The visitors of the Intercultural Festival organised by the MIFOC are invited to experience an exhibition and to inform themselves about globalization- and migration-issues and the 'Borders'-project and its idea. The 'Borders'-van touring the city and its sorroundings intervenes in the daily life of the Mostar citizens. On the 14th of july 2002 'Borders' takes place at the staklena banka, the bomb-devasted main bank-building in the center of Mostar. Where only broken glass remains an interactive multimedia performance thematizises the construct of 'ethnicism' and poses questions on nationalism, police-repression, borders, deportations and exclusion.

MIFOC is an international federation of independent socio-cultural organizations registered as a citizens association in 2001. Currently it consists of 7 members organizations Mladi Most, Skart Art and Alternativni Institut from Mostar, Drugi Most/Grenoble, and Guernica/Toulouse from France, RAI/Barcelona from Spain and CRAMS/Monticello from Italy as well as many individuals from all sides of the world. It's in 1997 that Drugi Most and Guernica, two French citizens associations came to Mostar and BiH with the aim of building cooperation and projects in the socio-cultural fields and step by step, with the involvement of youth and various organizations from Mostar, a 'collective' was formed and gradually grew into a federation.

MIFOC is an original and unique project in post-war Bosnia Herzegovina which creates the possibility for youth to find its place in this post war society, building their future with their tools and knowledge while being supported by an European network of independent organizations. While growing up, more and more NGOs and volunteers are taking part in forming and strengthening reflexions, actions and trying to achieve a bigger impact on national and European level.

In 1994, Mladi Most was founded through the initiative of some Dutch and German volunteers. At this time, still during the war between the Muslims and Bosnian Croats, Mladi Most offered the much needed space for young people taking refuge from an entirely polarized and nationalistic environment. Like the famous 'Stari Most' (The Old Bridge) in Mostar, Mladi Most (The Young Bridge) has become a symbol for the desire to re-unify people of different ethnic, cultural and social backgrounds. During the nine years of its existence Mladi Most has evolved into a well-structured organization. In the beginning open youth work was the basis for its programs, which is today resulting in intensive, issue-oriented youth work.

At the same time, Mladi Most has successfully made the important step from being a project of the German carrier "Aktion Suehnezeichen/ Friedensdienste e.V." (ASF) to becoming a local organisation. It is the young people - mainly from Mostar - who now implement their own ideas, run the organisation and its projects. International volunteer placements are another important part of Mladi Most's intercultural approach.

Work/programm:

The 'Borders'-collective had been invited for the first time by the Mladi Most to come to Mostar in Bosnia and Hercegovina to cooperate on the 6th Mostar Intercultural Festival. The Austrian collective, consisted of artists, social workers and cultural workers who found together on this occasion to plan and realize the 'Borders'-project. It is still active and now in its second year planning another project for this summer.

A van equipped with a travelling exhibition of photography thematizing the representation of the 'fortress europe' in the electronic media, a videoarchive including movies and documentaries and voluminous informationmaterial on the Schengen-Information-System (SIS), globalisationprotests and –problematics toured the still sensable divided city of Mostar on changing places on both sides of the river Neretva and also in the mountains of Ruijsde where the van became the entrance to the festival which was located there for one day. Talks and reflections with the people of Mostar about their situation and post-war-life elocated from the appearance of the 'Borders'-van in the streets and places of the city.

The other part of the project was an interactive multimedia performance in the staklena banka in the center of the mainly Croatian part of Mostar at the last day of the festival. Interactivity meant the participation of all visitors as part of the project. The space had been divided in two different areas, strictly controlled and not attendable without passing an identificationprocedure. Video, animations, a complete soundtrack formed together an astounding envrionment. The confrontation between the Austrian collective and the Mostarian visitors (but also from France and Germany, including SFOR-soldiers and Bosnien police) finally led to an unplanned since open ending in finding a positive solution for dealing with borders on the initiative of the Mostarian participants - at least in the performance.

As the whole 'Borders'-project became a success in terms of interaction and exchange with the people of Mostar and the cooperation with Mladi Most at the Intercultural Festival, the 'Borders'-collective is currently working on the continuation of their first appearance in Mostar for the 7th Mostar Intercultural Festival to intensify the intercultural work in Bosnia and Hercegovina.