Goran Dedović: Countering nationalist narratives in the Western Balkan region

Goran Dedović, Alfa Centar, Niksić, Montenegro.

A short interview with the Balkan Forum. His views on countering nationalist narratives in the Western Balkan region: "First of all, thank you for the invitation to the interview and a thank you to the Alpha Center for enabling me to participate in the REACT camp.

I have to start with the fact, and that fact is that the most peaceful period in the Balkans is from the end of the Second World War to the war of the 1990s. So, in a way, we have to have an understanding for nationalism, because there are reasons why it exists, unfortunately of course.

The cure is only in the Youth, the elders have already done their job, they have already gone through it, and the elders today affect the Youth in a bad way, well some in a good way.

We must not allow our elders to influence us, because this country Montenegro, this part of Montenegro that is, the Balkans and the whole former Yugoslavia will always remain here, regardless of whether it was called Montenegro, Duklja, Zeta or what it used to be called.

We always have to start from ourselves, and to start from our neighbor, who is different, do we wish him good or bad. Unfortunately, I am a witness of very bad situations in my hometown, where the neighbors do not talk to each other, because some are Serbs, some are Montenegrins, some are one area, some are another. I mean, here I will mention a topic that is familiar to me, all my life I go to the matches of my club from Nikšić called Sutjeska and I can tell you that I am familiar with the sports fan scene in the Balkans. It is a mass that with a certain power, unfortunately, these leaders are led by higher authorities, lets call them politicians, who teach that mass to sing kill this, kill that, this is no good, this is no good; and that will unfortunately continue to happen for the next 50 years here.

Why?

Because we don't have enough strength, we are used enough, it has entered our minds enough, we call this normal in our mentality.

The only thing we can do is a difficult one, in my opinion, because I love my city, I love Montenegro, but unfortunately my goal is to escape from here.

Why?

Because the people who determine my destiny are the people who are corrupt, who are nationalists, who try to reach their goals with hatred. I wouldn't want to allow that, but I can't do it alone, I can't do it alone with or with a minority of people, we have to stand together.

Can we all stand together?

That is the real question that needs to be asked, that needs to be asked. As I said before, the only cure is Youth, sensible, united people."