The promotion of the book of the well known Czech ethnologist Filip Tesař “Ethnic Conflicts. In the Balkan and not only there” was held last night at the National Library of Montenegro “Đurđe Crnojević” in Cetinje.

Mr. Tesař pointed out that he did not wonder why people were making war, but people’ve often asked him: “Why are we making war?” and “Why did this happen to us?”

“If, on the other hand, they have been explaining why and searching for explanations from the past, they have rarely been sure, and it appeared to me as they have been looking for some order, at least the bad one, in all these events. Because for humans, as beings who know the logic of the time flow, the possibility  that their future could be determined by mere coincidence is fatal. “Then why?”, I asked as well. “Was that inevitable?”Not only that. It was important to me “how?” as well. And what finally became most important to me: “What then, when it's over?” And “What to do next?”, Tesař began his story.

However, he does not hide that he himself has made mistakes on his path of cognition, followed stereotypes, has been biased, considered the interpretation of the past for the past and generalized without foundation. But, as he emphasized, there is no learning without making mistakes.

The translator of the work, Mr. Adin Ljuca, also addressed the audience in Cetinje. It is interesting to mention that he translated the book because he liked it.

The event was organized by the Library in cooperation with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Montenegro.