This post at Maria's Wish I Could Reach You In Belgrade blog about a travel book on the Balkans, which was written at the turn of the 20th century, got me wondering how Belgrade looked in the early(ish) 1900s?
So I did a quick search and found some interesting videos of Belgrade from the 1930s and thought I'd share them with you. You should be able to recognise some of the sights:
Update on new address
I'm still tweaking the new Balkan File site and it should be complete by Monday at the latest. So expect the new address then. If you're already subscribed to Balkan File via the RSS feed, it should automatically pick up the new site so you won't have to subscribe again. :-)
Showing posts with label Serbia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Serbia. Show all posts
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Belgrade: A Step Back In Time
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
So Long Summer
It seems that summer is well and truly over. After weeks and weeks of bright sunshine, clear blue skies and temperatures ranging from 30C to 40C, it was quite a shock to the system at the weekend. Cloud. Rain. 9C-12C.
At first I thought it was just a 'freak' day - and was quite happy to have some relief from the sweltering, summer heat - but no, it's still raining, it's still cold and I don't feel like going outside anymore.
See ya next year summer. Hello autumn, you've made a good start.
At first I thought it was just a 'freak' day - and was quite happy to have some relief from the sweltering, summer heat - but no, it's still raining, it's still cold and I don't feel like going outside anymore.
See ya next year summer. Hello autumn, you've made a good start.
PS: I actually quite like autumn and winter, I just would have preferred a gradual transition!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Some More Kind Words
One day after reports that a Serbian State Secretary had suggested that Serbia should import Asian women, more interesting and down-right shocking words were uttered today by Serbian Radical Party officials (nothing new there then) at the first parliament session following a one-month break.
Instead of debating the agenda, Serbian Radical Party officials took the stand and attacked Serbian Prime Minister, blocking the parliament from working effectively. Sure, if you think the parliament is a sham, by all means protest about it. However, there's no need to curse and insult people.
Serbian Radical Party official Nataša Jovanović, speaking about Serbian President Boris Tadić said, 'let his seed run dry, may the sun never warm him, let God's punishment come upon him. Boris Tadić is the greatest traitor. The curse will reach everyone one day.' It is elegantly put, but is parliament really the place to be saying such things? She also added that Serbian curses never end and that she thought everyone learned that in school. Of course they did!
Next to step up on the parliamentary floor was the always lovable SRS official Vjerica Radeta (who is no stranger to controversy). She proceeded to praise Radovan Karadžić and Vojislav Šešelj as Serbian heroes before moving on to declare a 'curse' on any Serbian Radical Party member, as well as his seed and his family, who had met with Tadić after the pro-Karadžić meeting on July 29, 2008, at which a Radical Party sympathiser, Ranko Panić, died. Of course, his death is blamed on 'dictator' Boris Tadić, and not the riotous actions of young hooligans and the subsequent police attempts to retain order.
I really am amazed at the words and sentences which are uttered by some Serbian Radical Party members, you just don't say that sort of stuff in parliament! I understand that they are used to talking this way from the situation in the 1990s and obviously they feel very strongly about their cause - but can't they just be a bit more civil and intelligent about it? Someone needs to buy the Radical party an up-to-date calender and show them it's 2008 and not 1998.
The Serbian Radical Party only seem to want to move the country backwards with their support of indicted war criminals and labelling Boris Tadić a traitor. The only traitors here are those whose actions and words are bad for Serbia and its people and their future - and those actions and words mainly come from the Radicals.
Instead of debating the agenda, Serbian Radical Party officials took the stand and attacked Serbian Prime Minister, blocking the parliament from working effectively. Sure, if you think the parliament is a sham, by all means protest about it. However, there's no need to curse and insult people.
Serbian Radical Party official Nataša Jovanović, speaking about Serbian President Boris Tadić said, 'let his seed run dry, may the sun never warm him, let God's punishment come upon him. Boris Tadić is the greatest traitor. The curse will reach everyone one day.' It is elegantly put, but is parliament really the place to be saying such things? She also added that Serbian curses never end and that she thought everyone learned that in school. Of course they did!
