Arts & International Affairs: Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer/Autumn 2018 | Page 37

ARTS & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
interethnic focus. For instance, as the Deputy Head of Mission of the Norwegian Embassy
in Sarajevo explained: “Mostar Rock School qualified for support inter alia for their
interethnic profile” (email, February 3, 2017).
Ethnic diversity seems to be at the foreground of reconciliation initiatives, being both
the goal and the means to reach it. Indeed, it is considered as a way to build trust and
reduce prejudice between former enemies through encounters around a shared interest
and as the indicator of success of those activities.
Interethnic reconciliation certainly stands as one of the priorities in Western powers’
post-conflict agendas in former Yugoslavia. In building on its own history, the European
Union (EU) is spearheading reconciliation, especially in former Yugoslav republics
where it is explicitly raised as an accession criterion. “Reconciliation is ( ... ) a necessary
process. The EU, as the greatest peace and reconciliation project ever, can testify to that
and serve as an example of what can be achieved,” stated the former European Commissioner
for enlargement Olli Rhen (Sarajevo, July 11, 2005). Though, in BiH, the results
of such policy are so far more expected than fulfilled. Ethnopolitical antagonisms between
Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks do not yet belong to the past.
In the field, many locals take a dim view of international projects that explicitly promote
peace and reconciliation. At best, these initiatives do not seem to meet the expectations
of the population. At worst, these good-faith attempts to bring peace are perceived as
missing their aim. Indeed, young people targeted by peace programs did not experience
the war. Therefore, they consider they do not need to get reconciled or to make peace
with each other. In their view, to stress the necessity for peace and intercommunity cooperation
would be a constant reminder of war and divisions preventing people from
moving forward. In their view, activities should be positive and looking-forward, rather
than negative and backward-looking. This opinion reflects a crucial need of the youth
who tend to escape BiH, for lack of hope in a better future.
From this perspective, research undergone so far shows that musical activities may have
a direct input into the conflict transformation process, well beyond the simple interethnic
focus. The interviews realized during my fieldworks revealed two main effects of
these programs that concern individuals’ personal and social development, rather than
interethnic dialogue and tolerance.
On the individual level, my interviewees consider music as being first and foremost a
source of happiness and inner balance: they play music to “be happy” and “make people
happy.” Moreover, when playing music together, people share positive emotions with
group members with whom they gradually create lasting friendships. A strong sense
of belonging and identity based on a common passion develops within the group, described
as “a family.”
Second, music improves skills such as musical aptitude, of course, but also the ability
to work in a team, the satisfaction of effort or empowerment. For some, it is above
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