Strawberry Energy Showcases Entrepreneurial Young Serbia
Belgrade student entrepreneurs are flying the flag foryoung Serbia. Strawberry Energy is a pioneering business that is generating international acclaim for its renewable energy devices that teach about the benefits of clean energy technologies and, by highlighting actual benefits, help people appreciate the importance for our future.
“We share a dream in which energy is gained from the sun and the wind, in which air is clean and rivers unpolluted, and new technologies are used for the preservation of our environment,’ said Strawberry‘s CEO Miloš Milisavljević. “We want to develop devices that make renewable energy available to all, to bring home the advantages of green technologies, so people become familiar with renewable energy and realise its potential. Our future depends on sustainable energy. We want to encourage understanding of the good that it can bring.”
This team of ambitious young engineers has achieved something that many others would have failed to deliver – they have created a thriving business and an innovative product with practical use.
Hamam Balkania: A Book Review
Hamam Balkania from Vladislav Bajac, leading contemporary Serbian author and founder of the Geopoetika publishing house, is described as one of the most exciting and poetic novels in modern Serbian literature. Having won the Balkanika, Golden Hit and Isidora Sekulic awards and been translated into ten languages, it is rare among Serbian novels in that it is so widely available internationally.
Using powerful prose, Hamam Balkania is a meticulously structured tale of friendship and redemption, where Bajac considers linkages between issues of personal, individual and national identity in the shadow of dramatic historical events. It also raises the question of how much faith can be placed in history as written by the victors, or even events tainted by the prejudices of our own interpretations.
Belgrade Publisher Promotes Serbian Literature Abroad
Literature gets under the skin of a culture to reveal truths about people, their feelings and influences on their lives. Books can bypass spin to provide a vivid snapshot on a time, a culture or a community. For me, the thrill of discovering new literature is addictive. I make a point of reading books from countries that interest me or where I have a connection.
A barrier can be locating English translations. The range is often limited to big name award winners and firmly established authors, with modern writers missing out on sharing their stories more widely.
I have read many fine books from Balkan authors, particularly from Serbia, a country that can only benefit from a deeper international understanding of its cultural touchstones. But while early 20th century writers such as Ivo Andrić, Danilo Kiš, Meša Selimović and Milorad Pavić have been translated into English, the range of writers from recent decades can be more difficult to get your hands on.
Šišanje / Skinning : A Serbian Film Worth Watching
Skinning (Srb: Šišanje) tells of high-achieving Belgrade student Novica (Nikola Rakocević), and how he falls under the spell of far right extremism to set off an horrific chain of events. From Serbian director Stevan Filipović, this is a strong film that sticks with you long after the impact of the end credits and their victims roll call.