Next to step up on the parliamentary floor was the always lovable SRS official Vjerica Radeta (who is no stranger to controversy). She proceeded to praise Radovan Karadžić and Vojislav Šešelj as Serbian heroes before moving on to declare a 'curse' on any Serbian Radical Party member, as well as his seed and his family, who had met with Tadić after the pro-Karadžić meeting on July 29, 2008, at which a Radical Party sympathiser, Ranko Panić, died. Of course, his death is blamed on 'dictator' Boris Tadić, and not the riotous actions of young hooligans and the subsequent police attempts to retain order.
I really am amazed at the words and sentences which are uttered by some Serbian Radical Party members, you just don't say that sort of stuff in parliament! I understand that they are used to talking this way from the situation in the 1990s and obviously they feel very strongly about their cause - but can't they just be a bit more civil and intelligent about it? Someone needs to buy the Radical party an up-to-date calender and show them it's 2008 and not 1998.
The Serbian Radical Party only seem to want to move the country backwards with their support of indicted war criminals and labelling Boris Tadić a traitor. The only traitors here are those whose actions and words are bad for Serbia and its people and their future - and those actions and words mainly come from the Radicals.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Importing Asian Women
The Serbian Labour Minister Rasim Ljajić had to apologise today for a statement made by State Secretary Željko Vasiljević advising that Serbia should import 100,000 women from Asia to make up for a lack of females in some rural areas of the country.
You really do wonder what goes on inside the heads of some Serbian officials. Perhaps, they should think before they speak and choose their words a bit more carefully. I think the correct phrase would be 'encourage foreign immigration' and not 'import Asian women.'
You really do wonder what goes on inside the heads of some Serbian officials. Perhaps, they should think before they speak and choose their words a bit more carefully. I think the correct phrase would be 'encourage foreign immigration' and not 'import Asian women.'
Thursday, August 7, 2008
No Limit?
During one of my far too regular trawls through YouTube, which can keep you amused for hours you don't have, I stumbled across 200 na sat (200 miles per hour) by Ivan Gravilović, which was released in 1994. I immediately noticed that the music was strangely familiar - in fact, almost entirely the same as eurodance band 2 Unlimited's 'No Limit' (released in 1993 during the rave culture of the 90s in the UK and Europe). Hopefully, most of you would remember this song - whether you despised its repetitive beats and limited vocabulary or fully embraced it as a huge hit.
At first I was mortified and repulsed by the mutilation inflicted upon this 'classic dance hit', but as usual, the more I listen to 1990's Serbian dance music/turbo-folk, the more it grows on me and I no longer wish to fall into a deep, dark hole. 200 na sat, is a pretty pointless song about cars and speed, and is generally accepted to be the song that began the Serbian 1990's phenomenon known as turbo-folk. Turbo-folk is a sub genre of music which emerged in Serbia during the crisis years of the 1990s and is a mixture of contemporary (at the time) dance beats and Serbian folk music.
It became immensely popular with urban youth, in particular the dizelaši (dieselites), a group of ultra-macho, sporty young males who were fond of wearing Diesel brand clothing, and particularly fueled the 'macho culture' of Serbia during the 1990s. It produced a whole host of other famous turbo-folk singers such as the infamous Ceca and Jelena Karleuša. Turbo-folk today is regarded to epitomise ultra-nationalism and the Milošević regime.
Regardless of the dark connotations associated with turbo-folk music, it can be quite enjoyable and amusing to watch and listen to them. Here's Ivan Gravilović's version of 'No Limit'. Enjoy, but don't be too critical of their music video budget - hyper-inflation was in full swing!
At first I was mortified and repulsed by the mutilation inflicted upon this 'classic dance hit', but as usual, the more I listen to 1990's Serbian dance music/turbo-folk, the more it grows on me and I no longer wish to fall into a deep, dark hole. 200 na sat, is a pretty pointless song about cars and speed, and is generally accepted to be the song that began the Serbian 1990's phenomenon known as turbo-folk. Turbo-folk is a sub genre of music which emerged in Serbia during the crisis years of the 1990s and is a mixture of contemporary (at the time) dance beats and Serbian folk music.
