Musicians without Borders

This international network of musicians and peacemakers use music and arts to facilitate the interaction and mobilisation of children and young people throughout South East Europe and the Middle East. They providing training, education, consultancy and support.

Overview

Our organisational long term goal is the creation of realistic conditions where music and culture play a significant role in the revitalisation of local communities, peaceful coexistence and protection of human rights.

Our short term goals are:

• To advance equality, tolerance and peace through understanding of cultural diversities, similarities and complexities among children and youth; and their inclusion and active participation in music and arts activities and intercultural dialogue;
• To generate a mechanism which will be able to respond positively to any degradation of the political climate and to acts of provocation, by spreading a new a message of tolerance, equality and peace expressed through music and arts activities;
• To establish and maintain contact between children and youth of different ethnic backgrounds;
• To enhance children and young peoples access to creative expression through music and increase opportunities for participation in community initiatives; and
• To create a Local Centre as a cultural incubator using music and arts for social and peace programmes e.g. political and peace activism through music, and a new city image though art work.

Organisational achievements and learning points

Children, youth and teachers gather together for activities with a focus on the promotion of peace, tolerance, and combating discrimination through exposure to diverse musical and artistic styles. The message we want to convey will not be found in big international festivals but through ongoing work in local communities, the quiet bustle of which involves people attending workshops or actively pursuing their own cultural interests in education and voluntary situations. Jointly, this adds up to much more than the international festival. We don’t want to define “festivals” as unimportant. Sometimes festivals can improve the image of a country, especially for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The need to communicate a particular image may therefore be very strong, but can conflict with the image local inhabitants have of their lives, especially if it requires suppressing the reality of poverty, social unrest, dereliction and similar problems. The gap between these pictures can be dangerous and feed cynicism. So we focus on small, local projects that directly impact on the participants' lives.

Through this work children are able to express emotional conflict, instability and anxiety. This enhances children's social skills and non-violent communication so that they can find peaceful ways of bridging deep ethnic divides. Through our work children demonstrate increased confidence and more refined interpersonal skills, for example in conflict resolution and problem solving, and mutual trust and respect through active participation in cultural activities.

Culture is the means by which we understand our experiences, hopes, desires, and fears. It is through culture that we build our identity, and communicate our ideas and feelings about who we are to others. The use of music and arts should be encouraged so that people understand their own cultural backgrounds and identities and are able to acquire communication and solidarity-building skills.

This is especially important when addressing challenges that children and youth are confronted with in today’s society in BiH. In so doing, music workshops become essential to achieving cultural literacy and assisting with the fight against ignorance of other cultures. It can also become a powerful and attractive educational tool for transforming the subjective effects of poverty and exclusion into the learning and practice of creative freedom and democracy. Unfortunately schools are not focusing their attention on the encouragement of reconciliation and a sense of community at this stage. It is crucial this starts happening - it is relatively easy for a community to rebuild its physical infrastructure after conflict, but it is not likely to be sustainable without cultural change.

What Services Are Provided?

We work in the heart of communities using music and arts to facilitate interaction and mobilisation of children and young people through participatory processes, providing training, education, tools, consultancy and support.

Geographical Area of Operation

MwB BiH is a member of the Musicians without Borders international network and work in partnership on projects throughout South East Europe and the Middle East. We cooperate with all kinds of activities in these regions from promotion and campaigns to project design and capacity building.

Funding Resources

• CORDAID –Dutch Development Organisation;
• Children’s Stamps - Stichtung Kinderpostzegels- The Netherlands;
• SDC-Swiss Development and Cooperation;
• Dutch Embassy, Sarajevo;
• UK Embassy, Sarajevo;
• Ministry for Culture and Sport Canton Sarajevo, BiH;
• The Johnson Vax- A family Company, Sarajevo, BiH;
• Mathias Mueller-Zurich, Swiss; and
• Frances Baker Dickman, Phoenix, USA

What Further Information Would You Like?

• Organisations that work on similar issues;
• Information about projects world wide;
• Funding possibilities;
• Networks; and
• Peace Building Initiatives.

What New Contacts Would You Like To Make?

• Foundations that would like to support our organisation in terms of promotion and fundraising; and
• Iconic figures that could support our efforts e.g. Nelson Mandela, Peter Gabriel.

Associated Organisations

• University of Edinburgh prof. Nigel Osborne;
• Opera Circus-Dorset UK;
• Accord International - London UK;
• Inter-Religious Organisation “Eyes to Eyes” Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH);
• Musers – Music Therapy-Mostar BiH;
• Centar for Drama-Mostar BiH;
• Inter-religious Orchestra Sinfonietta - Mostar, BiH;
• South East Europe Youth Orchestra – Sarajevo, BiH;
• Music Academy Sarajevo, BiH;
• Music Academy Banja Luka, BiH;
• Music Academy Lukavica, BiH;
• Youth Council Srebrenica, BiH;
• Mathias Mueller - Zurich, Swiss;
• Elementary and High Schools in region of Srebrenica and Sarajevo, BiH;
• Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Sarajevo and Trebinje, BiH;
• World Music Centre - Mostar, BiH;
• Public Institution Sarajevo Art – Sarajevo, BiH;
• International Festival Sarajevska Zima – Sarajevo, BiH;
• Foundation for Creative Development - Sarajevo, BiH; and
• Dutch Winds Ensemble (Netherlands Blazers Ensemble), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.