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I will be travelling with a black friend this summer and he is worried about whether Croatians are known to have issues with blacks. He travelled in Russia a few years ago and was mistreated a bit and taunted on more than one occassion so he is hyper-sensitive to this issue. Can anyone provide any information?

I am a light skinned black women who just came back from a trip to Croatia. While I was there I did get a few more stares than I liked, but nothing more. The way I see it, people in Croatia may stare but they won't bother you unless you bother them. Additionally, you should remember that Croatia has a rather significant Muslim population that lives in complete harmony with the rest of the country. They are likely more tolerant than you think.

Although a darker skinned black man may have a different experience than me, in general I would say that this certainly is not a reason why your friend should not visit Croatia. It is a beautiful country, and I am confident that he will not have any major trouble.

Croatia, like all other countries in eastern Europe have no history of rasism. There has never been any black population living in that part of Europe. Blacks are usually associated with sports, jazz&blues music, and recently rap.
That kind of rasism that is present in western societies is known mostly from mass-media, but it's not something that should bother you, while you're there.
Like the previous post said, you may get some stares, but not that much now when it's become a popular tourist destination.

Your friend won't have any problems in touristy areas. Off the grid, however, people will stare, but simply because they are curious. If you are a mixed race couple, some people may make you feel uncomfortable, but nothing more than that.

(FYI, we are a mixed race couple and never had a problem in Croatia and Slovenia.)

quote:

Originally posted by moniak:
Croatia, like all other countries in eastern Europe have no history of rasism.

.....until 2nd world war
(Auschwitz, Birkenau, Treblinka, Iasi progrom, Transnistria deportations, etc).

well, I referred directly to the OP's post and meant obviously reasism based on skin colour,

quote:

Croatia, like all other countries in eastern Europe have no history of rasism.

I respectfully disagree. Most areas of Eastern Europe can have really strong macho and nationalistic aspects to their culture. This has in the past led to pretty severe persecution of not just Jews but also Gypsi and Homosexuals. And a person who'd beat up a Rom or a Jew usually doesn't have the best opinion of Blacks either.

Elis,
Your nitpicking and taking a sentence out of a context doesn't help to answer OP's question "whether Croatians are known to have issues with blacks ?

Moniak, it was you, who said that "all other countries in eastern Europe have no history of racism".

Well, maybe they have no history, but sure as heck they're making up now for lost time.

(I'm also Polish, so I know what I'm talking about, OK?)

i really wouldn't worry.

you will be recognised as an American tourist and as such will be treated as one. Unless you try selling fake designer bags on a little street pitch, no one is likely to care

I'm putting on my moderator hat here.

Rather then letting this discussion slip into pissing contest as to whether there is or is not racism in Croatia (Which the media certainly thinks there is), let's help the original poster.

For example:

"I was in Croatia xxxxx months ago and I did/did not witness racism against people of color"

-or-

"My good friend just returned from Croatia and experienced xxxx".


-or-

point the original poster to some recent literature about the country.

I've never been there so I am no authority on the topic. For those of you who have been there please identify yourself and be respectful of each other.

-Slip

As per Slip's request:

Your friend will be treated as a curiosity by some, ignored by others, and related to based on stereotypes garnered from television and radio by more than a few. The same as anywhere else where a black face is still relatively rare.

While they do exist, your chance of encountering a group of pre-teen wannabe Ustase during your trip is pretty remote. You'd be more likely to run into bored skinhead youths in northeastern Italy than in Croatia. So I wouldn't worry about it.

If your friend is, as you state in your opening post, "hyper-sensitive," he might make the rather common mistake of misinterpreting Croatia's lack of customer service skills as indicative of some underlying racism directed specifically at him. You can assure him that this is not the case. They're like that with everyone.

That said, Croatians (those folks you'll meet on the streets everyday) are, by and large, a friendly people.



EDIT TO ADD: Where exactly are you two heading to in Croatia? Here's where I recommend the Istrian Peninsula as a place that cures all ills. Beautiful sights, nice beaches, friendly locals who speak their Serbo-Croat tongue with an Italian accent, and generally great weather. Just figured I'd throw that in there to steer you towards the more interesting aspect of planning your trip: where to go.

some very good articles on croatia

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/croatia

Thank you everyone for chiming in. This has all been really helpful. We are definitely going at the beginning of September. We are planning to fly into Zagreb and work our way south to Dubrovnik. The stops in between are still up for grabs so any suggestions of favorite spots would be appreciated.

Om Croatia, I am white, and older, and I encountered no racism, or heard of anything from darker skinned tourists there.

The Croatians discriminate against tourists on an equal level, which is to say that they feel its their right to be rude to the customer, and when directions are asked, if they`re in a not great mood, might be a bit imprecise as if they really ought to charge for anything more precise.

Or this is my experience.

But apparently, it doesn't matter what skin color you are, you will be a walking wallet to them. Oh, and they get angry and bristly fast, so calmness is the byword here. They don't react well to anger, but who does?

People who have been smiled on by many happy croatians, please forgive me. This was my experience as an older male travelling alone, and with a female partner. I got a better reception with a female partner.

Bosnia, on the other hand, was a joy to travel in. Go Bosnia!