[Music]
do you know how Bosnia is most often
defined well a response to that question
refers to a very common Bosnian quote
very famous in our country where the
logic has its end that is where Bosnia
begins but can that be a reasonable
response and can a lack of logic be the
reason for repeated conflicts in our
region let us have a look could it maybe
be the communication you know you might
have been told that we speak three
different languages in Bosnia let us
take the cigarette pack as an example
all our languages are three languages
they sound the same they mean the same
only one is written everything
differently so it cannot be the language
or the communication as the cause for
the conflict what about religion as we
have been told again and again the three
world religions did not teach us to hurt
and to kill each other so we can exclude
religion as a reason for war for any
word in the world I guess what is it
then in my opinion it is the hate it is
the hate which has been intensifying for
hundreds of years as my country and our
people have been treated as transitory
items for mighty world powers it is the
hate which has been based on and grown
from continues dissatisfaction and
frustration frustration with our legal
systems which came from outside and were
made by people from outside frustration
with our leaders and a highly
satisfaction with our economic situation
what did the war live in Bosnia
Herzegovina
it left complete destruction destruction
of homes destruction of houses
destruction of lives including
destruction of ethics my Bosnian people
seem to be unwilling to work they seem
to be not willing to achieve anything in
their lives they seem to be standing
still and waiting for some for somebody
from outside to come and to save them
it’s an absolute illogical consequence
don’t you think as we have been taught
like that for hundreds of years when you
travel Bosnia you will realize how empty
our country is there are many many
villages which are left ruined by war
and abandoned by people thousands and
thousands of acres are lying there and
exploited and are turning into a jungle
in every sense so what can we do about
that well giving up is not an option my
name is Ivana Stepanovich I’m a Bosnian
refugee who returned to its home to my
home country after three decades I have
had the privilege to grow up in Austria
and to take a different look a look from
the distance at my home country again
which led me to turn back to Bosnia I am
the woman who has been told a snowflake
does not make an avalanche or the first
swallow does not bring spring but let me
tell you what I’m doing down there
concretely I have decided to take this
energy of hate we have down there to
take the left villages the empty fields
you know and to turn them into something
good this is how Bosnia grows organic
was born our business concept is based
on leasing overgrown fields in left
villages cleaning them from overgrown
and from Borivali winds and plant
aromatic and medicinal herbs on them why
because we definitely need some healing
down there we plant organic
as we do feel responsible for the people
working on our fields we feel
responsible for the people who are going
to consume our organic herbs one day our
aim is to create a Bosnian Brent a
strong Bosnian Brent which will show the
world how wonderfully diverse we are and
how much of the world can come from
Bosnia all further aim is to reunite
people who have forgotten how much they
have in common and how wonderfully
diverse they are and that if you were
not there in diversities which led to
the war in the 90s we live in in order
to to encourage revival in the region
we’ll leave space for every release
giver where she or he can rebuild their
homes again we are trying one of the
aims is to reunite people again how are
we doing that we bring different
ethnicities back close together we make
them work with each other work on
something very meaningful which makes
them part of the project how we tell
them what to do and how to do it and why
do they have to do that you know so they
understand by bringing them back
together we can literally watch how a
discussion starts on our fields again
because now they have one more topic
besides the hate and the dissatisfaction
it is our project they’re being part of
by offering an atmosphere at our fields
which is very cooperative you know very
respectful we do not regard where
somebody comes from or which religion he
or she belongs to we increase the
reception of each individual in our
workforce thus staying in Bosnia
suddenly makes more sense than fleeing
the country because of some economic
causes we bring back our relief givers
you know some of them haven’t been there
since three decades and you can see the
emotions here on the picture yeah which
we cope with almost every day we bring
them back and suddenly they are turning
back more often why because they have a
reason why our village is turning back
to life
you know and they turn back and they
were hanging with our team and talked to
us and they’re coming more often some of
them are even considering building a
second home or rebuilding the home
they’re back again it’s more and more
producers this is rather with our lovely
two daughters from Banja Luka addresses
