FOB Briefs
Vol. 10, No. 1, December, 2003

FOB Turns Ten: Celebrate with Us

Note: Click here for up-to-date information on this program.

This October, Friends of Bosnia will celebrate our tenth anniversary. Although the war in Bosnia left little to celebrate, we are very proud to have been one of the earliest advocacy groups to address the genocide in the Balkans that began in 1992. We are also one of the longest lasting, as most groups came and went with the war. While the specifics of what we do has changed over the years, our mission has remained the same: to help victims of genocide in the Balkans and to educate the American public about the challenges confronting the region. And while our roots remain in western Massachusetts, we have expanded our reach and now have members throughout the United States and around the world.

Celebration Planned for October 16-17 at Boston College

To celebrate our anniversary, we have planned a series of exciting events. For the evening reception, we have invited Danis Tanovic, director of No Man’s Land, to be the keynote speaker. Also planned are exhibits, speaker programs, an awards reception, and other programs both to honor those who have worked alongside us and to look at the conflict in the Balkans in an international context — especially in light of the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the subsequent reconstruction efforts.

Honoring Those Who Made a Difference

Thousands of people from across the United States and around the globe tried to change the world for the better during the darkest days of the war in Bosnia. This gathering will be an opportunity for activists, scholars, journalists, aid workers, teachers, and government officials to come together and reflect on what we did right, what we did wrong, and possibly how to respond more effectively in the future to apathy and indifference in the face of genocide.

We will provide more complete information about the celebration early next year, but we hope that all those who have worked toward a just resolution to the wars in the Balkans, have supported reconstruction efforts, and have supported the victims of genocide will come out to celebrate with us and attend our programs.