Trust

“No, it’s not possible,” the Serbian fighter said to us. “I don’t think that could ever happen,” the Srebrenica survivor responded. “Impossible,” remarked the man in Banja Luka who let us into the mosque. “Another war could never happen here.”

It seems as though there are few people we have met on our trip so far that believe there is no possible way another armed conflict could break out. The man in the mosque in Banja Luka showed us pieces of rubble from the old mosque that was destroyed in the war. He translated stories from the old men inside that had seen the fighting first hand. And yet, even after the war, he says he feels safe in Banja Luka and he never thought about leaving. Muslims were completely safe to live and practice there, he told us. 

It constantly amazes me how trusting people are in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The man in the mosque had no idea who we were and since we were without Mladen, we had no translator. The man had no idea we were coming and yet he opened the gates of the mosque and was happy to show us around. He even opened up and told us about the war and showed us pieces of rubble from the old mosque that was destroyed. He completely trusted we were good people.

With the history of fighting and tension between groups in the region, it amazes me that people like the man in the mosque are so trusting of not only strangers, but others in his own country. Even those who may have at one point wanted to hurt him and his place of worship. He lit up and smiled when we asked what it was like to live in the Republika Srpska and even pointed out his favorite restaurant down the street. 

Most of the people we have talked to seem so sure no conflict would ever break out again. They completely trust that that stage of Bosnia & Herzegovina is behind them and that people can put aside their differences and work things out, regardless of how confusing and corrupt the government was. There is still a lot of hope here, and yet I am struggling to push away the doubtful thoughts in my head. Growing nationalism and corruption in the regions are extremely worrying. The Federation and the Republika Srpska can’t even agree on building highways and bridges because of old grudges. As much as I would like to be optimistic about the future of BiH, it has become a creeping thought in the back of my mind that I can’t shake: perhaps this all could happen again, and sooner than people may think.