we are planning to start corporations
within our Bosnian brand with other
Bosnian producers you know they keep
telling us how how inspirational we are
because we show them how they can do
business with the resources we do have
in a long term and in a successful way
is it hard yes it is we are here coping
with challenges every day what do you
think how long does it take you to
register a tractor in Bosnia well we
would have been expecting you know that
it takes 30 minutes max if this is an
easy one you know it took us three days
and seven visits to that department
there does to the industry in an
institution being a start-up how long do
you think does it take you to get a text
number well in Australia something about
five days on average in Bosnia
it took us five months you know who have
been very well trained in our patience
and burned the best way to becoming
dalai lama’s down there and everything
went well in the end does it hurt yes it
does it hurts almost every day you know
a reasonable aspect to change to
consider is that it does hurt but we are
being fed by good wipes from the people
on our project every day and by the
results by the amazing results we have
in the meantime after one year after one
year of work I will show you some before
and after pictures right now what we
have done so far is we have least 40
hectares
from from families who had to flee the
village to save their lives we have
cleaned 10 hectares by now
five of them are already planted we are
planning our next planting session this
autumn and we will focus only at
cultures or on cultures which the market
needs of course and which can very very
well grow in our a climatic conditions
and on our quality of soil this is how a
field to look like at the beginning this
is how it looks like right now again
before in the after picture we have been
told that we will never be able to
create some kind of a work force due to
the reason I was telling you about you
know the people who are on going to work
etc etc by now we are a team of eleven
people and it did not become truth what
we have been told at the beginning now
standing here in front of you you
remember I have been so dull that a
snowflake doesn’t make an avalanche and
yeah that the first follow does not
bring spring now I’m standing here with
some guys of my team in front of you and
I really want to invite you to become
snowflakes in your neighborhoods in your
partnerships your relationships in the
regions to live in because you know does
the first follow bring spring yes it
does thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
do you know how Bosnia is most often
defined well a response to that question
refers to a very common Bosnian quote
very famous in our country where the
logic has its end that is where Bosnia
begins but can that be a reasonable
response and can a lack of logic be the
reason for repeated conflicts in our
region let us have a look could it maybe
be the communication you know you might
have been told that we speak three
different languages in Bosnia let us
take the cigarette pack as an example
all our languages are three languages
they sound the same they mean the same
only one is written everything
differently so it cannot be the language
or the communication as the cause for
the conflict what about religion as we
have been told again and again the three
world religions did not teach us to hurt
and to kill each other so we can exclude
religion as a reason for war for any
word in the world I guess what is it
then in my opinion it is the hate it is
the hate which has been intensifying for
hundreds of years as my country and our
people have been treated as transitory
items for mighty world powers it is the
hate which has been based on and grown
from continues dissatisfaction and
frustration frustration with our legal
systems which came from outside and were
made by people from outside frustration
with our leaders and a highly
satisfaction with our economic situation
what did the war live in Bosnia
Herzegovina
it left complete destruction destruction
of homes destruction of houses
destruction of lives including
destruction of ethics my Bosnian people
seem to be unwilling to work they seem
to be not willing to achieve anything in
their lives they seem to be standing
still and waiting for some for somebody
from outside to come and to save them
it’s an absolute illogical consequence
don’t you think as we have been taught
like that for hundreds of years when you
travel Bosnia you will realize how empty
our country is there are many many
villages which are left ruined by war
and abandoned by people thousands and
thousands of acres are lying there and
exploited and are turning into a jungle
in every sense so what can we do about
that well giving up is not an option my
name is Ivana Stepanovich I’m a Bosnian
refugee who returned to its home to my
home country after three decades I have
had the privilege to grow up in Austria
and to take a different look a look from
the distance at my home country again
which led me to turn back to Bosnia I am
the woman who has been told a snowflake
does not make an avalanche or the first
swallow does not bring spring but let me
tell you what I’m doing down there
concretely I have decided to take this
