The memory of ordinary, everyday intercultural or interreligious relationships, in brief 

Slatina is a small village in Herzegovina, which even after the conflicts of the 1990s has both Muslim (75%) and Catholic (25%) residents. Local solidarity extends to Muslim and Catholic communities in nearby Gracac and Prozor – which has given rise to a number of media articles about the Imam from Lizoperci who drives Catholics to mass on Sundays in Gracac, members of each community celebrating each other’s festivals and acting in support of each others’ charitable needs. 
The context in which these relationships made a difference at the time 

Effendi Dreznjak recalls that the communities lived in peaceful and good neighbourly relations, watching out for each other, and sharing in common tasks, including in the building of mosques and churches. The war destroyed much of that, until Dreznjak and the Franciscan Friar of Gracac, Mato Topic, revived the tradition of mutual aid in the period from about 2014. From their interviews with the press, residents make clear that ordinary social relations were very important to the residents of Slatina and its neighbourhood before the war. The revival of cooperation is described as being pushed by imams and priests – the imam teaches the children at the Gracac Catholic Sunday school, for instance, and the Franciscan makes known that he will pray alongside his Muslim friends at prayer time, in his own way  – and their communities participated both in the rebuilding of a local mosque and church together. Brother Mato described the religious communities as protecting themselves from the nationalistic politics of this post-war period, distancing congregants from the fear which drives exclusivist politics.What has happened since, which makes the memory valuable 

In 1993, Slatina and its neighbourhood was on the front lines of the conflict between the Army of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Bosnian Croat forces (fighting for a Republic of Herzeg-Bosna). Muslims in Slatina had to leave, and returned after the war to houses which had been destroyed. Since the end of the armed conflict in 1995, Bosnia-Herzegovina has been further divided by political parties aligned on ethno-national grounds, fuelled by narratives about the need to continue to protect one group of citizens from the threat posed by the others. This is notable in this part of the country, where access to public service jobs has commonly been determined by showing allegiance to one of the main Croat or Bosniak parties. Against the continuation of assumed wartime hostilities by the political parties, the revival of remembered pre-war solidarity at a social level is often an act of political determination and courage. The role of Catholic and Muslim religious leaders in this revival represents a counter to the notion that political division, conflict and fear can best serve these connected communities.How might the memory be used in bringing people together in practice now? 

The Memory Bank team will be glad to hear from anyone with an interest in using such local memories to promote community initiatives, whether in Bosnia-Herzegovina or elsewhere. Additional context/Some additional reading

‘Prozor: Efendija Amir i fratar Mato spajaju ono što je ratom pokidano’, Anadolia, 2.11.2015. https://www.klix.ba/vijesti/bih/prozor-efendija-amir-i-fratar-mato-spajaju-ono-sto-je-ratom-pokidano/151102021

‘Ima i u BiH lijepih priča: Efendija, ‘alal ti bilo pola moje mise’, Moj USK, 7 March 2017.