EBRD: KREDITI, DONACIJE, SAVJETI ZA MALA I SREDNJA PREDUZEĆA ENERGETSKI SAMIT NEUM

JUNI, 2017., BR. 03

www.reunion.ba

UKLJUČENO
I OPOREZIVANJA
DOHOTKA Izmjene u Zakonu o
unutrašnjoj trgovini FBiH
OSTVARENOG
FREELANCE-OM ZAKON NAJVIŠE
...I OBRNUTO. ‘OSJETE’ PIJACE

KAKO Branimir Brkljača:

POKRENUTI OGLAŠAVANJE
(GLOBALNI) U KLASIČNOM
STARTUP SMISLU JE
DIKTATURA

EDIN SPAGO

I'M A TRAVELER Oh traveler, there is no road to success, the

roads are paved by taking steps.
ISSN: 2490-3248

Agent Locator kanadska 8. Sarajevo Izumitelj iz Sarajeva napravio

firma na hercegovački način Business Forum revoluciju u ishrani i poljoprivredi
977-2490-3248 str. 40 str. 26 str. 52
 Interview Interview

"Edin Spago, that's all, everything else is irrelevant."

I'm a
TRAVELER
OH TRAVELER, THERE IS NO ROAD TO SUCCESS, THE
ROADS ARE PAVED BY TAKING STEPS.

I remember a Chinese story with the message: "It is certain that

you will have fish for dinner if you make an effort to catch it." It is
also the "Herzegovinian" philosophy of life: Do not hesitate! Dive
into the Neretva river, do not let it drown you - and you will swim.

Interviewed by: Sanela Gojak / Photo: Edvin Kalić

A
nother Reunion was
ahead of us. This time
we decided to present
a successful manager, who
is different, more energetic,
more ambitious and more in-
novative in his work. We were
looking for someone who was
equally popular in Sarajevo,
Mostar, Banja Luka, Tuzla...
Someone who has the 'Re-
union factor.' This is a special
criterion - which we have not
yet been able to standardize,
but we perfectly sharpened
the vibe that alerts us when
we are close to the 'right one.'
This time this vibration led us
a little bit to the north, a little
bit to the south, from Banja
Luka to hot Herzegovina,
through the Ferhadija street
in Sarajevo. Throughout this
rambling it was unclear: Who
are we looking for? Where
does he live? What does he
look like?
Just at the moment when
I thought that the most
important detecting machine
of the "real Reunion guy" was
giving up on us, I heard of
him. An altogether different
manager. A traveler. We knew
we couldn't get hold of him.
Just as we couldn't get hold of
the vibe that led us to him. We
can only wait. That day I sent
a message with an interview
request. The wait was worth
it. He sat across me, and the
most unusual conversation
ever started.
For nine years already (and
that in a row) Edin Spago is
the manager of the Philip
Morris International. A futu-
ristic vision and unparalleled

