The Soul Is Indestructible – Interview With Julienne Busic

Julienne Busic with statue
of her late husband Zvonko Busic
in Rovanjska, Croatia
Photo: Private collection

 

You’ve been operating a foundation (Zaklada Zvonko Bušić Taik) in Zvonko’s name for several years now. Tell me about the Foundation’s work

– The Foundation was initiated by former Premier of Croatia Nikica Valentic, who became friends with Zvonko (Busic) and admired him very much. He offered space in his office building and that’s how it all began. Among the founding members are Drazen Budisa (past president of the Social-Liberal Party, former political prisoner during the Tito dictatorship, and also a friend from student days), and many others who have a place in Croatian history. We have been involved in many humanitarian activities; for example, delivering Christmas gifts to impoverished families with many children in Slavonia, and collecting canned goods and other groceries for families who suffered in the floods several years ago. Lidija Bajuk, one of Croatia’s best singer-songwriters of ethno-music in the world, donated a concert on behalf of the effort. We’ve also organised musical evenings with the children of war veterans as the performers. Many of them are extremely talented musicians and opera singers! And not to forget our Valentine’s Day party for very special couples, war invalids and their spouses, who have remained by their side and been their most important support and comfort! Our translation project – English translations of books about the Croatian war of independence – is among our most important ongoing projects. So far we have translated and offered on Amazon and the Internet two such books, In the Eye of the Storm, by Ante Gugo, and The Croatian War of Independence by Ante Nazor. A third is coming up soon, about the siege of Vukovar and the human aspect of the aggression against the city. This project was possible in large part thanks to a radiothon organised by the Croatian radio program in Australia (Pero Maric is the director). So once more, thanks to the Australian Croats for their unending support for valuable projects. We even had the pleasure and honour of meeting with the President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, and presenting her personally with our first book!

Julienne Busic (Second from L) with
former Premier of Croatia, Nikica Valentic (third from L)
Photo: Private collection

Now that the Vukovar Day of Remembrance is approaching, can you talk about your third book, Living Cells, which deals with the subject of rape as a war crime through the eyes of a survivor during the siege of Vukovar?

– I just taped a long documentary program for Croatian radio on this subject, which will be broadcast next week prior to the Day of Remembrance. As some might know, Living Cells (for which I was honoured to receive the prestigious A.B. Simic literary award several years ago) is based on the true story of a friend of mine who was held for months as a sex slave in Vukovar during the siege. Her story was particularly disturbing because she was forced to choose between three soldiers; in other words, they forced her to choose her rapist or else threatened that she would be raped by all of them and others as well. This was an evil psychological twist that was almost as bad as the rape itself, at least in my opinion. Later, many friends and neighbours accused her of willingly “cooperating”. Otherwise, why would someone “choose” her rapist? Not only was she branded as a rape victim, as though it were her fault, but also accused of having done it voluntarily, even received benefits from it. So this issue is a complex one, and needs to be addressed by several ministries. First, the Ministry of Health and Social Services needs to provide therapy for the victims, and the Ministry of Defenders must ensure the women receive some kind of compensation. Many are destitute still today. And of course, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must take action to get the perpetrators back to Croatia to serve their sentences. The two rapists in my friend’s case both fled to Serbia and therefore never paid the price for the horrific acts. And without justice being served, it is difficult to forgive. The women want to forgive, but until the perpetrators address their crimes and pay their debt, express remorse, it is difficult for the wounds to heal. This isn’t a pleasant topic, I know, but we need to inform women’s groups and human rights groups outside Croatia about our victims, create a network, raise our voices. My book is the only one I’m aware of that addresses rape as a war crime against Croatian victims, so I hope people will read it and perhaps donate a copy for their local university, a school, a group dealing with this issue.

Nino Raspudic (L) Julienne Busic (C)
Drazen Budisa (R)
Photo: Private collection

How are you coping with the loss of your husband? It’s been four years now.

