Dedicated volunteers ensure Serbian flood relief gets through
When I volunteered to help with flood relief efforts at the Serbian Embassy in London, it was because the harrowing news footage and distressing stories relayed by friends who have been directly affected by the natural disaster in Serbia and Bosnia had moved me to act.
Good friends in the submerged town of Obrenovac have been made homeless and lost all their personal effects overnight, while in Bosnia, others I know have been evacuated to safety or are still holed up in their homes in Doboj.
In these times of 24-hour news coverage we can be numb to the roll call of tragedies and disasters around the world.
All too often these events can seem in such different worlds, that they are removed from our own sphere of reality.
Balkan identity to be discussed at the British Library
Eminent Balkan authors and commentators will gather at the heart of the British academic establishment to debate issues of identity and creativity in the Southeast European region.
The British Library, home to the nation’s foremost collection of great books and treasured manuscripts, will open its doors to some of the Balkan’s best writers and thinkers for Balkan Day, on Thursday, 13 June.
Organised as part of the Best of the Balkans project by esteemed London-based publisher Istros Books and the British Library, Balkan Day is a celebration of the region’s creativity and identity.
This event, which is partly funded by the Arts Council, England, will promote the Balkan region from the perspective of its literary and cultural achievements, and widen the knowledge of our shared European heritage.
The Balkans respond with solidarity in trying times
There are moments in history when our reactions and behaviour can leave an impact that goes on to define us as a people or nation.
Such determining behaviour can embed so deeply in our collective mind that it corrals opinion about us and shapes our lasting impressions.
In that way, caricatures, stereotypes and misconceptions can be created – or they can be put straight for evermore.
The overwhelming floods in the Balkans will impact on the lives of so many people in so many ways. Thousands are already homeless, having lost everything to the dirty stinking waters, while the growing death toll ticks up to who knows where.
The scale of this natural disaster is unseen in Europe in recent decades, with the flooding in Serbia the worst in more than a century.
International relief pours in to aid Balkan flood victims
People across Europe and beyond have heard the call from the natural disaster hitting the Balkans, digging deep in their pockets to support flood victims in Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia.
Truck loads of nappies, shoes, hygiene products, tinned food and bottled water have been driven across the continent from countries including England, Sweden and Germany, taking much-needed relief to the thousands who have been made homeless by the deluge.
The European Union has promised substantial aid to benefit those in immediate need and to prevent future flooding, while countries including Norway, Austria, Russia, Belarus, Romania and the Netherlands have sent financial or physical aid.
So far, the British Government has not announced any financial donation, although experts anticipate that support from the UK will come when it is required for the clean up and rebuild of the country.
