BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA     2004  

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Sarajevo, Tuzla, and Zeneca
May 5–9, 2004

A day-long seminar was held on May 6 in the Media Center in Sarajevo for twenty-one cultural leaders. They came from a wide range of organizations, including a writer’s group, theaters and performance venues, an art gallery, an orchestra, and the media center itself. Discussions included taxes as incentives for giving, forming a lobbying organization, getting professional media advice, knowing audiences and building them, obtaining management training, budgeting, and longrange planning and sustainability.

On May 7, Mrs. Poole and Mr. Elicker were met at the American Corner in the Library of Tuzla by an audience of twenty-one who were given the copies of Managing for Money. Attendees were split into groups and asked to decide on the major challenges other than money. There was unanimity in their results: mutual non-understanding throughout the city; low consciousness of culture; an educational system that provides no culture in schools or at home; inefficient cooperation among cultural groups; confusion at Ministerial level which results in no funding or guidance; lack of heating, and poor facilities. When it was suggested that a partial solution to these problems lie in cooperation and organization among the cultural group leaders, it became apparent that attendees expected to receive funding from The Fund. Half the group, finding the sessions of no interest, left. Mrs. Poole and Mr. Elicker suggested various ways of doing low-cost programs but were met with arguments about their impossibility.

For those who remained, there seemed some hope that they might join together and begin to plan such projects as children’s programs. The general attitude of waiting for help with bitterness and resignation is tough to overcome. Mrs. Poole and Mr. Elicker tried to persuade the small group that if they did not begin to address cultural needs with the resources at their disposal, nobody would.

On May 8, Mrs. Poole and Mr. Elicker traveled to Zeneca to meet with a group of twenty-five people from a wide range of institutions. After introductory remarks and explanations, the attendees were divided into five groups. Only the city museum and art gallery, the theatre and a folk dancing group represented arts and culture. Others were from civic action, youth, medical advocacy, teachers, handi-capped, women’s advocacy groups and other NGOs. Discussions focused on goal setting, program implementation techniques, ways of motivating audiences and donors, and funding.

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