Motohiko Kimura, "Osim: The Endless Struggle" Summary and Comments - Recommended to learn what is happening in Bosnia, where ethnic conflict continues after the conflict.
I would like to introduce "Osim: The Endless Struggle" by Motohiko Kimura, published by Shogakukan in 2018.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
A record of the struggle of a man who stood up for the reconciliation of his country
《I didn't feel like doing a book about Osim anymore.
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However. His country, which he took it upon himself to protect, is about to compete in the World Cup. (omission) Osim has not yet taken a break from life, although he has not been on the bench in charge of the field. After returning home, he is still active, resolutely fighting the enemies of soccer and supporting his country. (from the prologue)
Nearly 20 years after the end of the Yugoslav conflict, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to be plagued by ethnic conflict. Because of the conflict within the soccer association, its membership was revoked, in violation of FIFA's principles, and its participation in the World Cup was in jeopardy. Ivica Osim, who once tried to resist the collapse of his country as the last national coach of the former Yugoslavia, returned from Japan with a limp and the aftereffects of a stroke to fight for World Cup participation and reconciliation among the people.
Osim was spared by all of Japan when he fell ill and retired as national team coach. This is the long-awaited collection of the moving record of Osim's untold struggles after his return to Japan and the people who tried to overcome their hatred through soccer.
This work is a sequel to Motohiko Kimura's "Yugoslav Soccer Trilogy," which we have previously introduced on this blog.
As mentioned in this introduction, Osim retired as national team coach in 2007 after suffering a stroke. However, he has made a remarkable recovery, and despite the aftereffects of his illness, he has been working energetically for the reconciliation of his country. This book provides an insight into Bosnia 20 years after the conflict through the activities of Osim after his return to his homeland.
At the end of the volume, there is a note that reads, "Association for Aid and Relief Japan (AAR Japan)The article includes a commentary by Chou Yukie, president of the
We have previously introduced President Yukie Osa's work on this blog when we learned about the Bosnian conflict.
These are the works that are a must-read for the Bosnian conflict.
Now, let's look at the words of Chairman Chou Yukie at the end of the book.
The Yugoslavia Soccer Trilogy, authored by rare nonfiction writer Motohiko Kimura, includes "Pride: In the Footsteps of Dragan Stojkovic," "The Evil One Comes to Yugoslavia" and "Osim's Words. This book, "Osim: The Endless Struggle," is the final part of the trilogy.
It is a must-read for students and researchers of the Bosnian conflict and the Balkan region, not to mention soccer fans, Kimura fans, and Osim fans who are fascinated by his golden words and way of life. It is also the best text for practitioners and researchers involved in refugee assistance and peacebuilding. The Yugoslav conflict traced through the experiences of Osim and his family, the lives of the displaced refugees and their feelings for their homeland, and the causes and circumstances of the Bosnian conflict as told by Osim and others involved from their own perspectives, make this book a valuable collection of testimonies that complements and sometimes surpasses history books and commentaries. In the Afterword to the book, Mr. Kimura humbly states that he would be happy if young scholars could use chapters 2 and 4 as a reference, but the events and testimonies of Osim, the politicians and nationalists who responded to him, and his own unique perspective, are probably the most important parts of the book. The events and testimonies in this book are probably more important than Mr. Kimura or we, the readers, think.
As an employee of the Association for Aid and Relief Japan (AAR Japan), a Japanese NGO for international cooperation, I was involved in the former Yugoslavia from the outbreak of the conflict in 1991 until the NATO bombing of Kosovo and Yugoslavia in 1999, either as a local representative or a business traveler. During the NATO air strikes, I witnessed Tomahawk bombs streaking across the sky with flashes of light right in front of me from the upper floors of a hotel where foreigners were being accommodated together, and I also witnessed the bombing of a power generation facility. Later, in his doctoral dissertation as a researcher, he worked on the massacre at Srebrenica as if it were a fate that he could not escape, since he was acquainted with the mastermind of the massacre at Srebrenica and his family, as well as the siege of Sarajevo, in which Mrs. Asima, the other half of Osim, was a party. The land, which he touched as a practitioner in the first half of his life and as a researcher in the second half, is indeed a place where hatreds have been swirling for generations. As Mr. Kimura explains at just the right moment, they are also the names of places where massacres took place. Osim's hometown of Grbavica is no exception, as I recall the "hum" of a gunshot cutting through the air in Grbavica during a visit in the spring of 1995, and the marks of a bullet carved into the ruins of a nearby building. Not from the direction of the sniper on the Serbian side. In the three-way battle, where the quantity of crimes differs but the quality is said to be the same among the three ethnic groups, there were snipers on all sides targeting civilians, and there were victims on all sides as well.
