Interview: Professor Dr. Borislav Karanfilski

I consider civic organisations to be a new perspective

In the students’ organisation during the war, young people were motivated to contribute to improving the studying conditions and they achieved remarkable results. When you really want, you can do a lot and you can work well even without money. Thanks to my engagement while I was a student, I have a positive opinion about civic associations – I consider them to be a factor which can have an important role in the society

Dr. Borislav Karanfilski was a pathophysiology and nuclear medicine professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje. He started his education with the studies at the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje (where he graduated in 1955, and received a doctorate in 1962), and then he continued his education with study leave and specialisation in the USA, Sweden, England, Russia, Scotland and Serbia. He has been a dean; a sub-dean; a vice-chancellor at the Skopje University; president of the Macedonian Doctors’ Association, of the Yugoslavian Association of Nuclear Medicine, author of many expert publications.

However, the reason for this interview with Professor D-r Karanfilski in the Civic World is another of his engagements, before he started building his prolific career – he was the first president of the first students’ organisation in Macedonia. We asked him to present us the profile of such an organisation in that time and we talked about the civic organisations then and now...

 

C.W. – How was the first students’ organisation, which is in some way a counterpart to the present Students’ union, established?

B.K. – First students’ organisations were formed at the faculties. First the Faculty of Philosophy (the first faculty in Macedonia), then of Medicine, of Agriculture-Forestry and the Pedagogical School. The University board of the National Youth of Macedonia was founded in 1948 and I was its president until 1951. It was an integral part of the National Youth of Macedonia and Yugoslavia, as well as the World Federation of Democratic Youth. When the Students’ Association of Yugoslavia was formed in 1950, we became its members, thus had a membership in the International Students’ Union. The aim of this membership was to co-ordinate the programs and the activities and exchange of experience. The Popular Front united youth organisations and women organisations. It collected all the structures which in some way recognised the political program, but were not a part of it. Many people of these organisations were not members of the Communist Party, the only party in that time.
 

C.W. – What were the needs to be organised?

B.K. – The students’ organisation was formed as a need for more organised social engagement of the students in those hard years after the war – making better conditions for studying, making the students’ lives richer and more meaningful...
 

C.W. – How did you realise those objectives?

B.K. – In that time it was easier to attract students in the organisation, provided you offered a good program. From a historic point of view, it was a very important time. The fight for freedom and establishing Macedonian state impels the young generation above all. That state after the war destruction was built with great energy and will. A lot of young people were given a chance to educate themselves in their country, in their mother tongue. There were a lot of possibilities for employment, the economy was hungry for experts, and we could choose where to work. New faculties were opened; scholarships were given, so the young people became independent of their parents as far as money was concerned for their education. Out of 735 students in the period of 1948/49, 665 were given scholarships in the amount of a smaller salary. We had a lot of opportunities in comparison with today’s young generations and we felt obliged to contribute something to the country. Therefore, a great number of students became members – about 90% of the students were members of the students’ organisation. Such mass organisation had great credibility and influence. There was nearly no task we did not manage to realise, if it was realistically possible and supported by arguments. Professors accepted many of our initiatives: preparation of lecture notes (since we did not have textbooks), research projects we wanted to motivate the students with, for a scientific-research work. The country mostly solved students’ social status, but we formed our solidarity fund – so-called support fund, for students’ material support and we ran it ourselves. We had two dormitories (men’s and women’s) and we founded students’ summer resorts – in Ohrid we were given a school to use during the summer. We managed to do the same in Split. A lot of students spent their summer holidays there, for free. We took part in work drives (we had our own brigade which took part in building the hydroelectric power station in Mavrovo). We formed the folk club Mirche Acev and its members were people from the sphere of literature, plays, music and folklore. This club contributed a lot in initiating cultural-artistic activity at the University and throughout the country, and it had a whole pleiad of artists who later became well-known in the spheres of literature, music and play...The first newspaper of the students in Macedonia was issued and it managed to provide continuity until today, as no other newspaper has ever managed. A lot of students were members of this newspaper’s editorship and later they became important names in the Macedonian journalism. We founded the first sports association “Student”, which achieved some great results.

 

C.W. – It sounds pretty ideal, especially if it is known that you were doing it voluntarily...

B.K. – It was all volunteering. There was not a budget in our organisation, we had no allowances. They were all clear accounts; there were no people materialistically motivated. Most of them were motivated to improve the conditions of their studies.

 

C.W. – What is your opinion on the civic organisations in today’s context, especially today’s Students’ Union?

B.K. - Thanks to my engagement while I was a student, I have a positive opinion about civic associations – I consider them to be a factor which can have an important role in the society. No matter how small an organisation is, it can achieve something positive, because these organisations work for general goals. They can positively direct an individual’s ideas and energy. It is difficult for an individual to realise a certain idea by himself only. Civic organisations unite and direct ideas, impel initiatives. More of these associations should exist, to meet various interests.

As far as the students’ organisations nowadays are concerned, I do not have insight into the situation. However, as all the citizens, I can see that the students’ voice cannot be heard on a wider social plan. Today there are about 28,000 students – who, if well organised, can be a respected factor in the society. The country has some serious problems and the students can contribute a lot in overcoming them. The students’ organisation, for example, does not define its attitude for participation for the studies, an issue especially important for the students. Or the high education corruption – Open Society Institute of Macedonia has made a research, but why did not the students initiate and organise it?

 

C.W. – Why do you think the students’ organisation today is such as it is?

B.K. – There are many reasons for this. The organisation does not have an attractive program and it has a lot of members who cannot express students’ social interest. Real people should come to the management of the Students’ Union of Macedonia. Those who have a vision, a program and ideas. There are a lot of smart, thriving, open-minded students, with high culture, knowledge, Europe-oriented, who have great energy.

 

C.W. – What is your opinion on the state’s behaviour towards civic associations in our country?

B.K. – Our society and country do not have some long-term experience with civic associations. Our citizens do not know enough about civic associations, their objectives and activities. The fact that foreign donators finance them creates distrust. In such conditions we cannot expect our country to finance the civic organisations. A certain period should pass for the citizens and the state to “get used to” the civic associations. Most of them were formed in the period of 1995-97, which is a short period of time. The country also needs time to accept these organisations as partners in creating politics. In the future, more and more citizens will make their contribution through civic organisations. I consider the civic organisations to be a new opportunity for development of democracy in the society.