UlicaMaršalaTitaRebeccaWise

Serbia,acountrymorecloselyiden3fiedasthemainaggressorintheBalkansWar,isacountrystrugglingwithitspastinordertomoveforward. Acountrystagna3ngeconomicallywithitsinfrastructurecrumbling,agrowingDiaspora,ageingpopula3onandthenewgenera3onofintellectualsleavingforbeAeropportuni3esandhighersalariesintheWest.Itisacountryofconstantfrustra3ons,latentuneasinessabouthowitisseenbythoseoutsideofitsbordersandconfusionastoitsiden3tysinceaprideofitshistoryisoCenseenasapoli3callyaggressivestandpoint.ThemostfamousdateinSerbia’shistoryisthatof1389,theyearoftheBaAleofKosovo,whentheSerbianprincipalityfoughtforindependencefromtheOAomanEmpire.ItcametobeseenasasymbolofSerbianpatrio3sm.ItssignificanceforSerbianna3onalismreturnedtoprominence during the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo War when Slobodan Milošević invoked it during animportantspeech inGazimestan in1989, the600thanniversaryof thebaAle.Thespeechhassincebecomefamous forMilošević's reference to the possibility of "armed baAles", in the future of Serbia's na3onal development. ManycommentatorshavedescribedthisaspresagingthecollapseofYugoslaviaandtheYugoslavWars.TheBaAleofKosovoisalso seenasoneof the reasonswhySerbia refuses toacceptKosovoasan independent country, toomuchof Serbianhistoryisseenastakingpartinthisarea,toomuchofitsiden3tyisheldthere.

Thelongtermconsequencesofacountrypost‐wararemany,evenmoresoforacountrywhichwastheaggressorinthatwar.Thereareeconomicconsequences;thedestruc3onofinfrastructure(NATObombingises3matedtohavecaused$30billionindamages),thelossofindustry,theimpactofalargeinfluxofrefugees(es3matesputthisfigurefrombetween500,000to850,000)andUNEconomicsanc3onsfrom1992‐95whichcausedamassiveriseininfla3on.

Furthermore,howareSerbstoiden3fythemselvesnow,withtheirhistoricalpast,draggedintothepoli3calspeechesofthewar,andthereforemiredbyMilošević’srhetoric?WhenaprideinbeingSerbianissooCenseenasbeingna3onalist.AndsowecanseehowSerbprideisinterlacedwithSerbia’sfeelingsofshame.

ThisisadocumentaryofthestateofSerbiaasitistoday,lookingatjustoneroadasarepresenta3onofthecountry.UlicaMaršalaTita,itsnameharkingbacktotheCommunistdaysofMarshalTito,wasthelongestroadinex‐Yugoslavia,locatedin the Serbian regionof Vojvodina, oneof the richest andmost fer3le areas of the country. The roadoriginates justoutsideofNoviSad,Serbia’ssecondlargestcityandreachesalmosttotheHungarianborder. Thisiss3llonetherichestareasofthecountrybutaCerthewarmanyoftheindustries,which,thrivedhere,havebeenlost.

Thereisanobviousleveloffrustra3onfeltbythepeopleinSerbiaandwiththatapercentageofpeoplewhos3llbelieveNa3onalistIdealsarethewayforward.Poli3calslogansaresprayedonwalls,moAosfromdifferentfac3ons,postersforpoli3calcandidatesageandbecometorn,addingtotheplethoraofsymbolsonwallsandbusshelters.

IndustryinSerbiaisstruggling.Agriculture,onthewholeisacoAageindustrywithmostoftheworkbeingdonebyhand,peopleareunabletomechanisetheprocessesduetothecostsinvolved.Construc3ononmallsandroadsiseitherslowtodeveloporhaltedsincefundsarelow.Ateverylevelthereseemtobebarrierstoprogress.

(Foranexplana3onofallgraffi3seeninphotospleaserefertothefootnotesattheend)

TotheleCofthedoor,isaplaqueandflowerscommemora3ngachildthatdiedinthefactoryaCeritwascloseddownandbecamederelict.Theinscrip3onreads;

"Atthisplaceendeddreams,happiness,laughter‐youthwasex3nguished‐27June2002”

Thegraffi3onthewallattheback,justseen,reads;

Naškraj,Našapravila‐Ourhood,Ourrules

Graffi3reads‐Serbia1389

AtthetopleCareelec3onpostersforMilu3nMrkonjićaSerbianpoli3cian.OneofthefoundingmembersoftheSocialistPartyofSerbiawithMilošević,heranforPresidentin2008,finishingfourth.Currentlyheholdstheposi3onofMinisterforInfrastructureintheSerbianGovernment.

‐ŠešeljSrpskiJunak‐ŠešeljSerbianHero

VojislavŠešeljisthefounderandleaderoftheSerbianRadicalParty.CurrentlyontrialattheHagueforallegedwarcrimesandcrimesagainsthumanity.AlawgraduateandyoungestPhDholderinex‐Yugoslaviaatonly25yearsofagehehaschosentorepresenthimselfanddoesnotintendtocallanywitnessesinhisdefenceashebelievesthattheprosecu3onhasnotpresentedanyrealevidenceagainsthim.Hes3llhasalargefollowinginSerbiaandonthe2ndDecember2006,about40,000peoplemarchedintheSerbiancapitalinsupportofŠešeljduringhis28‐dayhungerstrikeinTheHagueaCertheICTYhaddeniedhimtherighttochoosehisowndefencecounsel.In2007heledhisparty'slistofcontendersintheGeneralElec3ondespitebeingintheHague.Histrialissuspendedun3lfurtherno3ce.

BelowinblackiswriAen

‐ 12Mart–NeZaboravimo‐12thofMarch–Let’snotforget

ThisdatereferstothetheFirstSerbianUprising,thefirststageoftheSerbianRevolu3onwhichlastedfornineyearsandapproximatelyninemonths(1804‐1813),duringwhichSerbiaperceiveditselfasanindependentstateforthefirst3meaCer400yearsofOAomanandAustrianoccupa3ons.The12thofMarchwasthedatethattheSultanissuedanorderforallinSerbiatosupporttheuprising.Later,aCerthesuccessofthefirstuprisingandfailednego3a3onswiththeSerbleaders,theSultanorganisedamilitarycampaignwhichinturnledtotheSecondSerbianUprising.

Graffi3readsasfollows;

‐4C`s(notethisistheCyrillic"C"thereforeinLa3nitisan"S")SamoslogaSrbinaspasava‐OnlyUnitySavestheSerbs

Serbia’smoAoandapopularslogan,displayedontheSerbiancrossaswellasintheircoatofarmsandthereforeontheflagofthecountry.

‐ СПО‐SPO‐SrpskiPokretObnove‐TheSerbianRenewalMovement‐ASerbianPoli3calpartyledbyVukDrašković.Thepartyraninthefirstelec3onsaCerthecommunistperiodandheisseenasrevivingtheSerbianthreefingersalute.ThepartyfinishedsecondaCerMiloševićbutkeptuptheirprotestsofMiloševićviamassdemonstra3onswhichoCenclashedwiththePoliceandMilitary.HehasoCenfosteredna3onalistfeelings,aAemp3ngtorehabilitatetheSerbianChetniksaswellastheMonarchy.

‐ŠešeljSrpskiJunak‐ŠešeljSerbianHero(seeexplana3ononpreviousphoto)