Voskrese!

PETROVDAN 2009
t h e b r i t i s h s e r b q u a r t e r ly
Ivanović
Why Ana does not
serve sarma
Tito
Russians gave him
finger
Mileva
Marić
Serb Mrs Einstein
Serb
Lobby
Direct action for Serbs
ISSN 1759-2828 (Print)
ISSN 1759-2836 (Online)
Front cover image: Getty
Inside this issue of
Tito’s Titbits
6
Živeli – the Toast of Emperors 8
Music Scene
10
Agony Pop
12
Did Mileva Мarić cocreate
e=mc2?
14
Paper round
19
Ana Ivanović
Kitchen Corner
Letters
Sports
Seven Days in Sarajevo
Church Services
Events Diary
Church Calendar
20
24
27
30
33
37
38
39
Please send all correspondence to: The Editor, Britic Media Ltd., PO Box 1379 Bedford MK40 9DE [email protected]
For advertising please contact: The Sales Team, Britic Media Ltd., PO Box 1379, Bedford MK40 9DE [email protected]
Britić is a not-for-profit magazine. Published by Britic Media Ltd. PO Box 1379, Bedford MK40 9DE
Printed by Caric Press Ltd, Rickits Green, Lionheart Close, Bearwood, BOURNEMOUTH, Dorset BH11 9UB
Logo design: Marko Govoruša
Design and layout KOMSHE doo, Belgrade, Vladetina 7/5, www.komshe.com, [email protected]
© Britic Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
2
l Petrovdan 2009
R
Pomaže Bog!
eaders’ responses, contributions of material
and general comments from many whom we
meet indicate that
might have begun to bed
itself into the British Serb consciousness.
Our trust in our judgement that there was a
demand for the magazine appears to have been
vindicated and has been echoed as such many
times, and again in this issue’s letters pages.
Our task is now to be consistent, to build and
.
improve and to provide stability for
We are continually updating our database with
information we are receiving from readers and we
to all those who
shall continue to send out
have subscribed. If you have not subscribed then
there is a strong possibility that you will not be
receiving
in the future. Please see page 18 for
details and make your move. (It’s still free.)
around a third of the Serb population in the UK have
been exposed to it. A man wrote in from Chile to say
thanks for the Sarajevo story (see letters page) and
an advertiser sold a product in Australia via
.
Friends are being reunited and old divisions are being
healed through informed discussion and considered
expressions of points of views. Be a part of it! ...
There is now a
group on facebook and twitter
and we look forward to reading your responses
to the magazine there also. Just type “Britic”. Your
responses shape
content so we do need to
know what you think, where you went, what you eat,
how you speak, what you listen to, who you love,
who you would like to meet and... when you want
to start talking about your Serb identity ... then, talk
to
.
We have again for this issue expanded the editorial
team and we have further good prospects to explore
in coming months. We are very keen to talk to people
who can assist with maintaining the advertising
revenue. This is not a creative role but essential to
keep the magazine going. If you have any experience
in the area and can help please be in touch.
We feature a new initiative on page 5 for us frustrated
activists and politicians, the Serb Lobby. The ethos
is eerily similar to the start of
– we don’t know
if we can change anything. But we’re going to try. I
decided to get involved after I watched a movie on
Channel 4 where the ‘heroes’ gunned down every
Serb depicted. I wondered – why are we singled out
like this? No other people would accept this. If you
share this view, please feel free to have your say.
It is difficult to say accurately how many people
read
in one of its various forms and means
of distribution but we anticipate that somewhere
Oh, and our competition was won by Mrs Radojka
Zekavica, Barnet. Well done, we hope you enjoy the
iPod!
We always invite your comments. And to prove we listen, if you log into our
web-site you will notice a Cyrillic version of some of this issue’s articles.
Please note: all submissions for SVETA PETKA (end of October) edition to be
in by 17th August 2009
Donation
We firmly believe Britić should be available free of charge to all who
subscribe. We warmly thank those who have since the last issue made
donations towards that goal. We would be delighted if you would join in
sponsoring a future edition. Please send your cheque (for any amount)
to Britić and state how you would like to be acknowledged. Address :
The Editor, PO Box 1379, Bedford MK40 9DE. (See also page 17)
Petrovdan 2009 l
3
Three Months around the UK
... Vladika Dositej in attendance
h April ...
