Destruction of Culture

Many areas in BiH are at a very low ebb, but it seems that nothing can compare to culture in terms of its level of decay.

Culture, as one of the strongest diplomatic weapons of every country, faces more and more problems here year after year, even though we have a "million" cultural workers that even much larger and richer countries would envy.

It is sad that many cultural institutions, which survived even the difficult war period and destruction, did not survive the post-war period.

Many museums, art and music academies, libraries, film productions, cinemas, and theaters have completely collapsed or are threatened with collapse.

After World War II, one of the main tasks of the then Communist Party was the construction of cultural and educational institutions, and the literacy of the population. In a very short time, they managed to reach a state where almost every village in Yugoslavia had a cultural center.

Although the economic situation today is not great at all, it is far better than it was then, and the starting positions are not the same. Back then, they had to start from scratch, and today, only a little will is needed to build upon it.

The difference is that today, in the ministries of culture, education, and sports, there are people who have never been involved in culture and sports, so it is logical to expect them to have no interest in helping culture.

Official data show that in the years before the war, as many as 100 films were shot annually in Yugoslavia, with almost a third of them in BiH. And all of this was in domestic production. Today, only two or three films are shot annually, and even then, in co-production with other countries.

Whichever country in the world you go to, you will find people who know everything about Danis Tanović, Edin Džeko, brilliant writers Sejranović, Šehić, Hemon, and others, but if you mention the name of one of our politicians, they will just stare blankly.

However, our harsh reality is that such complete unknowns pass laws that affect the development of culture, which remains an eternal legacy for future generations.

The only consolation is that those who decide on these matters have a term limit of four years.