Adnan Hamidovic is a hip-hop artist from the Bosnian town of Bijeljina, who uses his songs to tackle thorny issues of reconciliation.

In one set of lyrics, he says, “I don’t want us to compare victims and count the dead, the burned mosques and destroyed churches.“

This film takes the form of a dialogue between Hamidovic, a Bosniak, and his friend Milan Colic, a peace activist from Serbia. Hamidovic, who goes by the nickname Frenkie, begins by recounting the arrival of Serb paramilitaries in Bijeljina and its effects on his family.

Both he and Colic are concerned at the nationalism that exists among young people in the region, two decades after the war.

In one song, Hamidovic addresses Serbs, saying he does not share the view that they have “genocide in their veins”.

“I think this song is encouraging for people,” Colic says. “It seems like they’re thinking, ‘If Frenkie had the courage to say it out loud, let’s have the courage to say it out loud ourselves.’”

Hamidovic believes that if young people were given a better understanding of the crimes committed in the name of their own communities, rather than only those perpetrated against them, “within just a few years, we’d already see a change in them, as well as in generations to come; we’d no longer hear those nationalist slogans in football stadiums; and it would no longer be considered cool — or dangerous and attractive — and people would start feeling ashamed of the things they now say and the way they think.

This film was produced as part of the Ordinary Heroes project, funded by the Norwegian Embassy in Sarajevo. IWPR is implementing the project in partnership with the Post-Conflict Research Center in Sarajevo.

First Published By IWRP

Late Macedonian pop singer Tose Proeski continues to find himself in the company of all ages across the Balkans. Ever since his death in 2007, his spirit has lived on and has turned into a regional phenomenon that continues to unite the Balkans nearly six years later.

Prior to his death, Tose Proeski was know as not only a great musicians, but also a great humanitarian. He raised thousands of euros at what turned out to be his final concert on October 5th 2007. All of the raised money was donated to benefit local Macedonian schools.He passed away only eleven days later at a very young age of 26 after a tragic car accident in Croatia.

Ever since, many in the media began to call him “the greatest Balkan star” and some even compared his legacy to Elvis Presley.  But unlike many musicians, who’s legacy seems to fad over time, Tose’s popularity only seemed to grow. It’s not surprising to hear a song or two on any given night at many bars across the Balkans and locally here in Toronto. And if that wasn’t enough, the city of Sarajevo has decided to name a street after him – the unveiling should happen sometime in 2013.

But what makes someone’s popularity grow even after they pass? In Tose’s case, knowing multiple languages (Vlach, English, Serbian, Croatian, Spanish, Italian, Russian, French and other languages) and having a great heart was the case. Not only was he impressive on stage, but his humanitarian ways were next to none.  Maybe we can conclude that he was someone special who brought together people, sick and healthy, famous and average people and never forgotten the rich or the poor.

But what ultimately separated Tose Proeksi from other Balkan musicians were his binding abilities to bind people across national, religious and generational borders. His death was unexpected and came as a sad day not only in Bosnia, but in every other Balkan country. But looking back now, his passing became a collective grief that occurred as a phenomenon that brought overwhelming sadness, like that for Elvis Presley, Princess Diana, or President Tito.

Photo Credit (wikipedia)

Halid Beslic, Bosnian legend of Narodna/Folk Music announced his new single for his upcoming album. The new song is titled “Sijede”, which in translation means “Grays” and will be featured on his new album Romanija. The song was written by Fakhr Pecikoza and composed by Zeljko Joksimovic. New album release date is set for March 2, 2013. Hope you enjoy the new single. We give it a strong 8/10.