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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| October 29, 2003 |
Dubrovnik, Croatia |
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| The beauty of Dubrovnik |
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the ninth stop on our 43rd Global Voyage, Dubrovnik is also the gateway to a land deeply physically and psychologically scarred by war. During the two-day visit, Peace Boat participants met with Croatians and Bosninians working to heal those scars. |
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| Passing down the main street of the old city |
DESA is a traditional name from the Dalmatian coastal area of Croatia, on the Adriatic Sea. It is also the name of a women's development group based just outside the castle walls of the old city in Dubrovnik: destination for one group of Peace Boat participants. In 1992, as civil war was rampaging through Yugoslavia, a group of women came together to receive and assist the mostly women and children refugees streaming into Dubrovnik - a town of 40,000 people that received 35,000 refugees. Assistance was simply sharing what little could be shared, providing company, and organizing activities to keep minds and hands occupied. Formally founded in 1993, DESA organized embroidery workshops and developed programs aimed at the "economic strengthening of women through the use of local community resources." |
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| Jany Hansal, left, with Peace Boat volunteer interpreter Kumi |
Enjoying local tea and cookies, participants listened to Jany, director of DESA, explain the various educational and vocational programs that include language courses, business management, computers, tourism and traditional arts and crafts. Crammed into every corner of their facility were handmade crafts skillfully put together by the 350 members of DESA. The membership still includes some refugees, but now is mostly made up of local women using creative alternatives to overcome the lack of opportunities in society. |
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| A workshop on carpet weaving |
After lunch, during which participants were able to visit the houses of some DESA members, enjoying local food and hospitality, all reconvened at DESA's center for hands-on workshops in embroidery, silk spinning, carpet making, Japanese calligraphy and origami. With interpretation, the local women were able to share stories of life as a refugee or resident of Dubrovnik while under siege. They also spoke of the need for women to take an active role in developing greater economic and social opportunities in post-conflict Croatia and ex-Yugoslavia. |
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| The SPACE team (Share Art Peace Culture Energy) perform in the center of the old city |
Dubrovnik at night is one of the most beautiful nightscapes in the world and, as has become tradition, Peace Boat organized a short cultural performance in the central square of the city, consisting of Japanese and African drumming, singing and traditional Japanese dance performances. The message was to communicate with the local people the mission of supporting NGOs as a crucial part of society, and the connection people around the world share through engaging in similar activities. |
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| Participants walking through a still un-restored area of Mostar |
Before departing on the second day, one group of participants returned from a study program in Mostar, an idyllic town that was part of a brutal front line during the civil war. The Participants had homestayed with local families and visited a youth-run NGO called Mladi Most, which uses art to rebuild society, and an NGO developing economic and social capacity for women. Another group returned from Cilipi village, where they also participated in a homestay and cultural exchange with children of refugees. Peace Boat looks forward to its future stops in Dubrovnik, and building its relationship with the NGOs and people who are working to maintain peace and improve the lives of all whom live there.
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