Shogakukan, Motohiko Kimura, Osim: Endless Struggle, p. 318-320.
A detailed explanation will be discussed later in this book. I hope you will read the rest in this book.
As President Yukie Cho stated here, this conflict was a tragic one in which anyone could be a victim or a perpetrator.
Motohiko Kimura also states in the text
The important thing to remember about the Bosnian conflict is that all three peoples see themselves as the victims. Each has no awareness of the harm they have done to the other.
Rather than thinking about coexistence among the three ethnic groups, each time a political issue arises, those in power try to outflank the one remaining ethnic group by calling for an alliance with it, using a convenient historical interpretation to isolate the one they want to exclude.
When Serbia tries to work with Croatia, it claims orthodoxy, saying that they are the same Christians, although they were divided into Eastern Orthodox and Catholic in the 9th century.
When Croatia tries to ally with Muslims, it quotes Ante Pavelic, who founded the Independent State of Croatia (NDH) in World War II, who tried to win Muslims over to his side: "The NDH included Bosnian territory and Muslims were part of Croatia. Muslims are the flower of beautiful Croatia.
And when Muslims try to form an alliance with Serbia, they say, "We converted to Islam in the 15th century under Ottoman rule, but we are originally the same South Slavs, fellow countrymen with the same roots."
These grounds for opportunism show how the Bosnian ethnicity is a new concept that was created for political reasons. In other words, there is no greater tragedy for the citizens who have been made "inside" and "outside" the ethnic group by such fictions and forced to exclude each other and kill each other.
Shogakukan, Motohiko Kimura, Osim: Endless Struggle, p. 103-104.
'These grounds for opportunism show how the Bosnian ethnicity is a new concept that was created for political reasons. In other words, there is no greater tragedy for the citizens who have been made 'inside' and 'outside' the ethnic group by such fictions and forced to exclude each other and kill each other."
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the attempt to govern through democracy, of course elections must be won. And what is the quickest and most effective way to win elections?
The answer is to incite ethnic conflict.
We tend to have an image of "democracy = absolute good".
But what happens when you suddenly bring democracy to a region that has never had such a concept before? It has led to disastrous results all over the world, including the Bosnian conflict. Iraq and Afghanistan are also truly dysfunctional and show no signs of recovery.
Of course, I do not intend to say, "That is why dictatorship is better. But we should not forget that there is a danger of causing further confusion if we unconditionally think of "democracy" as if it is a universal solution.
Finally, I would like to share with you a very memorable part of the book. This is from the author's afterword in the paperback edition.
The situation on the Korean Peninsula moved dramatically in 2018. In table tennis, a unified North-South team was also created at the suggestion of the ITTF.
Meanwhile, in the Balkans, Kosovo's strong desire to merge with Albania has led to the emergence of a new Albanian nationalism.
Although Osim has not visited Japan, he has continued to make suggestions to the Japanese soccer world in light of these global conditions. This is not only true of Osim, but almost without exception, foreign coaches who once took charge of the J-League have been concerned about Japanese soccer.
That is why I cannot overlook the comments made by Chairman Tajima when he dismissed Halilhodzic and replaced him with Akira Nishino as national coach.
I want to take this crisis in the right direction. I want to take this crisis in the right direction. I want to make this a good chance for Japan to unite." (April 9 press conference)
It is as if the fact that the coach was a foreigner was a hindrance to unity. It is clear that Halil Hodgson's intention is to use nationalism to console the supporters and the media, who are trying to find reasons and responsibility for the team's performance by pointing out that Halil Hodgson had built the team backward from the Russia tournament. It is a mother-in-law attitude that gets away with demonizing foreigners.
It would be a sacrilege to the many foreign leaders who have done so much to strengthen the national team and clubs since the father of Japanese soccer, Ted Kramer.
Isn't soccer a wonderful sport that can transcend ethnic barriers? I accomplished the work of putting the book into paperback with a strong desire to convey Osim's work once again.
Shogakukan, Motohiko Kimura, "Osim: Endless Struggle," p. 316-317
We have seen on this blog that "soccer reflects the history and culture of a region and its people. In particular, Osim's goal of soccer is not limited to soccer, but is also a philosophy of life itself.
So what is the current soccer culture in Japan?
I think Motohiko Kimura's words in his afterword are very significant.
What do you all think?
The above is "Motohiko Kimura, Osim: The Endless Struggle," recommended to learn what is happening in Bosnia, where ethnic conflict continues after the conflict.
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