Euro Union

Belgrade 2006
by Cedomir Mitrovic

The youth have no need for nostalgia. For most of them Yugoslavia is ancient history. The symbols as well as the reality, economic and social, of the former state are a part of history books and tedious conversation they have to endure during family gatherings. The upheavals of the 1990s have brought about new ‘modern’ values, while the previous socio-economic order suffered dramatic changes that are still unresolved. In that sense we can say the population of Serbia and its’ capital Belgrade are living in a dynamic, transitional society. However the consequences for most are confusion, uncertainty and insecurity, both economic and psychological.

The young Belgradians have assumed new international values as their own, never previously having developed a system of values that requires a certain life experience in ex-Yugoslavia. Instead, for them it is logical the wealth determines social standing and that the market is the true arbiter of ones ability. In this they share their worldview with contemporaries’ in other European countries and are adding to the perceptible battle between the rich and the poor. The winners of this race are obvious as the gap is ever widening.

Belgrade’s charms are present despite that it has been razed to the ground 42 times since antiquity and occupied and besieged hundreds of times. The beauty of the natural setting of the city on the confluence of two of Europe’s major rivers, Sava and Danube is a home to a city with a bustling night life, fashionable men and women and a lively cultural scene. Visits by a plethora of foreign entertainers, new opportunities for employment and an easygoing attitude, all suggest a general feeling that ‘things are getting better’. But just like the freshly painted façades this lifestyle is superficial. Just as the stylish youth are feeding off their parents to maintain this lifestyle, their parents are currently feeding of seemingly innumerable new banks, too willing to offer them all sorts of credit schemes to maintain this illusion of betterment, at least in terms of an improved economic standard of living. The same institutions are prepared to devour them in turn if they do not wise up to the new realities of this fresh and unknown system of financial juggling act. After years of economic hardship, due to sanctions, inflation that reached a mind boggling 24%pa in 1993/94, with prices changing twice daily, everyone is hungry for luxury in the many Max Mara and Nike store outlets. The naivety of this practise, expenditure beyond earning potential, is obvious for all to see. Yet, very few are willing.

The remains of the social welfare system are at best inefficient and at worst non-existent. The concepts of a just society are still present in the older generation who are stuck in unfamiliar territory, wishing for the times gone by. They expect social justice and are frustrated due to its absence. But like their children they are also caught in the trap of desire and shopping therapy, so called consumer choice. So much, that very few of them use borrowed money for anything else other that to finance their understanding of ‘high life’. Whether they perceive it to be a plasma screen TV, a fifteenth pair of patent Italian shoes or taking an advance on their pension payments (at a sizeable interest rate) so that they can spoil their grandkids with Sony Play Stations is the only choice that they have allowed for themselves to enjoy. The fact that it has become customary to bribe medical personnel before major surgery to ensure that their loved ones are not ignored while recuperating in a hospital bed or simply to ensure that anaesthetic will be supplied in necessary quantity before surgery, is a down side that people are too willing to live with when it is perceived as a trade off for the boom in consumer choice.

The democratic government in Serbia functions on the same model as in other countries where democracy was forcibly exported. Too many parties with no clear political goal. Because of the competition for seats in the parliament coalitions of parties diametrically opposed in opinion form coalitions. There is a sense of impermanency felt by the electorate and the politicians themselves. The consequence is that short term planning dominates and the politicians are concerned with exploiting the given position of relative authority and power for themselves. In turn they are the new pariahs this society has to face. Instead of making sustainable plans for the state and the citizens they are bidding for the attention of local and foreign magnates. Rather than waiting for lobby groups to approach them as it is practised in the U.K., the U.S.A and other developed/entrenched capitalist democracies, the Serb M.P.’s are desperate to attract any group whose cause they are in the position to advance in a eager gesture of subservience so that they can pocket some cash, a present or simply to endear themselves to a group which could reward them after their inevitable replacement in form of an advisor or an employee.

A country with a population of approximately 8 million, of which three million live in Belgrade, requires the minimum of efforts by competent and good willing individuals and groups of individuals to attempt to organise with the intention of bettering Serbian society. The government needs to provide a higher level of socio-economic planning, so that rather then being a parasitic element in society it creates an atmosphere and an environment that will be conducive to individual and consequently social development. In here lies Serbia’s future. The dynamism of current social-economic life can be conducive to a lively and healthy state, rather than the smash and grab culture of the post Yugoslav regimes. The young, untroubled by the recent history, have accepted the Realpolitik of the current times. They are level headed and competent. In most spheres of social life, people are ready for change and are competent enough to set their abilities into action. The chief requirement is that the government and the ex-Yugoslav institutions relinquish their ability/intention to stall and hamper this imminent progress. The ability of individuals and groups of people to organise is best presented in the cultural sphere of Serbian society. Music and art in particular have shown that foreign influences can be adapted to serve local interests while the traditional arts and crafts are on the upsurge since the end of Communist opposition to them. As a medium, in case of hip-hop and electronic music, the young have a dynamic interpretation of the genres and are using them creatively for their own requirements thus crating a domestic market. This would be one of the few positive examples of markets ability to encourage innovation for the good. In most other realms it is again a paralysing influence. Whether it is the question of publishers who ascertain the quality of a book by its’ potential for sales or that Serbian pop-folk dominates the charts and outsells all other genres due to the few studio’s dominance in producing music, it is the cultural market’s needs to be democratised, which is paramount (read democratisation of information). Subsequently, an awaking would follow which would function as a counter balance to mindless expenditure and the new set of values which have invaded this country: wealth and popularity at all costs. It would simply provide for alternative approach to life which would no longer be peripheral for the majority of the populace. When taken into account how small the population actually is, the effort would yield desirable results in short time span.

The atmosphere and climate of the current state of Serbia is a flux. This state can appear as unstable where everyone is out for themselves and in part this observation is correct. On the other hand it can be perceived as a time of opportunity. For this latter to be perceived as correct the occasion must be exploited. It is a time when individual and group actions are forming society, both in the present and for the future. The government needs to act according to the current opportunities and the general population are the ones to make them aware of this fact through assertive and independent actions. That is to bridle the local oligarchs using their resources for collective profit, financial and otherwise, while allowing certain indiscriminate freedoms to local and low level initiative so that that the populace can develop according to their own need and desires.

Life is more than just GDP or wining personal accolade. It is more than dealing with past successes and failures. It is about realising and recognising the present for what it is and moving on from there. Actuality as a foundation so that development is a direction dictated by free association of individuals and groups across ethnic, national and regional boundaries so that development can be unrestrained.

Well, perhaps I’m asking for too much?! Being too idealistic or critical!? One thing is for sure. This place is alive, everything seems possible and I’m happy to be here. If you have never visited, the above will be lost on you and the party will begin and last during your stay.