Hvala za 2015
As the year is coming to its end and a new one is about to start it seems to be time for a short look back into the highlights of this blog’s first year of existence.
„Hvala za 2015“ weiterlesenJahr: 2015
Crni Panteri
Robert Rigney explores the soul of Balkan music as he experiences a wild night on a Beograd splavka. The trip, fuelled by rakija and Gypsy music, also tells a tale of the complex relationship between Gypsies and Serbs. Here, racism, cliches … Crni Panteri weiterlesen
Srećan/sretan Božić
A message from people who know what it’s like. I took the photograph in the center of Sarajevo on my last trip. I can’t imagine that people there feel about it any different today. To be remembered today of all days when billions celebrate a refugee couple giving birth to a child.
Religious or not (like me), we all can relate to the metaphor remembered today. A couple whose child is about to be born is seeking a roof over their head. We can be fairly sure: It didn’t get that far just for the heck of it.
This year we have seen hundreds of thousands of people in a similar situation.
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A Holy Fraud
Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, better known by her stage name Mother Teresa, is to be sanctified by the Catholic Church next year. Bojaxhiu’s popularity even among non-Catholics makes this a highly political move. One that does not withstand scrutiny.
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Dva Božića
Christmas can be a tiresome if uniting affair if it’s celebrated the traditional way: Shopping, exchanging gifts and family dinners. As soon as religion comes into play, it tends to highlight divisions rather than make them disappear.
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Tarlabaşı: A Slum Quarter in Istanbul
Journalist and writer Robert Rigney explores life in one of the most infamous neighborhoods of Istanbul. And finds it disappearing as the poor are driven out of their homes. Continue reading… Photo: (c) Luke Michael, reproduced here with the express permission … Tarlabaşı: A Slum Quarter in Istanbul weiterlesen
Reisen im Kopf
Weihnachten naht. Wenn man schon schenken will, bitte Sinnvolles. Balkan Stories Blog hat ein paar Empfehlungen für Balkan-Reisen im Kopf.
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Srećan dan ljudskih prava
It’s International Human Rights Day. A day not only to celebrate one of the most important documents of humanity. It’s also a day to remind us what we all can do to protect each other’s human rights and to remember those that have done so even when risking their lives.
This photograph is perhaps one of the most iconic images documenting resistance against the Holocaust.
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The Long Road To Justice
The memories of war still haunt Bosnian society. Far too few responsible for the slaugther of 100.000 Bosnians have been convicted. This week a trial started in an Austrian court of law that may bring closure to at least a few survivors and the families of victims of one the many massacres.
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Die erste Frau hieß Liliput
Zwei durchschnittlich religiöse Menschen unterhalten sich in einem Wiener Balkan-Cafe.
Die Religion kommt unterwartet ins Spiel.
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In The Sandžak
A friend invites Robert Rigney, a US reporter and writer living in Berlin, to the Sandžak, one of the more mysterious regions on the Balkans. For Robert, who has travelled Ex-YU and Turkey extensively, it is a trip to a place … In The Sandžak weiterlesen
Sometimes A Cigar Is Just A Cigar Or: The Language Thing Pt VI
Part VI in a series of observations und reflections on language issues in the language formerly known as Serbocroatian. This time on why it’s sometimes better no to think about it too much.
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