2 3
 Interview
approach to things, people,
and business challenges had
awarded Spago the Manager
of the World in Innovation
and Creativity, despite a huge
competition, for leading the
Red Bull company where he
had at that point worked for
five years.
These days his name is a
synonym for one of the most
innovative managers in BiH
and beyond. Spago’s ideas are
adopted on a global level. He
is the man who was born to
be different and to push the
boundaries of the possible. He
is not walking the road just for
himself; he is often 'creating' it
for others.
When the conversation with
Spago started, I knew he was
expecting a question from the
world of business, marketing
or perhaps to reveal some
secret to success. Today, I am
thinking, maybe he wasn't
expecting, though he might
have known we were going to
start the story with Mostar.
A WAR AFTER THE
WAR, THIS TIME
WITH HIMSELF
“At the very start of the
war everything we had was
destroyed in Mostar, and we
became refugees, first in Cro-
atia and then in Germany. My
carefree and safe childhood
was disrupted. That fall from
the sky into the unknown was
a shock. In fear of uncertainty
I lose my childhood world and
quickly grow up, mature and
begin to lead my own fight,
so I could find my way in that
world, to be accepted there
and become a part of it. That
was not without difficulty. All
those barriers and hardships
in adapting I am quickly and
successfully overcoming. I am
already showing my abili-
ties which were recognized
in school and especially in
the game of football. Being
supported by others, I am
4 5
developing those abilities and
talents and am climbing the
ladder, faster than my peers,
to the highest level an unde-
rage person can attain – the
junior football representation
of Germany.
My quick flight to the heights
has paved my way to great
opportunities and success.
There I am stopped by one
instance. My father brou-
ght me back to Bosnia and
Herzegovina. My return to
Mostar was like falling from
the heights to point zero. To a
new beginning," Spago pauses
shortly and then goes on.
"Upon my return, I have
"There is half of Herzegovinian
blood in me, but it serves me as if
I am a purebred Herzegovinian"
lived through the toughest
period of my life, without any
opportunities in sight. The
town was unrecognizable. To
describe that desolation, that
gray that hung over the town
and in the people and my
soul isn't possible. That shock
was for me the hardest thing
to endure and one I suffered
longer than anything else. It
was a state of a total identity
crisis; horror - dreams, and
reality keep me and fry me in
a nightmare as scorching as
the lava. I'm trying to catch a
straw to save myself. I look
for pre-war friends, and those
encounters have an effect on
me like medication bringing
me back to life. Only in their
company do my ears hear
music, a smile returns to the
face and awakens hope for
salvation. And salvation will
indeed come..." Now I could
perceive a smile on Spago's
face. I knew that we had com-
pleted the toughest part of his
life story. Later there would be
a lot more battles, but none
like this one.
AFTER WINNING
THIS INTERNAL
BATTLE, A 'GOOD
GENIE' COMES
INTO PLAY
“In that dreary everyday life of
Mostar, instead of everything
we used to have, now there
is only desolation. Hopele-
ssness. The suffering in the
soul prolongs the hours and
the days into eternity. I do not
live but endure, like a stone
which for a moment receives a
ray of hope in the dark, which
seems to remind me: I am
here. I won’t leave you. Truly, it
was like that.” begins Spago's
answer to my question about
when salvation came.
Sitting across me, Spago
was asking himself: "How to
explain the events that follow."
I'm not saying anything; I'm
waiting for him to continue ...
"Lost, alone, sitting at a table,
in a cafe, as if a 'good genie'
suddenly put down an Avaz
newspaper onto the table and
whispered to me to open it. I
am opening it, and a loitering
look stops at that fateful va-
cancy - Red Bull looking for a
manager. It startled me! That's
for me - I thought immedia-
tely. I do not know what they
expect from a candidate, but I
enter the game I am not inve-
sting anything into but could
win the main prize. Luck and
games - are miracles"; Spago
smiled again. I knew that we
came out of the introduction
and were entering the main
plot of everything that would
happen in his life afterward.
Looking at the newspaper
and the vacancy, which will
change his life completely and
bring him into the world of
the best and most innovative
managers on the planet, Spa-
go is thinking of how to play
this game, what are its rules,
how to behave and what an
interview looks like. "Que-
stions are like thrown balls,
and everybody has to give a
strong response with as much
confidence and surprise as po-
ssible; like a skillful and tricky
poker player bluffs with bad
