Dear colleagues,

Dear colleagues,

We, students of Belgrade, would like to address you as our colleagues and
also as young people in whose hands lays the future of our planet. It has
been two long months of destruction of our country and its people.
Unfortunately, NATO didn't spare institutions of education. On a contrary,
they destroyed or heavily damaged over 200 schools, great number of
University buildings such as faculties, academies, student campuses. None of
7 Universities in Yugoslavia avoided bombing of its buildings. Belgrade's
University suffered serious damage on Academy for Film and Theater and
Faculty of Agriculture. In spite everything, most of students in Yugoslavia
are studying very hard for exams in June. We have always been hungry for
knowledge and absolute nothing cannot change that, not even horrible days
and nights we are going through. Studying is our way to divert our thoughts
out of bombardment and our way to prepare ourselves for reconstruction of
our country which hopefully will come soon. Our brave professors are kind
enough to attend exams, in spite of air-raid sirens which going on and off
several times a day, in of spite detonations which shake our city, in spite
of noise of NATO planes which are flying above our heads.
We are trying to ignore very difficult conditions for studying. Our
electricity power system is almost destroyed and we get power for only few
hours a day and some times not even that long. Water supply situation is
also very complex and running water is luxury these days in Yugoslavia. But,
we are facing reality even though that reality is very gray. Isn't the fact
that "Hamlet" was written under the light of the candle ? Isn't the fact
that Leonardo da Vinci made his revolutionary discoveries under candle light
? Who knows, maybe there is another great man in Belgrade preparing his
master- piece under candle light and under bombs.
Belgrade's University was always very healthy environment for education of
future scientists, artists, experts in various fields of knowledge. For
decades, our University hosted young people from all around the world which
came to our country to get excellent education. Also, our students won
numerous awards on various contests worldwide. Education in Yugoslavia is
free on all levels and anyone who wants to be educated has opportunity to do
that for free. That is why we proudly pointing out the fact that the number
of people with high education was always one of the highest in Europe.
For this reasons we are pleading for You to raise Your voice against this
barbaric destruction of knowledge, youth and joy.

Sincerely Yours,
Belgrade Academic Association for Equal Rights in the World

Received on Thursday, 27 May 1999 19:49:38 UTC