Bosnian Sevdah Star Amira Presents Damar: Real World Class
As a siren entices sailors to a watery grave, an expressive soul can lure strangers to get giddy on its intoxicating tales of love, loss and sorrow.
Sarajevo-born sevdah singer Amira Medunjanin calls on genuine emotional depth to deliver songs that tell of the allure of the heart and the grip of sorrow, as put to good use on her latest release, Damar.
Like Portuguese fado, Judeo-Spanish ladino and flamenco from Spain, the rich Sevdah songbook of the Balkans is loaded with passion, sorrow, bloodlust and feuds, as well as romance, humour and, naturally, a heavy dose of dark melancholia.
Amira has refined the art of storytelling through song. When she sings, it is as if she is speaking to us only.
Like a voice in our head, a lover speaking softly close to our ear, the acclaimed Bosnian singer conjures emotions that are personal and real, and their appeal is inescapable.
International acclaim for Serbian teen drama Next to Me
When a Serbian film makes waves beyond the domestic market, critics and audiences sit up and pay attention.
As thought-provoking and socially relevant high school drama Pored Mene (Next to Me) clocks up international awards and acclaim, the signs are strong for this will translate into bums on seats.
Next to Me, the latest cinema release from one of Serbia’s leading young writer-directors Stevan Filipović was a champion right out of the blocks.
After being named Best Film on its world premiere at last month’s Pula International Film Festival, it showed that this honour was not a fluke by winning the Young Audience Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
Sensing that they were on to something special international film critics, including Hollywood Reporter, soon added their acclaim.
Do Belgrade hotels provide service with a smile?
As Belgrade attracts growing numbers of tourists and business travellers, the capital’s hotels and service industries are stepping up their game.
Tourists attracted by a creative wave that is sweeping the city’s cosmopolitan design districts are part of a renaissance that has tourist chiefs buzzing, while foreign investment is attracting increasing numbers of business travellers to Belgrade.
As visitor figures rise, the call on hotel beds to suit all budgets can only increase.
International luxury hotels are opening in the city, such as the waterside Radisson Blu Old Mill and the delayed new Marriott beside the National Theatre, to satisfy the growth in business and high-end travellers.
Serbian designers reap rewards for originality, quality and style
Belgrade streetwear brand Dechko Tzar is harnessing Serbia’s new-found business optimism and greater access to international markets to create significant uplift in interest and sales at home and abroad.
Dechko Tzar is one of a number of creative brands that is reaping the rewards of a more favourable market for small businesses, upgraded production processes and faster distribution routes.
The entry of PayPal into Serbian market has also added to the environment of opportunity, enabling international shoppers access to home grown products such as Dechko Tzar’s range of fashionable clothing and colourful accessories.
“The opportunities are there for our taking and, as we grow, so do our ambitions,’ said Nikola Radojčić, a co-founder of Dechko Tzar.
