Bosnian enclave thrives far from the shadow of genocide

Also, climate change requires behavior change

• Merideth Bucher
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Producer of WITF's Smart Talk

In early 1992, the government of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia and ethnic tensions in the country rose to a crisis point.

Bosnian Serb forces, with the backing of the Serb-dominated Yugoslav army, began a campaign to expel all Bosnian Muslims and Croatian civilians, resulting in the murder and disappearance of thousands of people, mostly men and boys. Over the next few years, nearly 100,000 people were killed.

In the years after the war, an International Criminal Tribunal (ICTY) was established to adjudicate Bosnian war crimes. One trial continues to make headlines with the PBS Frontline documentary on the notorious general accused of genocide and war crimes: The trial of Ratko Mladic

The PBS documentary aired last year and featured the lead prosecutor for the Tribunal, Dickinson Law professor Dermot Groome. The documentary garnered the attention of Bosnian refugees who settled in central Pennsylvania after the war. The group, and their advocates, wanted to use the film as an opportunity to talk about their history and thank the communities who welcomed them as refugees.

Appearing on Smart Talk to share their experiences are the Rev. Jeff Gibelius, Pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, Carlisle, Elvir Sejmenovic, Refugee, and Mersida Camdzic, a Refugee and community business owner. The film and public event will take place on Saturday, October 26, at the Dickinson College Schlecter auditorium.

Also, Dickinson College is nationally recognized for its sustainability efforts. The College recently hosted a sustainability summit that brought together colleges and universities to discuss how simple behavior changes can impact climate change.

Joining Smart Talk to discuss how college campuses can lead the way to behavior change are Lindsey Lyons, the assistant director of Dickinson’s Center for Sustainability Education and Kevin Green, senior director of Rare’s Center for Behavior and the Environment.