ng
like
t
h
a
t
w
it
h
o
ut
b
ei
ng
re
al
ly
sure.S
o
,
du
ri
ng t
h
e fo
l
lowing days
in B
ihac, I
made i
t
a
p
oin
t
to as
k
a
few
mo
re
p
eople, and
c
h
eck
o
ut
m
or
e restaurants
a
nd
bars
.
These a
re
m
y
c
on
c
l
us
ion
s:1
.
E
v
er
y
one un
a
nimou
sly
sa
id i
t
h
a
d n
ev
er b
ecome
a
law
t
h
at
pe
op
l
e on
t
h
e move
c
ould
n
’
t enter bars and restaurants, but it had s
a
dl
y
b
eco
m
e a comm
o
n p
racti
s
e i
n m
os
t
plac
es
.
Ap
parently
t
here
’
s one bar somewhere where they go. 2
.
A
s
f
a
r as
s
h
o
p
s
,
t
h
ey
a
l
l
g
o t
o
s
o
m
e s
pe
cific
s
h
op
s, I
g
ue
ss where
they have estab
l
ished
some r
outines
. One
o
f
them was n
ear t
h
e place w
h
er
e we staye
d.
3
. I
in
t
er
v
ie
w
ed
a
nd
c
h
eck
ed
5
mai
n r
estauran
ts and
7
bar
s, an
d talk
ed
a
bo
ut it with the pharmacist,
7
local volunteers and
7
Italian v
o
l
un
te
er
s
.
I lost cou
nt
o
f
h
o
w
m
a
ny
p
eople on
the
m
ove I
ta
l
ked
a
bo
ut it
w
ith,
but
they all
co
nfi
rme
d and pr
efe
r not
t
o be
pus
h
ed o
ut o
f
p
lace
s
,
so t
h
ey
a
v
o
id tr
y
in
g
t
o
ge
t
in. La
st
t
im
es
I was here, I saw only a few people on the move in restaurants, possibly too e
x
p
en
s
ive
, bu
t
p
l
ent
y we
re
in bar
s
,
t
o
drin
k
a cof
fee
,
c
h
a
rge
a
phone,
etc. E
s
p
eci
a
l
l
y bec
a
us
e it
w
a
s so f
re
ez
ing
co
l
d,
it
made
m
e sad they
co
ul
dn
’
t feel free to enter a bar and have a hot drinkDo.
1
3
:
1
6
sastarr
Walk of Shame Bosnia: an assessmentj
Love letter to Gre
we d to practice / spearhead
pwhe
, 1 have
the lea
lywhat
disnot
inisfort 11d is no ilding to ‘liol r
weil the determination, y vity
callyex chreatenollers
. . . . . . 10rld 1s \vti ch and every human bemg &S valued for
and the 1ns1tut1onal d1ssen e CIVIi
Illere intnns,c human nghts and freedoms.
March for Aleppo and its spin-off the
As an aulllentic global Suaner you have the experie , knowtedge of the most bas1c needs f
tle
at the
Walk of Shame’
an ehe tools
fo:
p,oviding those. Desprte your reJet10n, 1 am st11I el1ng
[ / • • •
d f
lay enounter.
l’d l1ke lo
res
f1 t th
persona mottvattons tnstea
o
ou are. As I said, 1 wouia tike 111ace ha
cottective
/
negotiated
Statements
n the squaning _oommunity O i ner our further part1c1pat1on m gr anag pple on te move m the Bak
l’m claiming that in the end, we al wnt on te Wa!k for Best regards,
pfsal ,casons. bccausc w wanicC to cspc
thc
confincs of 01n CovicHockcow.ned societies,
w
seek actemure an
sOhe our csciene.
-Anna claims, weheard, recognisour goodwill and-No, 1 don’t wantskepticism
=,:�.-
·· ·because everenabled to follespecially thos
‘san
the of
I
let the people that not supportive of the EU exclusion politics; •we want to change public opinion;•we want to express our solidaritywith People on the Move …
these aims of the Walk can be found in our manifesto and other publications
Thus,
e Action and goads,
be translated
(b) tight t uses
ot
migration in tl1e sending
countries;
to endure all tinjustice …
oartic a e your displeasure with actual living conditions butdon’t support their perpetuation;
(a) creat p untries: �
(c) strengthen the possibilities for travelling globally, to meet anyhere and connect with
each other on the road Rikko �ys, that’s what we do:!�e!��e . ���
knoww youwa
-don’t support the live-threatening “game”, even if it’s againstindividual wishes;-do strengthen local capacities to host People on the Move
aad ‘””” ,;,;oo,s ;, seppor.�
you say
us. thts wwgo to them . .,. __ ,,,,,_.,_
le n whatyou have done
Operations: •Planning wa<Whereas RikPeople on th«them in our ofor the instituparticularly in•the car was �backed-up b)very much refurther action•accommodatbooked ad hcTuzla and Saran into troubn\tPr,trPrhPrl
.
1
the organisation of international (global) migration:
grassroots
->
NGOs
->
international bureaucracy
we consider ourselves individualists, who support the work of like-minded groups, and are critically aware of the banality of evil.
Organisation
is the same ward as organising for a reason: it denotes the structure of an action. We want it non-hierarchical but that doesn’t imply division of responsibilities.
Operations
include accommodation, movement, support, …
Finances! Communications
refers to internal,
Reporting
to external communication. Live reporting, voyeurism, people on pictures, cc and rair-use have been 1ssues …
•
– don’t s
upport the l
ive-
threatening ”
gam
e”, even if it’s ag
ainst in
dividual wishes; – do strengthen local c
apacities to ho
st People o
n the Move and attract vi
sitors in s
uppor …don’t support their perpetuation:
–
do articulate your displeasure w
ith actual living conditions but
D
o’s
a
nd
D
ont’s
�
:
To my friend the student protesterinprison in Hong Kong
via Reinhold Osterhus Kosermühle
295352
Marktleugast