– It might sound strange, but I don’t feel that I’ve “lost” him. He is always with me, guiding me, sending me messages only I can understand. Philosophically speaking, the physical body is just a collection of atoms and degradable materials that are reabsorbed into the earth. The natural process of birth, death, and regeneration. But the soul is something else and it’s indestructible. I take great comfort in that. In the end, he paid in full his debt to society, he never intended to harm anybody, and the fact that he served 32 years in prison, two years longer than the law allowed, didn’t bother him in the end. He often commented that he was grateful for the last two years because he discovered two philosophers, Pierre Hadot and John Cottingham, who provided explanations for many issues he’d been grappling with all those years. Unfortunately, he didn’t recognise the world into which he was finally released, and couldn’t find his place in it, couldn’t find a way to be useful. He was also deeply disheartened by the materialism, the Ego that seemingly ruled everything, the lack of idealism, the placement of party over homeland, and the vindictiveness of petty, superficial souls, so he went on to discover the ultimate Truth that can only be found in Death. He gave everything he had for his people and country, for their freedom, for his greatest love, Croatia.

Julienne Busic and
President of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovuc (C)
Photo: Private collection

—————————————

Julienne (Julie) Busic (maiden name Julienne Eden Schultz) is a successful American writer and a worldwide well known political activist (alongside her late husband Zvonko Busic) for the freedom of Croatia at the time (1970’s) when Croatia was still a part of the oppressive communist totalitarian regime of Yugoslavia. Julie lives in Croatia and dedicates her life to book writing, promoting and actively taking part in translating into the English books by Croatian authors on the topics of the Croatian War of Independence and painful destinies of victims of crimes committed against Croats during that war. She remains a devoted humanitarian, concerned and seeks to promote human welfare of Croatian victims of war crimes. Interview conducted by Ina Vukic

 

LIVING CELLS at Amazon

 

New Book In English On Croatian War of Independence By Ante Nazor

Front Cover of Ante Nazor's book

Front Cover of
Ante Nazor’s book

The Zvonko Busic Taik Foundation (Zaklada Zvonko Bušić) from Croatia, founded and molded by Zvonko Busic’s widow, the well-known American author and activist Julienne Eden Busic, is doing an authoritative job in the spreading of Croatian truth into the English language. Already, in its relatively short existence, the foundation has organised and facilitated the translation into English and publication of three major works that unmistakably make enormous contributions to recording the truth about the Croatian Homeland War and Croatian history. These are vital efforts towards spreading the truth about Croatia across the world, as there is, as a matter of anti-Croatian political propaganda, a great deal of disinformation, false information and half-truths out there.
As the Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation it relies on assistance and cooperation from institutes, businesses, government grants, individual donations. Julienne Busic has informed me that the strong start in 2015 of the Foundation’s translation work has been much helped via generous donations and good-will of Australian Croatians, especially via a radiothon hosted by Mr Pero Maric. Besides two more books currently in production the books so far translated and published by the Foundation are: “The Eye of the Storm”, by Ante Gugo about which I have written previously, the second “All Visible Things: Memoirs”, by Zvonko Busic, the third, just published is “The Croatian War of Independence: Serbia’s War of Conquest Against Croatia and the Defeat of Serbian Imperialism 1991-1995” by Ante Nazor.

Julienne Busic Photo: Dino Stanin/Pixsell

Julienne Busic
Photo: Dino Stanin/Pixsell

Ante Nazor’s book is a must read and must have and, indeed, a perfect gift to local libraries, members of parliament, history departments at Universities across the world.

Dr Ante Nazor, Head of the Croatian Memorial Document Archives of the Homeland War in Zagreb, Croatia, a historian and Croatian war veteran, originally wrote the book in the Croatian language (“Velikosrpska agresija na Hrvatsku 1990-tih”).

In reality, this book is the answer to many years of disinformation within the Croatian public space that attempts to neglect the cause of the war, equalise aggressor’s and victim’s responsibility, show the Homeland War as a ‘civil war’, and attempt to show the Croatian leadership, especially the President Franjo Tudjman, as responsible for deportation of Serbs from Croatia and aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Dr. Nazor at one of many presentations of his book across Croatia.

