{"id":245078,"date":"2025-11-21T09:48:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T08:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nenasilje.org\/povodom-godisnjice-dejtonskog-sporazuma-promovirana-knjiga-i-otvorena-izlozba-dolazimo-u-miru\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T11:03:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T10:03:36","slug":"povodom-godisnjice-dejtonskog-sporazuma-promovirana-knjiga-i-otvorena-izlozba-dolazimo-u-miru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nenasilje.org\/en\/povodom-godisnjice-dejtonskog-sporazuma-promovirana-knjiga-i-otvorena-izlozba-dolazimo-u-miru\/","title":{"rendered":"The book We Come in Peace promoted to mark the anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday, 20 November 2025, the Centre for Nonviolent Action promoted its book We Come in Peace<\/em> and opened the accompanying exhibition at the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/p>\n

The book<\/strong><\/a> We Come in Peace<\/em> is the result of experiences that the Centre for Nonviolent Action has gained over more than 20 years of working with veterans from the region on peacebuilding. The book is divided into two parts: one focuses on the potential of war veterans for peacebuilding and the experiences gathered by the Centre for Nonviolent Action, and the other introduces the people who make that work possible.<\/p>\n

Alongside the book promotion, an accompanying exhibition of photographs by Nenad Vukosavljevi\u0107 was also opened.<\/strong> The exhibition will be on display at the Historical Museum of BiH until 27 November 2025, with free admission<\/p>\n

A discussion held at the Historical Museum included war veterans \u0110oko Pup\u010devi\u0107<\/strong> (\u0160amac), Mirko Ze\u010devi\u0107 Tadi\u0107<\/strong> (Br\u010dko), Adnan Hasanbegovi\u0107<\/strong> (Sarajevo) and peace activist Nenad Vukosavljevi\u0107<\/strong> (Belgrade).<\/p>\n

Nenad Vukosavljevi\u0107<\/strong> pointed out that the book We Come in Peace<\/em> gives an overview of the work of the Centre for Nonviolent Action with war veterans:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth is that we won\u2019t agree on everything in that work, but we have common ground in that we are committed to ensuring that the terrible, irreparable loss of life we experienced in the war is never repeated in the future, and that the path to that goal begins with showing respect for all victims and an equal, non-selective approach to the suffering and pain that people experienced.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Center for Nonviolent Action began working with war veterans on peacebuilding in 2002. A mixed group of war veterans, former members of ARBiH, HVO, HV, VRS and JNA\/VJ, have so far participated in a host of various activities aimed at dealing with the past and peacebuilding.<\/p>\n

Among other things, as a mixed group of war veterans they have visited more than 50 sites of suffering and attended public commemorations in Gornji Vakuf, at Site 715 near Zavidovi\u0107i, in Stog near Vozu\u0107a, in Novi Grad\/Bosanski Novi, Sanski Most (Hrastova glavica), Sijekovac near Brod, Lani\u0161ta near Br\u010dko, Trusina near Konjic, Ahmi\u0107i near Vitez, Grabovica, Uborak and Sutina near Mostar, Bri\u0161evo and Zecovi near Prijedor, Kori\u0107anske stijene, Stupni Do near Vare\u0161, Boderi\u0161te near Br\u010dko, the bridge over the Sava in Br\u010dko, Bradina near Konjic, Skelani near Srebrenica, the Silo in Tar\u010din near Had\u017ei\u0107i, Lozje near Gora\u017ede, Rogatica (BiH), then in Grdeli\u010dka klisura near Leskovac, Varvarin near Kru\u0161evac, Aleksinac (Serbia), as well as in Herceg Novi (Montenegro) and Pakrac, Varivode and Go\u0161i\u0107 near Knin (Croatia).<\/p>\n

The book chapters were contributed by Amer Deli\u0107, Ivana Franovi\u0107, Ned\u017ead Novali\u0107 and Nenad Vukosavljevi\u0107.<\/p>\n

The editors were Ivana Franovi\u0107, Davorka Turk and Martina Fischer.<\/p>\n

The electronic edition of the book is available on our website<\/a> and is free to download.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Adnan Hasanbegovi\u0107, a war veteran from Sarajevo, was one of the first veterans to use his wartime experience as a resource for peacebuilding. Shortly after the end of the siege of Sarajevo and the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Adnan initiated peace meetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a huge need, and I would also say plenty of room for veterans to get involved in peace activities. They enjoyed a high degree of credibility in their communities, but part of civil society didn\u2019t perceive them as having potential. And on the other side, among the veterans themselves, there were those who were prepared to get involved, they wanted to make a contribution after the war to ensure things got better in our societies, they wanted to be remembered for something other than war. There were many honourable people who were ready to confront issues in their communities, who were ready to take that step,\u201d said Adnan Hasanbegovi\u0107.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He also added that he still considers the Dayton Peace Agreement to be a positive historical event.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt brought some disappointments, true, but it was probably the only way to end the war here. The disappointments relate more to its implementation after the war, but it was the only compromise possible at the time. It stopped the war and the peace has lasted for 30 years now. It is up to us and the new generations to keep improving that peace,\u201d said Hasanbegovi\u0107.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u0110oko Pup\u010devi\u0107, a veteran of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), said that going to sites of suffering and commemorations is always emotionally difficult for him, but that he\u2019s not giving up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that\u2019s most painful is when you see that those who perished were mostly young people, thousands of them missing from their families, their communities. It\u2019s especially difficult when you visit the site of a crime for which your side was responsible, someone went there in my name and committed that crime. That\u2019s always really painful for me,\u201d said Pup\u010devi\u0107.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mirko Ze\u010devi\u0107 Tadi\u0107, an HVO veteran from Br\u010dko, described how at one point people couldn\u2019t believe that he, as a Croat, had come to pay his respects to Serb victims.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to show them my ID before they\u2019d believe me. I understand that some people will never be able to make that step, which is why it\u2019s important to continue this work, to show ourselves and others that this path is possible, that you can go and pay your respects to all victims,\u201d added Mirko Ze\u010devi\u0107 Tadi\u0107.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Centre for Nonviolent Action Sarajevo-Belgrade is a regional peace organisation with a mission to build lasting peace in the region of the former Yugoslavia. It pursues that mission by promoting a culture of nonviolence, dialogue and trust-building among individuals and groups, and through work on constructive dealing with the past, which is a key factor in peacebuilding.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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