El Thamiso's journey to Bosnia: the report

The trip that involved some members and sympathizers of the cooperative in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 28 April to 1 May was interesting and full of stimuli.

We visited the areas involved in the war that devastated, almost twenty years ago, a geographical region very close to us.

During our trip we were able to visit some symbolic places of the massacre caused by the war, to be able to stop and reflect on the terrible consequences of the conflict. Our visit, however, also wanted to signify the desire to restart without forgetting the past, through help that is not based on exclusively economic resources but which consists mainly of the exchange of agronomic knowledge and skills.

It was also an opportunity to see a result of our support sent to those territories on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the Cooperative; in fact, we met the people of the cooperative together that deals with the first transformation of small fruits obtained from small crops now widespread in the territory surrounding the small town of Bratunac.

We were then hosted in the small community of Osmacè, 1000 m above sea level near the border with the Republic of Serbia. Apart from some difficulties related to eating and household habits, the hospitality was excellent and confirmed the willingness of the families involved in the project to actively participate.

The trip then took us to visit Sarajevo and Mostar, profoundly changed after the war, which maintain a particular beauty and are capable of stimulating reflection on the coexistence of people who, although coming from distant territories and cultures, can live in peace when the interests of a few are not put before the well-being of the entire society.

It was also a way to be able to compare between participants in the trip itself, and the great willingness of the people present to dialogue, in addition to the breadth of the skills present, gave each of the participants an interesting experience.