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Dear friends of the Peace Academy,

We have come to the time for a new phase here at the Peace Academy. Our plans are to focus in the next period on establishing a study of peacebuilding practice in divided societies building on our experience and work in BiH. Within this framework, we are exploring a summer academy for 2020.

We are also saying goodbye to Slobodanka Dekić, Nebojša Šavija-Valha, Tamara Šmidling, and Emina Trumić who have been dedicated colleagues for many years. The energy of this existing group to move the Peace Academy forward has been reduced by professional, activist, and personal engagements. A new board has been formed which is made up of Nejra Čengić, Amela Puljek-Shank, and Azra Smailkadić-Brkić, all of whom have been closely involved with the Peace Academy’s programs. Together we hope to give the Peace Academy renewed energy and focus but which remains true to the values and mission on which we were established.

We are always happy to hear from those of you who were participants and collaborators in our programs until now. Please let us know if you would like to be involved in this new phase in any way.

Randall Puljek-Shank

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Ubleha for idiots

  • Internacionalac

    Engl. An international. Commonly known as a foreigner but that’s not the way it is used in polite speech (See). S/he is a guest in the land of the locals (See) wishing to contribute to the development of democracy (See) and enhance human rights (See). Has read at a minimum one book or at least the more important chapters on the history of B&H or even the entire region of South-East Europe. Has got money. Gladly takes other internationals out to dinners whenever s/he can charge it to the budget of a project (See). S/he likes the locals and considers them to be her/his equal, to be de facto equalized to her/him. And the locals love her/him, too. S/he knows how to say GOOD DAY, THANK YOU and NO PROBLEM in local languages of which s/he is very proud.  A vegetarian, a feminist, a non-smoker and not a racist; s/he points that out very often and is not ashamed of it at all.  Additionally, s/he thinks that war criminals should be brought to justice in Den Haag. In general, a happy character. See: expert. Translator's note: BSC form of an English word „International“ when taken from English and adjusted gramatically to BSC language.

from Ubleha for Idiots – An Absolutely non useful Guide for Civil Society Building and Project management for Locals and Internationals in BiH and Beyond by Nebojša Šavija-Valha and Ranko Milanovic-Blank, ALBUM No. 20, 2004, Sarajevo, translated by Marina Vasilj.