No street bears his name, no statue bears his likeness. In Zagreb, Croatia, a new Tito Tour aims to trace and explain the legacy of the former Yugoslav leader, which remains controversial decades after his death. Admired by some for his unifying charisma, loathed by others for his authoritarianism, Josip Broz Tito remains a divisive figure in the former Yugoslav republics.
The organizer of the tour, Daniela Matijevic, explains that she had the idea in 2017, when the city authorities renamed Tito Square in the capital. A decision that only confirmed the authorities’ tendency to erase Croatia’s Yugoslav past, where Tito was born to a Croatian father and a Slovenian mother. Gradually, plaques, monuments and street names were changed to other historical figures or nationalistic figures. But for 39-year-old Daniela Matijevic, this part of the story should not be hidden. ” Tito was undoubtedly one of the political giants of the 20th century “, He says.
The “Walk with Tito” tour, launched a year ago, takes visitors to eight sites in central Zagreb linked to the anti-fascist movement founded by the former leader and his supporters at the start of World War II. The tour passes through the old Tito Square, the main railway station, from where the pro-Nazi Ustashi regime deported people to concentration camps, from where the statues of the two sisters, heroines of the resistance. Captured and tortured by the Ustashi, one died and the other committed suicide.
Non-union and authoritarianism
” The only thing they revealed to their torturers was their name ”, says the guide of the group of four women in front of the busts of the Bakovich sisters. ” I’m still shaking here “. Tourists are invited to contemplate the successes of the Yugoslav leader as well as the ills of the former Yugoslavia. He is known worldwide for refusing to align with East or West during the Cold War, becoming one of the founding fathers of the Non-Aligned Movement. This positioning allowed the country to stay away from the chaos of this period and develop some prosperity.
” Tito had good relations with the West, but he did not neglect his relations with the East either, placing Yugoslavia somewhere in the middle, taking advantage of both sides. “, – emphasizes historian Hrvoje Klasic. However, many former Yugoslavs also remember that Tito suppressed all opposition and nationalism with an iron fist. After his death in 1980, the mosaic of peoples and religions that made up the Yugoslav Federation lasted only a decade before erupting into a series of wars that claimed more than 130,000 lives. After independence in 1991, Croatia turned its back on its Yugoslav past, which was presented as an aberration. Daniela Matievich, whose two grandparents fought in the ranks of partisans, lived in Germany for two years.
Threats and hate messages
He is fascinated by how this country has dealt with its past, which inspired his project. ” I was amazed at how the Germans handled their history “, he says. But it’s not all smooth sailing. Since he began his Tito Tour, the tour guide has been the target of hate messages on social media, as well as threats of violence, prompting an investigation by authorities.
In December, a right-wing city councilor protested against Zagreb’s tourist board for including information about the visit in its brochures. ” It is absolutely intolerable, (…), an ideological provocation and a shame for Zagreb Igor Peternel launched.
An opinion that is not shared by those who have taken the course. Economist Vedrana Besik said she was happy to learn something new “Saying it was hard” To hear anything about Tito in Zagreb “. Retired journalist Tanya Simic agrees. ” We should capitalize on our history for tourism purposes, whatever we think of some aspects of it. “.
Source: Le Figaro