cards in his hands and wins
with his big bet. So, I have to
grab every question they ask
me like a thrown ball and use
it skillfully. This is the stream
of consciousness about the
interview," recalls Spago.
"By that time I have already
done the rehearsal in my
head, the panel is there; the
play goes on; we are actors in
the drama. The performance
does not have a reprise," that
moment was the most im-
portant and the most fateful
for Spago." I enter the arena
where it will be decided, to
remain or to perish, but quietly
without a flicker of fear of
failure on my face. I prepared
myself for failure as the stoic
accepts death, but in such a
disturbed state I cannot be a
stoic," we both laughed here
and then he continued. "I am
more fond of the character
of an ancient epic hero who
boldly ventures into the un-
known, into a battle. But when
he encounters never-ending
troubles, the Olympic gods
come to his aid and save
him. Instead of the Olympic
gods, luck was with me and
saved me. Without luck, all my
perseverance, skills, intuiti-
on would not be enough to
overcome the obstacles on my
path and achieve success in
my activities. My story would
not be credible and complete
without my loyal companion
and accomplice – luck."
THE ANXIETY OF
CONQUEST IS
SEEKING NEW
CHALLENGES
- THE GENIE IS
RELEASED FROM
THE BOTTLE
Before opening the door that
will change Spago's life fore-
ver, taking him from Mostar
to distant New York for his
rewards, there was another
challenge. To present him-
self in two minutes and be
better than 1500 candidates
who, just like him, want to
enter inside. There is only
one position.
"Man’s anxiety of conquest
seeks new challenges
and accepts them. Every
point that mountaineers and
longliners reach is just a mo-
ment on the open course,"
says Spago, and we com-
mence the story about the
interview and the opening of
the doors of great Red Bull.
"Being asked I calmly inform
them about my basic bio-
graphical data. Immediately
there comes the question
of why I applied for the
vacancy. My answer was:
'This company fits a man
with great ambitions and se-
lf-confidence because there
are great challenges and
great chances in it. I'm ready
for it.' Immediately, in 10
seconds the second question
comes: 'What would you do
at Red Bull'? I recognize this
question as an arrow, which
directly affects my self-con-
fidence. I did not give them
a moment to wait for the
answer. My brain reacts as
a computer. They get the
answer they probably least
expected. To the challen-
ge - I react quickly, boldly
and confidently. (For some
ears, maybe even impu-
dently.) I ask, 'What kind of
question is that? What kind
of response do you expect?
You can not ask me such a
question because it is ina-
ppropriate." I continue. 'I'm in
front of the door and knock
for it to open and enter an
unknown, but the desirable
lab. I expect you to let me in.
I assure you that I’ll figure
out faster than you expect. If
you give me a chance, if you
even forget this inappropria-
te question, believe it, in six
months you will get a good
response.'" says Spago en-
ding the interview with them
in a very unusual way. Most
of the candidates would use
the short amount of time
allotted for the interview to
present themselves better,
but not Spago.
"There is half of Herze-
govinian blood in me, but
it serves me as if I am a
purebred Herzegovinian," I
continue the interview with
a feeling of playing the game
from Andric's story, of Aska
in front of the wolf," recalls
Spago. http://www.srpski-
kod.org/en/first-level/wolf/
aska-and-the-wolf
"Only the tough, persistent
and tolerant survive there.
This experience is the foun-
dation of the upbringing of
young people. They taught
us this specific philosophy of
life from an early age. What
is this philosophy, how is it
taught - I will illustrate this
through a good example. Our
five to six years old children
are taught to swim, quickly,
brutally and dangerously.
One by one, they throw us
into the wild Neretva river,
and others wait 100 meters
downstream. Shock! You're
drowning, suffocating, but
you're fighting for life - you
thrash your hands and feet
to get to the air. Without
conscious control, the body
only reacts to the move-
ments that rescue it. These
moments of struggle for
life is where you instantly
master the skill of survival;
you get your head out of
the water. You reach out to
hands stretched out to help
you, but you already proved
it to yourself and others - I
swim! These are the lessons
of the philosophy of life.
This is not a philosophy of
waiting (for Godot). From
the very beginning, you have
to 'jump' into the river of
life, so that power, will and
self-confidence crucial to the
battle jet out of you so that
the whirlpools do not engulf
you and the underwater
reefs do not tear you up, to
maintain yourself in order
to live. Already at an early