It became immensely popular with urban youth, in particular the dizelaši (dieselites), a group of ultra-macho, sporty young males who were fond of wearing Diesel brand clothing, and particularly fueled the 'macho culture' of Serbia during the 1990s. It produced a whole host of other famous turbo-folk singers such as the infamous Ceca and Jelena Karleuša. Turbo-folk today is regarded to epitomise ultra-nationalism and the Milošević regime.
Regardless of the dark connotations associated with turbo-folk music, it can be quite enjoyable and amusing to watch and listen to them. Here's Ivan Gravilović's version of 'No Limit'. Enjoy, but don't be too critical of their music video budget - hyper-inflation was in full swing!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Karadžić Arrest
During the night more details have emerged about the arrest of Radovan Karadžić. Apparently, he was arrested on Monday evening while he was travelling on one of the regular city buses in New Belgrade (Novi Beograd). It's not known how long he's been 'hiding' in Belgrade, but he had assumed a false identity under the name Dragan Dabić. He hasn't really been hiding at all, in the traditional sense, but has in fact been quite in the public view for sometime. Karadžić is now sporting a large white beard and is rather unrecognisable. To make a living for himself, he's been practicing alternative medicine at a practice in the capital, even giving several lectures in front of hundreds of people and even camera crews and regularly contributing to Healthy Life magazine. It's quite odd to think that perhaps I've walked past Radovan Karadžić in the city centre where it's said he often frequented to have coffee.
As expected, world leaders and International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia officials have praised the arrest of one of the most wanted men in the world, whilst Serbian Radical Party officials have condemned the arrest, stating that 'it is a sad day for Serbia' and branding Serbian President Boris Tadić a 'traitor of the Serbian people'. The Radical Party have announced that they will be organising large protests over the coming days - a lovely invitation for Obraz thugs and other loutish nationalists to show up and cause some chaos.
Talking about chaos, we saw a small glimpse of what could be a regular occurrence over the next days in Belgrade today at Republic Square (Trg republike) in the very city centre. Several hundred people gathered, particularly young nationalist men, alongside a contingency of riot police. Squirmishes ensued with rudimentary exploding devices and fireworks being thrown all over the place. Here's a video of what took place at around 5pm today in Belgrade city centre:
As expected, world leaders and International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia officials have praised the arrest of one of the most wanted men in the world, whilst Serbian Radical Party officials have condemned the arrest, stating that 'it is a sad day for Serbia' and branding Serbian President Boris Tadić a 'traitor of the Serbian people'. The Radical Party have announced that they will be organising large protests over the coming days - a lovely invitation for Obraz thugs and other loutish nationalists to show up and cause some chaos.
Talking about chaos, we saw a small glimpse of what could be a regular occurrence over the next days in Belgrade today at Republic Square (Trg republike) in the very city centre. Several hundred people gathered, particularly young nationalist men, alongside a contingency of riot police. Squirmishes ensued with rudimentary exploding devices and fireworks being thrown all over the place. Here's a video of what took place at around 5pm today in Belgrade city centre:
Radovan Karadžić, a Bosnian Serb, is indicted by the Hague tribunal on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Bosnian War (1992-1996) including shelling during the siege of Sarajevo, during which some 12,000 died, and the notorious Srebrenica massacre in 1995, in which 8,000 Bosniak Muslim boys and men were killed. He is likely to be transferred later this week.
It will certainly be an interesting time in Serbia the next few weeks. Let's hope nothing gets out of hand too much.
It will certainly be an interesting time in Serbia the next few weeks. Let's hope nothing gets out of hand too much.
Radovan Karadžić Arrested
It seems that Serbian war crimes fugitive Radovan Karadžić was arrested earlier tonight somewhere in Serbia. Didn't expect that on a mundane Monday night. The new pro-European government was formed very recently, and already we have one of the better known to the rest of the world fugitives arrested. Stojan Župljanin, another fugitive, was arrested in Belgrade in June.
Just two more to go - Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić.
However, what interests me more is the fallout from this arrest. He is seen by many in Serbia as a war hero. Will there be protests, both for and against? How will the press and government and party officials react. Let's wait until the morning.
Sleep well.
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