The media’s picture of the Greater Serbian aggression (against Croatia) is completely different from the truth,” Nazor emphasises, hoping that the truth about the events will prevail in the end.

Ante Nazor Photo: narod.hr

Ante Nazor
Photo: narod.hr

Nazor’s book is a meticulous chronology of the political and military processes lading to Croatian independence and an unparalleled collection of documentation on the Serbian aggression against the Republic of Croatia, all of which easily debunk the oft-repeated and uninformed mantras that the conflict was a ‘civil war’ or a result of ‘ancient tribal feuds’. An indispensable resource for historians, researchers and the everyday reader,” writes Dr Miroslav Tudjman, founder and the former chief of Croatian Intelligence services currently serving as Member of Croatian Parliament, on the back cover of the book.

Ante Nazor book back cover

Ante Nazor book
back cover

The Croatian War of Independence: Serbia’s War of Conquest Against Croatia and the Defeat of Serbian Imperialism 1991-1995 tells the compelling story of Croatia’s defeat, against all odds, of the Yugoslav People’s Army and numerous Serb paramilitary formations in defense of its independence and internationally recognized territory. This book offers in vivid detail many answers to the often-posed question ‘what happened in the Balkans in the first half of the 1990s?’ Ante Nazor’s blend of keen academic insight and extensive research shows irrefutably that Serbian imperialism, based on the might of the Yugoslav People’s Army and the aggressive concept of ‘Greater Serbia’, caused profound destruction and loss of life on a scale unseen on the continent since the end of WWII. The main importance of this book is that it clearly illustrates the danger Serbian imperialism would have posed to Europe had not the Croatian Armed Forces, forged in the desperate struggle to save the country, broken the back of the Yugoslav People’s Army and put an end to Serbia’s imperialistic aspirations,” writes Prof. Ivo Lucic PHD of the Croatian Institute of History.

 

A time for giving is always but at Christmas – especially so. All the Foundation’s books can be ordered by title and author on Amazon, but if people don’t like to order that way, they can order in their local bookstore! The Foundation puts a great deal of effort into getting these books out and even purchases small numbers in America or as many as it can afford and has them sent to major universities and politicians in the United States. I think Croatian clubs and organisations and even individuals across the world could follow suit and send a Foundation book to their local politician, their local library, High school, university… So if you are a member of a Croatian club or an organisation out there, or a supporter of Croatia and its truth, make this Christmas and New Year Season a season for Croatian truth – purchase these books and ask for them to be shipped as gift to your nearest university, your local politician, your local library. Thank you. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps.(Syd)

 

Click on link and connect to Amazon or Createspace for these books this Christmas and New Year’s holiday season

 

Front Cover of book by Ante Gugo translated into English "In The Eye Of The Storm"

Front Cover of
book by Ante Gugo
translated into English
“In The Eye Of The Storm”

LINK HERE

 

all-visible-things-cover

LINK HERE

An Amazon Customer Review on “All Visible things”:
“This is one of those books that take the reader on a journey. The narrative has that rare power to transport the reader to another place, another reality, another spiritual realm. Those readers who have not sold their souls will be taken to the scariest place in all creation – the inner depths of their essence. Those readers who have jettisoned their souls will be given a chance to claim them back.

All Visible Things is a work of non fiction written by an adventurer and idealist. It is also a philosophical treatise on human values and morals. The cast of characters is huge and many a historical figure jumps unexpectedly from the pages, giving poignancy, credence and currency to Zvonko Busic’s philosophies and everything he stands for and represents.

This book will surely be, in time, recognised as one of the most important works of the 21st century. A must read.”

 

Front Cover of Ante Nazor's book

Front Cover of
Ante Nazor’s book

 

LINK HERE for Amazon

And

LINK HERE for Createspace (https://www.createspace.com/6722445) where at his stage printed version may be accessed for purchase

 

 

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