Seeing Forward
Looking Backward
Mladi Most
As a part of Mladi
Most, she also became
a mentor to young people who are living
with the wounds of war.
Uli (R) working with a teenager
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"I
think there are a lot of young people who don’t want to listen to strange stories
anymore – stories about who WE are and who THEY are. They want a normal life. They
want to study. They want to have a job, which is still very difficult to find because
there are few opportunities."Young people hold the key to much of the future of former Yugoslavia due to their inheritance of a culture of violence and prejudice. Their development is critical to the shaping of the region. The individual's sense of empowerment, the redevelopment of their personal confidence and security, as well as their exploration of ideas beyond the limitations of nationalism has a central role in rebuilding the community.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. The city was famous for its bridges (and more infamous for their destruction during the war) . The town is still divided both socially and politically into Bosniak (Muslim) "east" and Croat "west." Continuing political pressure to promote nationalism and discrimination ultimately prevents the restoration of a unified peaceful community.
Mladi Most strives to offer a space free of the ideologies and prejudices that maintain these political and social divisions. Based in a building close to both sides of the city, Mladi Most enables youth between the ages of 16 and 25 of diverse ethnic, religious, cultural backgrounds, to explore their ideas, skills and imagination. Even five years after Dayton, it is still the only youth centre that is truly open to all and regularly utilised by people from both sides of town.
In a safe and supportive environment and with the guidance of a mentor the students are encouraged to express themselves through interactive arts as well as connect with others in a creative collaboration. Developing self-awareness and confidence within individuals creates a solid basis for group building and openness to positive exchange and learning.
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Through Mladi Most's program participants are guided through team building processes, and methods of non-violent communication are utilised by staff to facilitate collaborative group work. Tolerance and sensitivity to others through discussion, listening and problem solving are incorporated in the program while the products of the projects are much more concrete - theatre performances, photo exhibitions, and publications.
By developing new skills, youth participants also learn to use their free time constructively. Hopefully, through the process of learning and exchange to reduce prejudices, the next generation of leaders deconstructs images of the enemy 'other', A bridge of creative cooperation is built.
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Another key element of Mladi Most's success is its collaboration with other youth groups throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina and the other countries that formerly made up Yugoslavia. It has particularly strong cooperative relationships with Youth Peace Group Danube, Vukovar and Youth Centre Gornji Vakuf/ Uskoplje.
The projects also collaborate with international organisations and events to add to participants' understanding and acceptance of other cultures - long-term supporting partners are Schueler Helfen Leben (Germany), Friends of Mladi Most, Berlin, Beavers Arts (UK) and Firefly (UK).
Unlike many aid organizations, Mladi Most has very little overhead for staff and administrative costs. What monies it does earn go directly to costs such as that of cameras and printing supplies.
The Photography Project follows three main objectives:
- To advance skills of young photographers and photography groups through professional instruction and skills training.
- To connect and facilitate the creative and artistic collaboration of individuals from diverse identities and cultures in Croatia, BiH and Yugoslavia.
- To present the experiences and views of young people from different communities of former Yugoslavia to a wide local and international public.
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Participants are taught
technical camera handling skills, along with traditional and experimental techniques in
developing and printing. They also learn methods of selection, editing of material for
public display, exhibition organization and promotion.
The Photo Coordinator and Assistant work one-on-one or with small groups, guiding the students through basic and more advanced skills workshops. Through this work, a supportive relationship is developed between mentor and student as well as between the students as they are connected and collaborate together through group work.
Photography is presented as an opportunity for each individual to creatively present their ideas and perceptions of the world around them, to state a critical view created through the lens of a camera. The public exhibitions are a way of creating a voice for these personal perceptions. They are also a statement of the group’s desire and ability to work together; with others of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.
More advanced individuals are encouraged to be
increasingly independent in their work and come to use the dark room on their own. They
also work in small groups to develop their ideas for more adventurous projects - such as
more creative methods of exhibiting or printing their work. The most responsible and
advanced students are also guided into positions of leadership for the beginner levels,
simultaneously learning administrative and teaching skills, which also widens their future
job prospects.
There is a continuing relationship with the Vukovar youth group, ‘Youth Peace Group Danube’ In January 1999 a Photo exchange took place in Mostar where Vukovar participants worked together with Mladi Most’s Photography students creating pictures for a collective exhibition. In the summer of 1999, the Mostar group participated in a Photo Summercamp near Vukovar, where a temporary dark room was created and the participants worked together to produce a second collective exhibition. It was this collaboration which was captured by the Crucible of War cameras.
Based on the success of the photography project and the group’s interest in this type of work Mladi Most intends to reach out to other young photographers and establish a network between different photo groups and individuals throughout BiH, Croatia and FR Yugoslavia, the Young Photographers’ Media Network (YPMN).
One of Mladi Most's recent projects is "A Portrait of Mostar." This project was developed and implemented by the Photo Group in cooperation with English photojournalist, Natasha-Marie Brown. It focused on two very different perspectives of the city:
The first was a study of Mostar
at night in color. Students were encouraged to experiment with exposure, ambient light,
flash, filters etc. The idea was also to take aesthetic photos of Mostar where the
location was no specific, i.e. it was not immediately identified as ‘east’ or
‘west’ but the image was appreciated as a colourful, often abstract, urban
landscape.
The
second project was a portrait of the people of Mostar, where each student took a roll of
black and white film and had to take 36 different portraits of strangers. This encouraged
students to communicate with their subjects and to build confidence both verbally as well
as behind the camera. At the same time the images were to be of average people in
their daily environment, who were not defined by their location but by their
individuality. Not only is this an alternate image of the still divided town of Mostar but
a positive presentation of life rather than the war tourism and propaganda of destroyed
bridges and destitution.
Mladi Most's Photography Project has exhibited in Mostar, Travnik, Sarajevo, Vukovar, Berlin, and Seitenstetten (Austria) and will soon tour the United Kingdom and the United States. Their first exhibit in the United States was held at the March 2000 Crucible of War fundraising event at the Washington home of Stewart Mott.
If you are interested in purchasing or exhibiting their photographs or finding out more about their projects, contact Mladi Most directly at mladi-mo@bih.net.ba .