This is a story about my Yugoslav memories, about the country I was born in. The country was destroyed, devastated, and cut into pieces. But nostalgia for Yugoslavia will last forever.
I know that for many people, remembrances of ex Yugoslavia does not exist, as many of them do not even remember the ex Yugoslavia. Young people do not remember this name as they were born after its disintegration.
For those who disagree with my memories, and there are many of them, the only thing I will say, I don't give a damn about their opinion.
Why do the Yugoslav memories matter so much to me?
Sometimes, in the life of each of us, unexpected events happen, which profoundly change our life, without our will.
Perhaps, the most significant changes are when somebody in political and war situations has to abandon his country. In my case, I was 45 years old when I decided to leave Yugoslavia with my family.
Yugoslavia was my country and it was the only country I knew. In the times of ex Yugoslavia, it wasn't so important what nationality do you belong to. I have chosen to be a Yugoslav.
I'm born in Croatia, and I'm proud to be Croatian but I have never emphasized belong to that nation, underestimating any other nations. Read this about me page!
The most tragic thing, which happened in the former Yugoslavia, was when families began to split, for reasons when husband and wife did not belong to the same nation.
This could only happen in the most primitive countries, which unfortunately for me, happened in Yugoslavia. But, not with my family.
What were the main reasons for Yugoslavia's disintegration?
When one nation doesn’t learn anything from its history, it is normal to disintegrate sooner and later. The Balkans have always been a barrel of gunpowder. There were more wars than peaceful periods.
We have not learned anything from either the First or the Second World War. The only period of relative peace and tranquility was the period from 1945 to 1990. It was a period when Tito was a president.
Unfortunately, for many, Tito was a communist dictator. I wonder what would have happened if this so-hated dictator didn't say to Stalin, NO. Yugoslavia would be like Bulgaria, Romania, or Czechoslovakia
I do remember very well when that dictator died in 1980, more than half of Yugoslavia visited his grave. Now many are spitting on him and accusing him of something that is not his fault, but Balkan's primitivism and chauvinism.
Yugoslavia I knew
As a travel guide, I had a lot of opportunities to explain the facts about Yugoslavia to American tourists. I practice using the number 6 to explain what was Jugoslavia:
Number 6. Six republics (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia) and two autonomous provinces (Vojvodina and Kosovo).
Number 5. Five nationalities (Slovenes, Croats, Serbs, Montenegrins, and Macedonians).
Number 4. Four languages (Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, and Macedonian). The official language was Serbo-Croatian or Croatian-Serbian.
Number 3. Three religions (Catholic, Orthodox, and Muslim).
Number 2. Two letters are in use (Latin and Cyrillic).
Number 1. A president (Josip Broz Tito died 1980.
Today, that Yugoslavia doesn't exist anymore, but instead of ex-six republics we have 7 new states. What a sad destiny of the state that could be one of the strongest countries in Europe.
Yugoslav memories are so painful for someone who was forced to leave the country, where he lived 45 years.
Are Yugoslav memories still alive?
For me, these memories are always present and they will be as long as I'm alive. I hope there are many like me that keep these memories alive.
Today, I live in Italy and I have Italian citizenship. But, this is not the only citizenship I have. I have also Croatian and Serbian citizenship.
It may seem that I am a lucky person with triple citizenship but frankly speaking, I would change them with the one I used to be proud of.