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| Return to: Left History: a digital archive | Return to: Say no to imperialist wars! | Return to: NATO-Yugoslav War Internet Resources |
BELGRADE: September 9, 1999 12:19 p.m. EDT -- A new "country" was born on the internet Thursday: Cyber Yugoslavia. Interactive fireworks marked the "official" proclamation of the virtual nation at www.juga.com -- home to 4,098 "citizens" around the world who are nostalgic for the former Yugoslavia, according to organizers.
Visitors to the Web site were greeted with the birthday message, in English and Serbo-Croatian, "9-9-1999/ To all the citizens / secretaries of Cyber Yugoslavia: Happy birth of the nation."
"This is Cyber Yugoslavia. Home of Cyber Yugoslavs. We lost our country in 1991 and became citizens of Atlantis," read the site's message in reference to the start of the break-up of the Yugoslav republic.
"We don't have a physical land, but we do have nationality, and we are giving CY (Cyber Yugoslavia) citizenships and CY passports," it said.
The site was created in early July by a group of former Yugoslav citizens led by playwright Zoran Bacic, who along with thousands of his compatriots fled abroad to escape the bloodshed that ravaged his homeland.
"This is our second life, and Cyber Yugoslavia is an attempt to tell a nice story," Bacic, who is living in Amsterdam, told the Beta news agency.
Cyber Yugoslavia resembles a regular nation in some ways but not in others. It does have a constitution, but every citizen gets to be a minister or a secretary of the department he chooses.
Yugoslav director Dusan Makavejev, who won international acclaim with his film "WR - Mysteries of Organism," has taken on the post of Minister for Dancing in The Rain.
Milos Vasic, a dissident Belgrade journalist, is Secretary for Telling Right from Wrong, while other citizens chose portfolios for Coca-Cola, Running Up Stairs, Everything Else, for Bad Movies and for Kitsch and Trivia.
There is, however, no president.
Citizens are asked only to visit the Web site at least 50 times a year and to vote or comment on the Constitution, which is subject to ongoing change and is presented in several languages, including French, Spanish and Portuguese.
"Because this is Atlantis, we are allowing double and triple citizenships," the site informs prospective immigrants.
"If you feel Yugoslav, you are welcome to apply for Cyber Yugoslavia citizenship, regardless of your current nationality and citizenship, and you will be accepted," the site says.
It adds though that people on a secret list of "undesirables" will be rejected. It gave no further details.
"For a solid country to grow, even a virtual one, it takes some time," the site said, adding that once Cyber Yugoslavia has more than 5 million citizens it plans to apply for U.N. membership.
"When this happens, we will ask for 20 square meters of land anywhere on Earth to be our country. On this land, we will keep our server," said Bacic, who now works as a computer programmer.
"If the Internet is one of the tools of development, than it is in the interest of the United Nations to accept us. At least they will have a chance," Bacic said.
As for every newborn, Cyber Yugoslavia faced obstacles.
A crush of applications -- running up to 300 per day -- has left a backlog of some 1,400 would-be citizens.
New applicants have been met by the message: "Sorry, application office is temporary closed."
"We have too many applications to process. Applications should not be processed automatically, therefore it's all about manpower, not software. Please come back tomorrow. Thank you," it said.