age, I've mastered short
courses of this philosophy. It
is in my being, my head and
my veins. It encourages me,
pushes me - dive into the
whirlpool of life courageo-
usly, confidently, and you will
swim. It brought me here
and full of confidence I sit in
front of you. I am done. The-
re were no further questions
or comments," Spago pau-
ses, explaining that he could
not see the reaction on their
faces. He did not know if it
was bad, good or excellent.
After a few days – a call:
“Edo you're hired!” Even
today I remember the words
of a man from Red Bull. He
rendered me speechless. A
wave of excitement and joy
choke me. The door opened.
“Edo now is the time to
prove yourself,” and I firmly
convinced myself that I
could do it. And so it was.
The power of my will soon
emerged. With full sails I
started solving problems in
the program, I propose new
content for strengthening
and expanding the market.
My contribution quickly
Interview
became evident; the results
were getting better, they
became impressive. I get
acknowledgments, praise of
a successful manager. My
contribution was unmatched
in increasing sales by 800%
in eighteen months," tells
Spago about his beginning in
this global company.
With his innovativeness,
ability, and persistence, the
achievements and recogni-
tions are being lined up. The
most representative one
is from New York, where
Spago was named the 2009
World's Manager in Innova-
tion, Creativity and Finding
New Solutions to Business
Challenges, Media Relati-
ons, Publicity, etc. After that
award and upon returning to
Bosnia and Herzegovina, the
Philip Morris International
is inquiring about him, and
they started with their offers
to move him to their team.
This is also a story that has
led us to Spago.
"I'm a traveler. Countless
mounts in front of me lure
me to carve my note up
there, and I listen attentively
for a new call. I'm still rela-
tively young, with plenty of
strength, but I do not make
great plans for the future. I
am like a hunter, I chase the
chances in my way and do
everything I can to overcome
their challenges. I see my
moving to Phillip Morris as a
move of a player to a bigger
club," concludes Spago.
We in Bosnia and Herze-
govina have forgotten that
it is possible to succeed in
this way, That doors open in
ways other than money.
"My example says: never say
never. Look for a way out
of every difficult situation
alone, determined, confident
and courageous. It's up to
you. Do not wait for a call or
help, go now! These messa-
ges would sound like mere
slogans, had they not been
 Interview
derived from experience,"
says Spago, confirming the
idea we had at the be-
ginning, that we are sitting
with one of those people
who could do it all.
HAPPINESS
MEANS TO
EXPERIENCE
YOURSELF
"Courageously, I enter new
challenges. I recommend it
to every young man. It feeds
me. My life is a self-tempta-
tion in the world. So I live, 'so
I grow.' I have the inner need
to be successful, to prove
myself in front of myself and
others; From Mount Prenj to
the Alps, over the Himalayas
and further on to the Moon
and beyond, beyond... Hap-
piness cannot be measured
by something that can be
quantified. It is essentially an
experience of yourself, the
experience of your success
in achieving your goals,"
explains Spago, continuing
the story of how important
it is to find your own way to
true happiness.
"It's not by chance that I
spoke of Herzegovinian
philosophy of life, it's an
important fact. It is close to
the German spirit and men-
tality which to some extent
has remained inside of me
from experience gained from
living there, and that is what
drives me constantly. This is
not the predominant chara-
cteristic of Bosnians. Let us
confirm this. Go through the
small streets in Baščaršija
/Sarajevo Old Town/. You
will see there in a small
workshop; a father is ham-
mering copper plates, and
coffee cups, his son beside
him imitate the work of his
father, then he goes to buy
burek /Bosnian Meat Pie/,
cakes, and coffee from the
neighboring area to Slatko
Ćoše. The same ambiance in
6 7
which the grandfather has
worked is also a grandson’s
environment, with a little
innovation and improvement
as the old proverb goes: "Do
as you father has done."
This a picture of a mentality
changes slowly. However,
there are already encoura-
ging changes in Bosnia, still
small to change the state
and the image of this men-
tality. The spirit of the Ger-
man mentality, characteristic
in the "spirit of Protestan-
tism," is very present there.
That aspiration to the higher
can be shown in the request
- the son must walk at least
one step further than the
father; to climb according to
the saying “Where I stopped,
you shall continue.” That is
the essence of discomfort
with the achieved, the spirit
of progress that should be
affirmed in Bosnia. It is
the initiator within human
