Famous for Something Else

This documentary focuses on the youth in Bosnia Herzegovina at the time surrounding the recent elections in the country, looking at key protagonists within youth culture. Those featured include a filmmaker, a rapper, a hip hopper, a young actress, a punk rock band and people working within the NGO sector for Youth Development.

The project looks to explore key issues and themes, which affect their lives, including the social, political, economic, educational and cultural situation in Bosnia without focusing heavily on the individual’s ethnicity. How is their life now, years after the war, what challenges do they face, what opportunities are there for them, what are the frustrations and tensions in their lives – what can their future be?

While many photo-documentaries continue to examine the situation in Bosnia, they focus heavily on events of the war that happened 15 years ago. This documentary looks to examine, the affects of the war on a new generation, many of who are too young to even remember the war, to provide them with a platform to express their own opinions, untainted by outside interpretations. We are presented not with images of war and suffering but with a realistic overview of how the situation really affects those that must live with the past. Showcasing a more positive story of people that want to move forward and who believe that art and culture can be used as a way to integrate people and create a path to unity.

The purpose of the project was to show that there are no real, quantifiable differences between the ethnic groups and that the youth of today want to move past the history, to find a new future for themselves, undefined by ethnic tensions.

While the documentary focuses on just one small town in Bosnia, the issues can be related to the country as a whole. As the documentary unfolds, we become aware that those featured are all from and still living in the town of Srebrenica in Eastern Bosnia, a town better known and remembered for the genocide of 1995. This is the story of a group of young people who hope for a better future; hope to be famous for something else.

To preview the book follow this link

FAMOUS FOR SOMETHING ELSE . . . by Rebecca Wise | Make Your Own Book

 

 

 

Easter Project – Ulica Marsala Tita

Serbia, a country more closely identified as the main aggressor in the Balkans War, is a country struggling with its past in order to move forward.  A country stagnating economically with its infrastructure crumbling, a growing Diaspora, ageing population and the new generation of intellectuals leaving for better opportunities and higher salaries in the West.  It is a country of constant frustrations, latent uneasiness about how it is seen by those outside of its borders and confusion as to its identity since a pride of its history is often seen as a politically aggressive standpoint.  The most famous date in Serbia’s history is that of 1389, the year of the Battle of Kosovo, when the Serbian principality fought for independence from the Ottoman Empire. It came to be seen as a symbol of Serbian patriotism.  Its significance for Serbian nationalism returned to prominence during the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo War when Slobodan Milošević invoked it during an important speech in Gazimestan in 1989, the 600^th anniversary of the battle. The speech has since become famous for Milošević’s reference to the possibility of “armed battles”, in the future of Serbia’s national development. Many commentators have described this as presaging the collapse of Yugoslavia and the Yugoslav Wars.  The Battle of Kosovo is also seen as one of the reasons why Serbia refuses to accept Kosovo as an independent country, too much of Serbian history is seen as taking part in this area, too much of its identity is held there.

The long term consequences of a country post-war are many, even more so for a country which was the aggressor in that war.  There are economic consequences; the destruction of infrastructure (NATO bombing is estimated to have caused $30 billion in damages), the loss of industry, the impact of a large influx of refugees (estimates put this figure from between 500,000 to 850,000) and UN Economic sanctions from 1992 – 95 which caused a massive rise in inflation.

Furthermore, how are Serbs to identify themselves now, with their historical past, dragged into the political speeches of the war, and therefore mired by Milošević’s rhetoric?  When a pride in being Serbian is so often seen as being nationalist.  And so we can see how Serb pride is interlaced with Serbia’s feelings of shame.

This is a documentary of the state of Serbia as it is today, looking at just one road as a representation of the country.  Ulica Maršala Tita, its name harking back to the Communist days of Marshal Tito, was the longest road in ex-Yugoslavia, located in the Serbian region of Vojvodina, one of the richest and most fertile areas of the country.  The road originates just outside of Novi Sad, Serbia’s second largest city and reaches almost to the Hungarian border.  This is still one the richest areas of the country but after the war many of the industries, which, thrived here, have been lost.

There is an obvious level of frustration felt by the people in Serbia and with that a percentage of people who still believe Nationalist Ideals are the way forward.  Political slogans are sprayed on walls, mottos from different factions, posters for political candidates age and become torn, adding to the plethora of symbols on walls and bus shelters.

Industry in Serbia is struggling.  Agriculture, on the whole is a cottage industry with most of the work being done by hand, people are unable to mechanise the processes due to the costs involved.  Construction on malls and roads is either slow to develop or halted since funds are low.  At every level there seem to be barriers to progress.

Click on the link to view the project

Ulica 25

all stars gym

 

short story

Mazhar lost his sight around ten years ago as a result of diabetes.  he is pretty much trapped in the house and only goes out twice a week, on fridays to the mosque and on tuesdays to a community group for the blind.

He has found it difficult to learn how to live without sight and has had very little support from groups in terms of teaching him mobility or how to read brail.  instead he pretty much sits in his bed and listens to the news on the tv.  these are a few photos from my first meeting with him

Here are some of my street photos from the last few weeks