Croatian heritage means different things to us all.
How do you express what it means to you?
We want to hear your thoughts on the 2008 theme and some ideas for discussion listed below.
Do you feel Croatians in Australia are stereotyped?
How do you feel when there is an item in the press that casts a negative light on Croatians?
Do you openly discuss your connection to Croatia with colleagues?
Are you uplifted by Croatia’s sporting achievements?
Do Croatian travel features, images of Makybe Diva, Vegeta in shops and Eric Bana evoke any particular feelings from you?
How do your actions, and the actions of others, impact your sense of identity?
This forum is for people with Croatian heritage, connections or interests. Please keep the language clean and refrain from derogatory comments, as they may be removed or edited.
I have always been excited about even the littlest of Croatian things that pop up in the wider Australian culture. I love when Getaway does a feature on Plitvice or there’s a Croatian special on Food Safari because it means the image of Croatia as a wholesome European tourist destination can displace images of war and instability. I think this is an image that Croatians in the diaspora have had to work very hard to overcome and I know that I personally have seen this stereotype described to me many times. I am amazed when, to this day, there are people who ask me if things have ’settled down over there’ or ask if it’s safe to go. Or I have heard it referred to as one of those ‘angry little balkan countries’.
As much as I initially find it offensive, I try to remind myself that I don’t understand the current bloodshed in Georgia, and I don’t know the socio-political dynamics of many small countries, so I guess on some level ignorance is not a vice of itself. However I would like to think that I try not to generalise about such situations. Being unaware of your ignorance and allowing it to lead to negative and unjustified stereotyping is, in my opinion, a great vice.
For the most part I think Croatia is really becoming a modern European nation in the eyes of most people in Australia and abroad – just look at how many tourists extol its virtues in English, Spanish and a whole host of languages. But I also feel we still have a long way to go in promoting the many beautiful things that Croatia has to offer. The idea of being an ambassador is so poignant and valid. Every time you do something positive in your life, regardless of how inconsequential it may seem, you are promoting a good image of the Croatian contribution to Australia. I guess the reverse is also true.
Being a cultural ambassador doesn’t have to be a shameless bias for all things Croatian – just a desire to share your culture with others. I am proud to be both Croatian and Australian and find that as much as I beamingly promote Croatia here, I do the same for Australia when I am over there.
I would like to think we are at a place now where we can put regional and political differences aside, move beyond our historical viewpoints and be positive ambassadors for the country of our heritage, in the country where we live.