energy of hate we have down there to
take the left villages the empty fields
you know and to turn them into something
good this is how Bosnia grows organic
was born our business concept is based
on leasing overgrown fields in left
villages cleaning them from overgrown
and from Borivali winds and plant
aromatic and medicinal herbs on them why
because we definitely need some healing
down there we plant organic
as we do feel responsible for the people
working on our fields we feel
responsible for the people who are going
to consume our organic herbs one day our
aim is to create a Bosnian Brent a
strong Bosnian Brent which will show the
world how wonderfully diverse we are and
how much of the world can come from
Bosnia all further aim is to reunite
people who have forgotten how much they
have in common and how wonderfully
diverse they are and that if you were
not there in diversities which led to
the war in the 90s we live in in order
to to encourage revival in the region
we’ll leave space for every release
giver where she or he can rebuild their
homes again we are trying one of the
aims is to reunite people again how are
we doing that we bring different
ethnicities back close together we make
them work with each other work on
something very meaningful which makes
them part of the project how we tell
them what to do and how to do it and why
do they have to do that you know so they
understand by bringing them back
together we can literally watch how a
discussion starts on our fields again
because now they have one more topic
besides the hate and the dissatisfaction
it is our project they’re being part of
by offering an atmosphere at our fields
which is very cooperative you know very
respectful we do not regard where
somebody comes from or which religion he
or she belongs to we increase the
reception of each individual in our
workforce thus staying in Bosnia
suddenly makes more sense than fleeing
the country because of some economic
causes we bring back our relief givers
you know some of them haven’t been there
since three decades and you can see the
emotions here on the picture yeah which
we cope with almost every day we bring
them back and suddenly they are turning
back more often why because they have a
reason why our village is turning back
to life
you know and they turn back and they
were hanging with our team and talked to
us and they’re coming more often some of
them are even considering building a
second home or rebuilding the home
they’re back again it’s more and more
producers this is rather with our lovely
two daughters from Banja Luka addresses
we are planning to start corporations
within our Bosnian brand with other
Bosnian producers you know they keep
telling us how how inspirational we are
because we show them how they can do
business with the resources we do have
in a long term and in a successful way
is it hard yes it is we are here coping
with challenges every day what do you
think how long does it take you to
register a tractor in Bosnia well we
would have been expecting you know that
it takes 30 minutes max if this is an
easy one you know it took us three days
and seven visits to that department
there does to the industry in an
institution being a start-up how long do
you think does it take you to get a text
number well in Australia something about
five days on average in Bosnia
it took us five months you know who have
been very well trained in our patience
and burned the best way to becoming
dalai lama’s down there and everything
went well in the end does it hurt yes it
does it hurts almost every day you know
a reasonable aspect to change to
consider is that it does hurt but we are
being fed by good wipes from the people
on our project every day and by the
results by the amazing results we have
in the meantime after one year after one
year of work I will show you some before
and after pictures right now what we
have done so far is we have least 40
hectares
from from families who had to flee the
village to save their lives we have
cleaned 10 hectares by now
five of them are already planted we are
planning our next planting session this
autumn and we will focus only at
cultures or on cultures which the market
needs of course and which can very very
well grow in our a climatic conditions
and on our quality of soil this is how a
field to look like at the beginning this
is how it looks like right now again
before in the after picture we have been
told that we will never be able to
create some kind of a work force due to
the reason I was telling you about you
know the people who are on going to work
etc etc by now we are a team of eleven
people and it did not become truth what
we have been told at the beginning now
standing here in front of you you
remember I have been so dull that a
snowflake doesn’t make an avalanche and
yeah that the first follow does not
bring spring now I’m standing here with
some guys of my team in front of you and
I really want to invite you to become
snowflakes in your neighborhoods in your
partnerships your relationships in the
regions to live in because you know does
the first follow bring spring yes it
does thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
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