nature that has brought
the development of human
history as it is today.
In each population and every
nation there are at least 10%
of those with abilities and
aspirations for "more," but
the environment in whi-
ch they live does not give
them a chance. Bosnia and
Herzegovina does not stand
well on this principle. There
are plenty of those with the
big potential in themselves
here, but in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, they will most
likely stay "drowsy" while
those who go to the world,
into a different environment,
show it successfully. I have
demonstrated and develo-
ped my abilities only with
the lucky circumstances that
I knocked on the door where
the support is given to the
capable and ambitious. This
proves I'm not a magician, a
wizard but I'm not without
luck either. It accompanies
me, and I try to make my
best performances," explains
Spago, adding that his will
Look for a way out of every
difficult situation alone,
determined, confident and
courageous. It's up to you. Do not
wait for a call or help, go now!
and happiness are his loyal
companions.
EVERYTHING IS
UNPREDICTABLE,
ONLY CHANGE IS
CERTAIN
It's not hard to notice that
Spago is a very energetic
person; on the other hand,
conversation with him is very
pleasant, quiet, and unusually
interesting. I ask him how
manages to be a 'quick sage.'
"By temperament, I am a
dynamic, powerful machine
in action. However, there are
jobs where I have to restrain
myself and tell myself - be
careful! Preparations for the
action require that because
the preparation is complex
and accountable. All human
decisions are followed by
uncertainty and fear of failure.
Therefore, in measuring and
taking risks in the design of
projects, programs, and decisi-
ons, is wisely to acknowledge
the existence of unpredictable
and uncertain and seriously
treat it. Therefore, when I
design projects and decisions
that I propose to introduce to
the company's business I take
these warnings and experien-
ce gained seriously, so I keep
my temper under control.
That's what I'm trying to do
more and more, and all the
Interview
more I succeed... explains Spa-
go, continuing to emphasize
the importance of precaution
in this uncertain world.
"Why is precaution nece-
ssary? Because everything is
uncertain. The world economy,
the market, the business en-
vironment - are more chaotic
than the organized world. It is
a huge field of human practice
in which there is an imme-
asurable number of actors
of varying significance and
powers that overlap, collide,
associate, collapse, grow
rapidly from minimal to pla-
netary dimensions; from the
"Flutter of a butterfly's wing"
to the power of the tsunami
on the market.
The changes are so fast that
they elude any scientific
endeavor. Economics faculties,
institutes, scientific books of
economists with the highest
scientific awards, and noble
laureates do not give reliable
predictions for the future. The
best proof is an example from
the United States. Three Nobel
laureates from the field of
economics had pooled funds
and formed a company there.
Besides all the company's
success forecasts, it went
bankrupt in 18 months. And
what director of a firm, a
financier, would not want to
have a Nobel laureate as a
manager. In addition to this,
nobody's project guarantees
 Interview
a sure success. Why is that
so? Because science creates
images, it reveals causal links
between the phenomena that
have occurred yesterday or
today, but the tomorrow's
predictions are all unreliable,
and sometimes they are "so
dead" that they would even
embarrass fortune tellers.
Where were world experts
until the eve of the outbreak
of the crisis that flared up
and collapsed the real estate
market in the United States in
1987. Why are market proce-
sses unpredictable? Because
human actions are unpredi-
ctable," says Spago.
It is precisely in the psycho-
logy, knowledge of the men-
tality and the ability to look at
things from the perspective of
consumers, users, that have
brought Spago many awards,
campaigns, and ideas, which
are being adopted on the
global level.
"The market is not governed
by rational laws because
human behavior and decisions
made are not based on reason
and logic, but are more a
result of brain processes that
take place below the scope of
reason. (Schopenhauer argues
that the conscious mind is the
servant of will, not its master.)
In this context, the influence
of emotions on decision-ma-
king and business projects,
markets and business flow, in
general, should be seriously
researched.
This knowledge focuses on
the practice of neuromarke-
ting which, with its influence
supports and improves the
results of business projects
and activities. A highly influen-
tial contemporary direction in
economic science, neuroeco-
nomics (Daniel Kahneman and
others) argue that one cannot
understand processes in the
economy, the market without
