News
HRH visits Bosnia and Herzegovina
22nd July 2004
The Prince of Wales continued his day-long visit to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a visit to a school that is pioneering integrated education and a centre that is using music to help children traumatised by war.
The Prince visited the Mostar Gimnazija, a school which is leading the way in the progression of multi-ethnic integrated education.
The school, an ornate Austro-Hungarian building, is on the city's boulevard which was the front line between warring sides from 1992 to 1994.
After the conflict, children were segregated, attending different schools divided along ethnic lines.
In a project led by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Mostar Gimnazija is set to become a school teaching Bosniak, Serb and Croat children.
During his visit to the school, The Prince met a number of teachers and talked with children of all three ethnicities.
Although initially the children will be taught separately, the OSCE are initiating joint extra-curricular activities with the hope that eventually the school will be fully integrated.
One 16-year-old student, Majla Custo, was one of about 20 pupils who met The Prince. She is one of 200 Bosnian students set to start her lessons in the Gimnazija building in September this year.
Majla said: “We had a joint student council which started work in November. Since we met we have become quite good friends but we just didn‘t have the possibility before.”
The Prince asked the teenager and other pupils, including Croats, as he visited one of the restored classrooms: “Are you going to talk to each other and other groups? Hopefully when you come here. I shall watch with great interest.”
After his visit to the Gimnazija, The Prince went on to the Pavarotti Centre where music therapy is helping children who have been traumatised by war.It was set up with funds raised by opera singer Luciano Pavarotti and has UK supporters including the charity War Child.
The Prince visited one session where he saw Sasha, a 15-year-old boy being shown how to use the xylophone and a drum filled with tiny pebbles.
The teenager, a regular attendee of the centre, lost both his parents during the conflict.
The Prince was also treated to a music show by children and made a handprint on one of the walls and signed his name.
Earlier in the day The Prince attended the inaugeration of the restored Stari Most Bridge in Mostar.