The Croatian Diaspora

May 9, 2021 - TCN is delighted to welcome award-winning blogger Ana-Marija Hota to TCN, bringing a much-needed Croatian voice from Ireland. She starts with a look at the pandemic responses in Ireland and Croatia with a Croatian view from Dublin.  In March 2020, I found myself in Dublin, Ireland, which has been my home since September 2013. The pandemic was looming, and it all seemed like a bad dream. In the weeks prior to the lockdown, I was very busy in the hair salon where I was working at the time. It was a bit scary, because many of…

April 17, 2021 - Two years ago I moved from Peru to Croatia. Thousands of returnees like me are hurting each year to leave our countries behind. But we have to look forward. My parents taught me and my siblings from a very young age to value and appreciate the best of Peru: its people, our history, our culture, our traditions, our food, our ecosystems, and much more. That, no matter what, we should always speak with pride of our country when a foreigner asks us about it. In the same way, and as we have grown and had experiences…

ZAGREB, 25 March, 2021 - The head of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad on Thursday told the parliament that after the "shameful" decision of the Subotica city's authorities to give a status of an official language to the Bunjevci vernacular, local Croats in Serbia had been receiving more and more threats. In the wake of the discussions about that wrong and shameful decision by the Subotica City Council, which were also soon followed by the propaganda film "Dara iz Jasenovca",  more and more threats were made against ethnic Croats, notably ethnic Croat leaders in Serbia, Zvonko Milas told the Sabor,…

March 12, 2021 - One of the most heartwarming Croatian diaspora returnee stories I have heard for some time, hear about Jose Alfonso's incredible journey from Lima in Peru to the new Total Croatia News intern.  The Total Project started on the island of Hvar almost ten years ago, when I started a mission to provide information about Hvar to match its quality as a destination. In order to be 'Total', I did an article on every village, including one which was largely uninhabited and totally unpronounceable. I hadn't expected many people to read Introducing the 'Z' Village, Zastražišće, and I…

February 11, 2021 - Looking for your Croatian roots? Meet Robert Jerin, who has helped countless people connect with their ancestral homeland over the last 30 years. The wider Croatian family is one of the most diverse on the planet, located in almost every corner of the world. Many people of Croatian origin have only a tenuous connection to their roots of the country their ancestors emigrated from generations and centuries ago.  And many are curious about their roots. Meet Robert Jerin, one of the nicest guys I have met in that wider Croatian family, and a man who has…

January 5, 2020 – In a recent interview, a member of a NASA team whose family heritage is Croatian, detailed how her current project will go to Mars in 2021 Croatians are not ones for invading other countries, let alone other planets. Although, that reputation doesn't take into consideration the can-do attitude of the Croatian diaspora. It is by the hands of one member of the country's diaspora that Croatia will go to Mars in 2021. Sarah M. Milkovich is a planetary geologist of Croatian descent who works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Her family is originally from a small…

December 8, 2020 – Yesterday, TCN reported that Croatia is among the most sought after tourist destinations for people in Sweden. Today, we meet a couple who went the other way – from Osijek to Sweden – for a more permanent stay. How does life compare for young couple Marin and Vedrana? Marin Relja from Darda (25) and Vedrana Maksimovic from Sarvaš (24) swapped Slavonia for Västerås in June of 2019. We interviewed them to find out some of the ways life compares when you move from Osijek to Sweden. Marin: We lived with parents when we were back in…

October 27, 2020 - An important gathering for the strengthening of ties between Croatia and its diaspora takes place next month as the 6th edition of Croatia Meeting G2 takes place in Zagreb.  One of the things I have been monitoring over the last few years has been the growing cooperation between Croatia's entrepreneurial sector and the business-minded members of the Croatian diaspora - it has been an exciting journey to observe as a foreign fly on the wall.  On the surface, things should be fairly simple. The diaspora are successful, weatlh-creating and extremely patriotic. Croatia should be an obvious…

ZAGREB, Sept 14, 2020 - Croatians in Austria have got their Croatian Hall in Vienna well ahead of the Christmas deadline, and it will host the first meeting of Croatian associations on September 17. The building, located in the city's 23rd district, is currently being renovated. It stretches over 2,000 square meters and has two large halls, offices, and multifunctional rooms. "I am proud and very happy. The building is just concrete now, but it is our Croatian Hall. Tireless people, enthusiasts, and professionals believed that we can achieve this and now it is up to us to move on…

July 25, 2020 - Continuing our look as successful returnees from the Croatian diaspora, meet Daniel Cavka, who swapped life in Australia for Split.   So many Croatians abroad dream of moving back to the Homeland, but concerns about corruption, low wages, job availability and a host of other concerns deter many. But more and more are taking the plunge, and succeeding. In the latest in our series of successful returnees, meet Daniel Cavka.   Born in Australia, returned to Croatia, something that many diaspora dream of doing. Tell us briefly about your journey. I was born on the East Coast of…