knowing the processes in the
brain of people, especially
those that occur below the
8 9
I am an autodidactic person,
and I got polished in life and
got up on my feet without
anyone’s help. I do not owe
gratitude to any political
party or individuals.
scope of reason. There is a
source of intuition, too, and
intuition provides solutions,
conclusions, and predictions
faster and often more reliable
than reason through logical
procedures. It is the midd-
le path of "quick thinking"
without the dictates of reason
and "free will." The quick, wise
and productive decisions are
most likely achievements of
people who are highly gifted
with intuition. It is stronger in
the inventive, discoverers and
artists who create their works
free from strict rules of logic
where two and two are always
four. It has been shown
that the successful work of
managers requires knowledge
from modern psychology and
neuroeconomics. These fin-
dings remove the amazement
when an enterprise which is
not supported by the reason
produces positive effects.
In planning, designing and
proposing projects, I always
try to get acquainted with the
behaviors and expectations of
business partners with whom
I will work in implementing the
projects. This has proven to
be very useful and produced
better results," says Spago.
SOMEONE IS
POLLUTING THE
THOUGHTS OF
YOUNG PEOPLE –
THEY MUST THINK
AS INDEPENDENT
THINKERS
We asked Spago what does
his intuition say for youth in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. What
is his opinion of the current si-
tuation? He responds honestly
and openly.
"I will be open in my answer;
I do not want anyone to read
what I'm going to say as a
political speech. I am not
dealing with politics, neither
practically nor theoretically.
I am an autodidactic person,
and I got polished in life and
got up on my feet without
anyone’s help. I do not owe
gratitude to any political
party or individuals. However,
throughout my whole life, I
will be grateful to those who
recognized my potential and
gave me a chance. I do not
have any barriers or fears to
say what I see and think.
I’ve been all my life with
the youth. I know very well
young people in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, and to some
extent outside of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. I am with the
youth with all my being, mind,
and heart and share their
concerns. A reasonable man
cannot but sympathize with
them and must want them to
be better, to help them – so
they help themselves. They
seek causes for their dark,
miserable destiny – they seek
those who are responsible for
it. Now they are already able
to locate and address those
responsible and the biggest
perpetrators among them.
However, they do not go
further from it; they are only
sporadically associating and
loudly calling those from the
correct addresses.
The will, hope, and confidence
in themselves that they can do
something for themselves are
so terribly ruined in the youth.
This must not remain their
destiny. And who will change
it? They alone, no one else. In
such misery, as it is in Bosnia
and Herzegovina, only a small
number of lucky ones find
employment or get it through
"connections" and often not
the best ones are among them.
Everyone else has no chance,
but here I put the focus on
them because this situation
needs and requires a thorough
change of environment, to
make it better for everyone,
especially for the young people
and their employment.
The carrier of such changes
must appear on the scene.
This cannot and will not be
done by those who have
brought young people into this
situation. Who is this carrier?
How do I recognize him? First,
I spent the war in Germany; I
have not experienced all the
horrors of war; a healthy trust
in people, especially in the
youth remained in me. I do not
suffer from fear and suspicion
of "others." Now, who are
these “others” in our heads? It
is a phantom image crea-
ted by a war logic and fate;
chipping apart anything that
could break, and it was once a
whole. The fear of the "others"
which perpetuates, and is
being transferred to the youth,
"heating" them up - should
be treated as seriously as any
illness, with the assistance of
sociologists, psychologists,
educators and psychiatrists,
and "heaters" should be left
to judicial bodies. The whole is
not "broken" in my conscio-
usness, though I see serious
cracks around me. I say that
in Bosnia and Herzegovina if
we want to see it properly, the
youth is equal, far more than
what they think of themselves
because someone is polluting
their thoughts. Many concerns
restrain young people, but
they have to relieve themse-
lves from the mentoring of
the seniors and to think with
their heads about their life.
Secondly, young people have
to socialize and associate.
I want to encourage individuals
to move into the job search.
