Raport from Zelenkovac 2000 by Tom d' Elf

A report on the meeting of anarchists from ex-Yugoslavia, Zelenkovac, 19.-21.5.2000

Just a bit less than hundred people came to the environmental settlement of Zelenkovac near Mrkonjic Grad in Bosnia for the first meeting of anarchists from all parts of ex-Yugoslavia after the war. The two-day meeting was held between the 19th and 21st of May 2000 in a beautiful mountainous region of Bosnia, rich with partisan history, but now still struck with the ragings of the last war, that split the republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in two. Actually, the border between Republika Srpska, where Zelenkovac is also located and the federal part of Bosnia is just a good cannon-shot away from where anarchists were meeting. Bosnia was our choice of meeting place, because it presented the least trouble for participants from different countries concerning visas (no one needed it) and distance (though people from Macedonia still had to pass quite some kilometres before they got there, as they travelled from Macedonia to Beograd first and from there to Bosnia). The meeting was organised by individuals from all ex-Yugoslav countries, with the main logistical part organised by locals (from the nearby Banja Luka). The organisation of the meeting left a lot to be desired for future meetings, but it was all in all a good school for all of us. Most participants, organizers included, did not know each other personally and since the meeting was coordinated electronically, some of the personal touch was definitely missing.

The so-called ecological village of Zelenkovac is situated in a beautiful valley, the slopes on each side covered with thick forest (the locals discouraged lone walks through the forest as there are still mines around) and with a lively stream of cold, fresh water flowing through it. The village is not actually a village, more of a camp with wooden houses that can be rented by people coming to relax and enjoy the surrounding nature. It is also the headquarters of the ecological movement of Zelenkovac, run by the energetic Borislav Stankovic. Zelenkovac is also a cultural centre with an annual jazz festival and some other events, plus it is used as a demonstration ground of an ecological settlement, so excursions of pupils are not uncommon.

Anarchists and fellow travellers started arriving to Zelenkovac from Friday, the 19th afternoon on. This first evening was a get-to-know each other occasion, while the discussions and presentations that were planned started on Saturday. Different groups and initiatives were represented, e.g. ZAP (Zagreb Anarchist Movement) and Anfema (Anarchist Feminist Action) from Zagreb, Croatia, LSD (League against Deforestation), Croatia, GLIB (Group for Libertarian Initiative Beograd) and BLG (Beograd Libertarian Group) from Beograd, Serbia, Pagan Futur, Serbia, Kontrapunkt, Kraljevo, Serbia, GAMA (Group for Anti-Military Action) from Macedonia, Anarhiv (Anarchives) from Ljubljana, Slovenia, though a lot of participants were not involved in any of these and came completely individually. The largest groups of people came from Serbia and Croatia and only a handful of participants were from Bosnia, Slovenia and Macedonia respectively.

Since Zelenkovac doesn't offer much indoor space, the discussions mostly had to be held outside, which often proved next to impossible as the weather was definitely not on our side. There were heavy rainfalls and once they stopped, everything was soaked wet and muddy. So instead of structured discussions, people mostly socialized in small groups, while some were working on the day's meals. These were cooked on open fire and mostly improvised. Nonetheless, some discussing definitely did take place, e.g. about women's involvement in the anarchist movement and about strengthening connections between different groups and initiatives. Also, sunny Sunday afternoon was spent by some participants playing football in the nearby village.

To sum it up, the meeting of anarchists from ex-Yugoslavia did not end with any big agreements or proposed plans of future joint actions or initiatives. Moreover, the whole purpose of meeting under the banner of ex-Yugoslavia came under heavy questioning, as people were mostly sceptical of the effectiveness of joint initiatives, when in reality the anarchists have problems organizing even on the local level. As post-meeting discussion on the ex-yu-anarchist mailing list proved, anarchists could not even agree, where to have the next meeeting of ex-YU anarchists and whether to have it at all. If anything, the meeting in Zelenkovac proved that the anarchist movement in ex-Yugoslavia does not exist and that a lot of work will need to be done, before we can speak of any joint undertakings with satisfaction. The meeting had some serious failings, which will need to be carefully looked at, when future meetings would be proposed. The participants of this meeting were from one generation only (20s to 30s) and the prevalence of a certain subculture was symptomatic (punks). If the anarchist ideas are to be taken seriously, the movement needs to attract people from different generations, cultures and walks of life. If our wish is to build and vitalize the movement, we will have to seriously and responsibly face the present machismo (sexism) and outright stupidity and anti-social behaviour of some participants of the meeting in Zelenkovac - individually and collectively. On the other hand, this was the first such meeting in years and one cannot be completely negative. Meeting old and new friends from cultures torn apart by militarism and chauvinism was definitely rewarding. If you think of it really, there aren't many other groups of people on the ground of ex-Yugoslavia, that would meet joyously regardless of their nationalities. I am sure most of us learned a lot from this event and it's left on those with constructive energy to build upon this experience!

Elfish greetings,
Tom d'Elf
(anarhiv@mail.ljudmila.org)
If you wish to contact the ecological movement of Zelenkovac, try
boro@inecco.net.

Some participants of the meeting can be contacted through the ex-Yu
anarchist mailing list, ex-yu-a-lista@zamir.net.