Get to know the changemakers of tourism's sustainable future! In the online respect_NFI conversation cycle we will embark on a journey around the world and feature outstanding tourism professionals who are putting their visions and ideas for a fair and sustainable tourism into practice.

Our second stop was in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We visited Irvin Mujcic from "Prijatelji Prirode Oaza Mira" (Bosnian Naturefriends). He started the project "Srebrenica - City of Hope" almost 10 years ago.

Together with Christian Facchetti, President of Naturefriends Italy (GIAN) and Fonger Huismann, Naturefriends Netherlands (NIVON), we talked about the collaboration in this project, what the challenges are, how the local population benefits and what the plans for the future are.

The history of the "Srebrenica - City of Hope" project

The city is primarily associated with the Srebrenica massacre. "What is the role of my generation?", Irvin asked himself and returned in 2014 to a town where mainly older people live and which has shrunk massively since the war. Irvin wanted to make a contribution so that Srebrenica is not only associated with war and suffering. He wants to emphasise the courage of the survivors in the surrounding villages and to highlight their way of life, which is closely linked to nature, as well as the natural beauty of the region.

"I had an idea, but I didn't know how to start”, says Irvin. "In Italy, where I had fled from the war with my family as a child, I came into contact with the Naturefriends movement - and so I had the idea of offering hiking tours." Little by little, several cabins were built for guests in cooperation with Naturefriends Italy (GIAN). Today, Irvin offers hiking and boat tours in the Drina Gorge, focussing on contact and exchange with the local population.

Why and how do Christian Facchetti and Fonger Huisman support the project?

Christian was impressed by Irvin's basic attitude "I feel connected to my country, I want to take care of it" and the idea of being able to give young people in particular an economic perspective in the region with a sustainable tourism project. Over the years, the collaboration has developed into a close friendship between Christian and Irvin.

Fonger visited Irvin one year after the 25th anniversary of the massacre. "Srebrenica plays a role in the memory of the Netherlands, once a year we commemorate this day," says Fonger. "The historical facts - the UN blue helmets, including Dutch soldiers, were unable to prevent the massacre - were a reason to support this project." NIVON supported the project, including the renovation of a watermill.

You can watch the entire conversation here:

https://youtu.be/_kkmDKnaGis

More informations about “Srebrenica – City of Hope”:

www.srebrenicahope.wordpress.com
 
https://www.nf-int.org/en/info-mail/infomail-wissenschaft-nr-9-english-version-july-2022#srebrenicaEN