The autobiography of Jovanka Broz

Following the death of the former first lady of Yugoslavia, Jovanka Broz, I decided to educate myself more on the woman behind the man.

I picked up a copy of My Life My Truth, the autobiography of Broz, written by Zarko Jokanovic. In the beginning, I was reading what I already knew. I knew that she was a guerilla war fighter. I knew that she lived a life of luxury. But almost half way through, I never expected to read her thoughts on some of her husband’s policies.

In particular, she mentioned how she didn’t agree with the dealings surrounding Kosovo and Albania in the 1980. She said if it was handled differently, the ethnic conflict in the region, more than 30 years after her husband’s death, would not have occurred.

It was shocking to read that she foresaw then what would occur if the two nations mixed.

When Jovanka Broz died, articles came out that either painted her like a hardened criminal or a wrongfully imprisoned saint of former Yugoslavia. Those articles made me aware of why she was arrest, but until I read the book, I had no idea how she has been treated since 1980.

Even before Tito died, his cabinet speculated that Jovanka Broz would take over the throne, and they would allow that to happen. The stole all her goods, threatened her, kicked her out of multiple homes and stole and erased all of her identification, forcing her to be a house prisoner for over 30 years.

What was especially interesting to me was that they would not let her attend Tito’s funeral. Indira Ghandi was the one who forced them to allow her to attend.

When I talked to a few close friends, and some not so close acquaintances about her death, they all said it signified the death of Yugoslavia. While most weren’t happy that someone died, they were happy that the countries history was finally being erased. But not all felt like that.

My mother and grandmother woke up at 3 a.m. to watch the live broadcast of her funeral on Serbian television.

But, for the overall Bosnian and Serbian communities in Chicago, it was a day that will go in history.

Telling a large story through a small problem!

In early October, the Bosnian National Soccer team cemented their place in the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil. Shortly after, Daria Sito-Sucic and Gordana Katana wrote an article about the continued ethnic divide in Bosnia amongst Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks, using the success of the team to tell the story.

The article explains why this was such a big deal for the national team and how communities within Bosnia were effected by the game. In Banja Luka, the main city of the Serb Republic in Bosnia, the game was not aired. People who wanted to watch the game had to order special channels that broadcast the event. It was a great way to show how such a large story can impact the smallest community in an already small country.

The writers used the success of the ethnically diverse Bosnian team to highlight the dysfunctions of the country’s government.

“The Bosnian federation was on the verge of bankruptcy. Three former officials, one of them an ex-commander of the Muslim-dominated Bosnian army during the war, were jailed last year for tax evasion and embezzlement.

Many foreign-based players and devoted soccer fans boycotted the national team, angry at political interference which they said was spoiling otherwise harmonious relations among players and coaches.”

It reminded me of my experience working on my midterm project. Because I am Bosnian, I had trouble talking to Serbian parents that sent their children to St. Sava Academy. I clearly had no dog in the fight, but it was hard knowing that people didn’t want to talk to me because of who I am or where I come from. I thought I left that back in Bosnia in 1997.

My article isn’t as much about the dysfunctions of the school, but the importance of the school to the Serbian community. The article about the Bosnian National Team is the same. The article mentions the success of the team, but it’s more about the dysfunction of the government and the effect of that on national pride.