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| Passage through the Mediterranean |
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| Interpreter Kyoko and passenger Masako get ready for the balloon relay |
As Peace Boat sails through the Mediterranean,
stopping at a few choice destinations, countries speed into view and
just as rapidly disappear in our wake. On October 4th, as Peace Boat
navigated the narrow channel between the tip of Italy's toe and its
neighbour Sicily, the lights of Messina reflected across the water
to those of mainland Italy. The next day views of the pink-tinged
cliffs and forts of Sardinia portside were balanced by the equally
rugged coastline of Corsica on our starboard side. Having departed
Marseilles, the boat passed through the Straits of Gibraltar on a
rain-washed afternoon before finally heading into the Atlantic Ocean.
At times the boat seems to stand still, yet countries not on our itinerary
brush past both in the dead of night and during the light of day,
reminding passengers of how vast the world is outside our direct experience. |
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| Goran Vezic - Freedom of Speech・Radio Boat |
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| Goran Vezic recounts the media situation in wartime Yugoslavia
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Actual sound bytes from wartime radio in the former Yugoslavia prefaced the screening of an Emmy-award winning NHK video on the work of Radio Boat - an EU funded, independent radio station operating in international waters 20km off the coast of Yugoslavia during the Bosnian war in 1993. Providing impartial coverage at a time when media inside the conflict areas was promoting hatred and war propaganda, the boat was run by a group of professional journalists from all sides of the conflict, proving that Serbs, Croats and Bosnian Muslims could work in harmony and broadcast without bias. Goran Vezic, founder of STINA, the only independent news agency in Croatia, helped create the project and, following the video, spoke of their ideal of 吐ree and fair journalism・and their efforts to combat the uncorroborated and conflicting reports from national media in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. A programme broadcasting messages from individuals helped reunite thousands of families in refugee camps and a space on the airwaves was also created for NGOs and other organisations without a voice on land. In conclusion, Mr. Vezic explained how the region is still suffering the effects of economic and social devastation and emphasised that the war will not end until each country takes responsibility for their role in the atrocities and brings war criminals to justice, both in The Hague and at local trials. |
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| Peace Boat's
39th Voyage index |
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PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
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