Osijek: the Synergy of Minorities
Croatia is a country that has been faced with complex issues of democratisation, economic stabilisation and reconciliation. This is especially true for the area of Eastern Slavonia. The task of rebuilding, reconciliation and working together through issues of justice and accountability in the Osijek-Baranja County are complicated and compounded by massive economic problems and personal and collective loss and trauma from the war.
Yet the history of this area has another face too: the county in general and Osijek in particular, have been also known for the richness of their cultural identity developed throughout the centuries, uniting diversities and a variety of multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural groups. These prerequisites, combined with the state and local actions respecting different cultures and languages, are providing a good ground for the city Osijek and the Osijek-Baranja County to become community that reflects and shares the values of the European Union.
If our staring premise is that the level of democracy of a community can be viewed by its relationship toward minorities, then our conclusion can be that the city of Osijek is making concrete steps in the area of the intercultural dialogue ensuring the freedom and responsibility for its national minorities, supporting their work and activities in preserving their cultural heritage, and thus, creating a fertile ground for harmonious coexistence for the future generations of its citizens. These efforts correspond with the foundations laid by the Republic of Croatia for further development and promotion of the multinational cultural heritage, languages and traditions. Thanks to those acts as well as to support provided by the local self-government, the City of Osijek endorses and supports numerous minority organisations and their activities. “According to the latest census of 2001, there are 22 national minorities registered in the Republic of Croatia, which also constitute the structure of Osijek population. Although some have been part of Osijek population structure for decades, the greater part of them has existed on this territory for several centuries.” The percentages of population after the Croatian War of Independence stated that out of 114,616, Croats account for the largest percentage or 86,58%, Serbs 7,65%, Hungarians 1,01%, Albanians 0,42%, Germans 0,25%, Slovaks 0,21%, Bosniaks 0,18%, Macedonians 0,16%, Montenegrins 0,15%, Slovenians 0,15%, Roma 0,11, Ruthenians 0,06%, and Ukrainians, Czech, Jews, Austrians, Russians, Poles, Romanians, Italians, Bulgarians, Turks, Vlachs, in lesser percentages. Some of the listed minorities are gathered around 26 organisations established with an aim to protect and foster their national identity and cultural heritage – their programs have been deeply incorporated in everyday life of Osijek and Croatia and make a lasting contribution to the richness of cultural and social scene of the town.
Osijek is, indeed, a ‘common home’ to a wide variety of different groups, a place for communities to come together in peace and understanding. Yet, the need for all of us to intensify our work to foster an even stronger society and to promote greater integration is still present. The promotion of harmonious interethnic relations is an issue that requires careful attention from all sides – the fact that there is a national legislation regulating the position and rights of minorities is only a base for applying the philosophy of unity in diversity. The second layer is respecting twin principles: the principles of equality and non-discrimination. Equality principle refers to the Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts, that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. This in turn, mans that there is no human right that should suffer discrimination – in other words, no human right should be treated in an arbitrary fashion, in a fashion that does not respect the equality of human beings.
The complementarity in the nature of equality of rights and freedoms should be the key for creating the policy of integration that develops set of concrete measures designed to promote full freedom and dignity for all.