In answering this question,
I wanted to convince the
youth that they are the most
numerous in this suffering.
United, they can choose their
representatives instead of
their current one, who will
take care of youth as a primary
social interest. I do not see
anyone else and any other
way; here one isn’t in sight. Yo-
ung people, this is your chance.
Unite on the way towards your
salvation," says Spago. Everyt-
hing is better than waiting and
passiveness, waiting is usually
barren, and passiveness is de-
trimental. It is dangerous for
health; It stunts both body and
mind. Passiveness is a disease
that is the basis for other
diseases. Employed or not –
they, especially young people,
must be active. We gain some
experience from activities, so
if the activity does not bring
earnings – the very experience
is a profit. The activity stren-
gthens the will, the body, the
attention and develops new
skills, in the activities we meet
and get to know new people,
through them, we come to
some information that can
be useful to us, and through
them, we can get a chance.
Short-term activities, such
as helping neighbors, helping
the environment, in terms of
cleaning the streets or the city,
should be accepted. All of this
can be mental recuperation,
prevention, care for our health
and personality integrity.
To preserve the integrity, in
this jobless hopelessness,
there must be some acti-
vity. That's why there are
hundreds of possibilities in
the environment. If you are in
the village, there are special
opportunities there where
some seasonal jobs can be
carried out, like picking forest
fruit or medicinal herbs. There
are 120 types of healing herbs
in Herzegovina. Handbooks
should be obtained on where
their habitats are when they
are harvested, dried, who
redeems them and who
processes them as raw ma-
terials in the pharmaceutical
industry or cosmetic products.
Some time ago the tradition
of Bosnia cultivated mutual
help and cooperation, aid to
the known, or the unknown,
accidental passer-by, help
to those who are alive and
work for a good cause that
will serve future generations.
There are even now whole
hills of walnuts that have been
planted by such benefactors.
Interview
There are many hillsides of
lush forests that have been
planted by children and young
people on barren land 50 years
ago. Today when the army of
people, especially young pe-
ople are not employed, there
are no such actions as before.
Why has this tradition to work
for free faded in Bosnia, to do
something that is meaningful
to someone else, a general
good? Is it the product of that
riddle that someone had brou-
ght to Bosnia and Herzegovina
right after the war and today is
very popular and widely used
– what’s in it for me? That me-
ans I will not do anything that
does not pay me. This is not
good for Bosnia; it's not good
for the youth. It is an attack on
our tradition of benevolence.
That is why this ugly question
should be suppressed and
forgotten. You should be and
remain active on any job, even
though you are not paid, while
you are looking for a job. I am
convinced that good deeds
are followed by some type
of profit, sometimes from a
completely different way and
in an unexpected form, and
therefore do not give up on
useful work, because it can
be an investment for a very
important gain.
All this needs to be regu-
larly monitored. It might be
helpful to call those who make
money here to put it in banks
in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
to strengthen the funds and
banks that give loans for
business to young people. This
would certainly encourage the
diaspora to be more determi-
ned in putting its savings into
banks in Bosnia and Herze-
govina. They will do it for the
sake of the youth, even before
accepting the appeal of the
politicians, who keep their mo-
ney elsewhere but invite peo-
ple from the diaspora to invest
their hard-earned money in
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Our youth has the potential to
succeed and is not even aware
 Interview
of it. The lethargy that holds it
feeds helplessness, and one
must get out of the closed
mentality in which the spirit
of the province remains "The
spirit of the province." The
dreams of young people have
to become a rooster’s call for
awakening, to quench a new,
bright day.
And here, in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, God has planted
seeds for native and healthy
fruits by the fields, the hills
and the valleys of the river, but
they have to be released from
the weeds. Along with the
effort and care the fruit of our
youth will all rejuvenate us;
bring us lost hope back and a
bright smile on our faces.
Finally, I point to the toast
of hope and good wishes for
youth in Bosnia and Herzego-
vina. Vivat, crescat, floreat! -
To live, grow and flourish!
We talked about everything
important but least about
you? How does a traveler
