community boost_r: Darko Brkan, the Man, the Myth, the Legend!

He’s been an activist for more than 13 years and is one of the organizers of the #CBcamp. Meet Darko Brkan, one of  Bosnia and Herzegovina’s best.

You are opening the camp with your speech. What will you talk about?

Darko: That is a tough question (laughter). I want to talk about the region and the potential it has. But, where I want to go with the whole thing, is to question how technology as such fits into the civil society organizations strategy in terms of achieving social change. Sometimes we get so excited about technology that we forget about the change we actually want to make.

And why do you care?

Darko: Why do I care? That is basically a question that is 13 years overdue. I have been doing what I am doing for at least that many years. If you had asked me then I would have probably had an answer that would be about the world around me, but at this moment, it  is all about what is inside me. I do not distinguish “what I do” from “who I am” anymore. Back then, when I was still forming my values, I would tell you about different issues in the society that motivate me, but now what I do is about who I am.

What do you expect from the camp?

Darko: First of all, I hope that many people, from the region and outside the region, will meet and exchange knowledge and experiences based on what they are working on. I am mostly looking forward to this part of the camp where people will talk about the things and projects that still haven’t been done here in the Balkans, but have been already implemented in different parts of the world. Even if some of those ideas won’t be feasible, they can be very inspirational. Another thing I hope for, is to see how well-known bigger institutions learn from the grassroots, because sometimes in the process of becoming “more sophisticated” you can lose touch with the ground.

Do you know many of the people coming to the camp?

Darko: I am not sure if I know all the people who are coming. But yes, I know the majority of them, I know the organizations they are affiliated with and the work they do.

What should people know about you?

Darko: They should know that I come from a small group of activists (editor’s note: citizens’ association Zašto ne) working on issues in Bosnia, that first dealt with the demilitarization of the BiH society and establishing the right to conscientious objection in the country, and then a more general field of transparency and accountability – everything we feel is close to our hearts and values. On the informal side, they should know that I like to hang out with people, socialize, have fun and discuss different issues connected to politics and what we do.