Making up after a fight is never the easiest thing to do. How about making up after a war? Particularly a bitter war that pitted neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend and sometimes even family members against each other. Well that's the challenge in the former Yugoslavia and some filmmakers have decided on a novel way to do just that. With so much conflict across the globe in this new millennium, the Balkan Wars seem like a distant memory. But for much of the 1990s the former Yugoslavia was embroiled in a bitter ethnic war that broke up that country. Serbs, Croats and Muslims had all lived together peacefully for decades, but were torn apart by the viciousness of the new war. But what of the old relationships? Two Dutch filmmakers decided to set out to bring people together, by video. Eric van den Broek and Katarina Rejger's project became a TV show called "Videoletters." It's a simple enough concept: Give someone the opportunity to record a video message to someone they've lost touch with. The directors find the "lost" friend to record a return message. The response has been overwhelming. Emil, a Muslim, and Sasa, a Serb recruited into the Bosnian Serb army, are reacquainted via video. A Serb family finds out what happened to their Croatian friends after years of no contact. The show has been a huge success, airing on every national broadcast in the former Yugoslavia. It is a testament to the power of friendships and to the idea that even after the most brutal of wars, reconciliation is still possible. We'll also be checking in with ABC Correspondent Mike Lee from Paris. France has been roiled by 12 days of rioting, with no end in sight. What is behind the riots? Is it economic unrest, or ethnic unrest, and what can the French Government do to quell it? Chris Bury anchors tonight and we'll also be bring you our regular Monday night Sports Page. Madhulika Sikka and the "Nightline" Staff Senior Producer ABC News Washington |
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