spend his free time?
"Even outside regular working
time, I'm still ‘at work’ for a
long time. This job of mine,
when you accept it – requ-
ires not to be measured by
working time, it calls you up
and makes you attached, while
you are walking, while you are
laying down wanting to sleep -
a problem with your job alerts
you and you say: Eureka! He-
re's the solution! You jump up
and note it down, and so from
day to night, from Sunday to
Saturday. Travels relax me and
entertain me. There are always
some new routes and destina-
tions. I maintain contact with
a lot of acquaintances, who
often become friends: greeting
cards, messages, visits and jo-
int trips. It’s been like this since
my early youth – ‘I spend the
days, and they spent me, too.’”
Spago says and continues
to recall the most important
lessons he has gained in life,
which may now, at the end
of this interview, be a great en-
10
ding. Just as good and strong
as the story of children and
Neretva, which he was talking
about at the doorsteps of his
new and better world.
I do not know why I felt that
this part was so important
that I let him tell it until the
end without me asking him a
single question. I believe this
will serve as an inspiration
to someone who reads it to
enter (or move) into a new and
better club. I'm sure Spago
would've wanted the same
thing, too.
"One does not even know
Our youth has the potential to
succeed and is not even aware of
it. The lethargy that holds it feeds
helplessness, and one must get out
of the closed mentality in which the
spirit of the province remains
"The spirit of the province."
what he's taken from the
parental home. This is being
revealed in him over time. I
have taken the imperative – a
man must remain a man: open
to the world, always above the
professional horizon, which
limits and consumes you or
dumbs you down. That cry in
me saves me from forgetting
myself, not to lose ourselves
in the world and the profes-
sion. I hear the echo of many
stories I've heard in my family.
Some stories and their me-
ssages and lessons I under-
stood just later. Through these
stories, the mother wanted to
build up important views on
life in us, children. I remember
the Chinese story with the
message: "It is certain that
you will have fish for a dinner
if you struggle to catch it." It
is also the "Herzegovinian"
philosophy of life: Do not hesi-
tate! Dive into Neretva, do not
let it drown you - and you will
swim. And the father, he acted
differently with us, he would
give us problem-solving tasks
and would bother us less us
with long stories and lectu-
ring. He has drawn us into a
dialogue about some sayings.
He would have told us short
moral proverbs, quoted some
wise men. Some of them have
remained my permanent trait,
life signs, and lighthouses, the
extract of knowledge of the
wise men for the strengt-
hening of life. I recall some:
SABUR! /Calm down/. Realize
yourself. Everything flows.
Doubt everything. Morning
shows the day, so the verses
like "fragile knowledge," "We
shall have to cross the river."
And he would courage us with
immortal Radović: "In the to-
be-or-not-to-be situation - I
chose to be."
He rarely told us what he
thought; he encouraged us to
think for ourselves. Strange,
he was staring at books his
entire life, but 4000 of his bo-
oks went up in flames during
the war and therefore he was
shocked. Since then, his one
eye has followed us, and ano-
ther one the world into which
Interview
we enter; as a conductor
whose stick reads the score,
and he listens and cheers the
voices and consonants of the
family choir.
He did not like us telling jokes
about Mujo /stereotype of a
stupid Bosnian/, but he told us
one, and after some time he
was checking on us to see if
we remembered it and under-
stood the message which we
had to find ourselves.
Let us finish with that joke:
“Mujo”, - the questioner asks
– “What would you do if you
were hungry and you caught
a rabbit?”
Mujo looked at him, then his
children, and said,
“I'd eat soup and wait for the
rabbit to give birth.”
We came to a consensus.
Mujo is not a pessimist and
not stupid.
His 50% makes him optimistic,
second, life has taught him
that seed and hope must be
preserved - for the future.
We ended the conversation.
Spago gave us a lot of infor-
mation and pieces of advice,
based on personal experience.
On the other hand, everything
he said about himself is so
applicable to anyone else. In
fact, Spago least talked about
himself and most for the
benefit of others. There was
another question in my mind,
something I found out at the
beginning which did not fit into
a jigsaw puzzle. I needed to
ask him to be on the safe side.
'Spago that's all, everything
else is irrelevant' - where
did the neighborhood learn
about it?
"Try to put your name and
the puzzle is solved, if all of
us did it, this could be the
perfect world?"
11