Corby bell tower blessed 26t
Igranka on 2nd May at Halifax
Prota Vido (Vaskrs in Bedford)
the trophy
Serbian Day,
the football on
on
honorary
w
s
a’
er
ik
st
tn
ice
Le
kret Srpskih Če
Po
by
d
Preočanin
te
ija
en
Il
es
was pr
jević, secretary
vl
sa
oj
St
n
ila
ić
president M
t Boško Zečev
ka Sekcija Bra
and Omladins
Emilia, Aleksia, An
a-Maria and Maja
amongst the 1000+
who enjoyed Serbian
Day in Lutterwort
h, 20 June
Please send in your photos for the gallery to
[email protected]
4
l Petrovdan 2009
www.SerbLobby.org
NATO in the dock for war crimes?
An Israeli human rights group,
Almagor, is preparing to file a
lawsuit against NATO for the 1999
bombing of Yugoslavia which killed
2500 civilians. The case will be
filed in Spain and singles out Javier
Solana (then the NATO secretarygeneral) and other European and US
officials. Almagor seemingly seeks
to expose the hypocrisy of European
investigations into Israeli alleged
crimes whilst ignoring their own.
Another human rights group, Amnesty
International has called for a “war
crimes” investigation within NATO for
the bombing of Serbian broadcaster
RTS calling it a deliberate attack on a
civilian entity without warning.
Serb Lobby to be founded
Given up asking why articles like
these never seem to make it into
British newspapers and TV? Or why
Serbs are always the bad guys?
FAQ:
The Serb Lobby needs founding
members to shape it into an effective
lobbying force. Its stated aims are
“fairness and accuracy in politics and
the media. Let’s rebrand Serbs! We’re
the good guys.”
A. We’re not a political party. We
have no manifesto. You are free to
have any views. Our scope is Serbinterest lobbying.
Serb lobbyist and founder member
Sava Zxivanovich comes with notable
successes under his belt. These
include corrections published by
the BBC and a campaign to stop
the neo-Nazi singer Thomson from
performing throughout Europe.
(The singer, Marko Perković
Thompson allegedly performed
songs that glorify Jasenovac, the
concentration camp where 600,000
Serbs, Jews and Gypsies perished,
stating “there is nothing wrong
with my voicing right-wing, Ustaše,
beliefs”.)
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: What are your politics?
: So how do you lobby?
A. If you see a campaign you like the
sound of, you can write in to a media
or political body with your views.
You can start a campaign, and invite
other Serb lobbyists to support you.
: Do I have to give personal
information?
A. No. You only need an email
address, which can be anonymous.
: How can I find out if I want to join?
A. Try it. You can leave the group at
any time.
Serb Lobby is a Google Group, visit
www.SerbLobby.org.
Accudo Investments Ltd
23 High Street, Old
Portsmouth,
HANTS, PO1 2LS
Telephone: 02392 811221
Mobiles: Igor 07747 800549
Claire 07775 560232
E-mail: [email protected]/
[email protected]
Website: www.accudo.co.uk
Accudo Investments Ltd Registered in England & Wales, Registration No: 5412037, Registered Office as above.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
Petrovdan 2009 l
5
Your Review
TITO’s TITBITS
Shooting Tito
Josip Broz Tito, president of
Yugoslavia was the darling of
the West, the acceptable face
of Communism and friend to
statesmen and royalty alike.
But the architect of “bratstvo
i jedinstvo“ (brotherhood and
unity) who still inspires nostalgia
for many in ex-YU was the archenemy of most Serbs who fled
to Britain after WWII. Their
hostility was shared by a most
unlikely bedfellow.
Following Yugoslavia’s split with
the USSR in 1948, Tito would
not have been the most popular
revolutionary behind the iron
curtain and on several occasions
Stalin had apparently tried to
have him assassinated. Tito was
prompted to openly write to Stalin:
“Stop sending people to kill me.
We’ve already captured five, one
of them with a bomb and another
with a rifle... If you don’t stop
sending killers, I’ll send one to
Moscow, and I won’t have to send
a second.”
It is not known what Stalin’s
response was.
A chance encounter
Whilst serving as a podnarednik
(sergeant) in the Serbian
gendarmerie during the German
occupation in September 1944 a
young soldier was sent with two
others to take a letter to royalist
Ćetnik commander Vojvoda
Nikola Kalabić who was waging
battle against the Partisans near
Tuzla. During their journey they
ran into a man in the woods
dressed impeccably
and of some obvious
importance, so they
considered what they
should do.
One of the young
soldiers said “let’s
shoot him, he has
new boots and mine
are worn out, I could
have his”, but the
Entertaining Tito, Yugoslavia was the first communist podnarednik said no,
we will not take a
country to be visited by Queen Elizabeth II
6
l Petrovdan 2009
by Bojan Bojbaša
life for that reason. He had also
suspected that the gentleman was
accompanied nearby as he had
shown no fear and did not speak,
so they let him walk away.
Later when they met up with
Vojvoda Kalabić’s Ćetniks they
were told that the battle with the
Partisans was fierce and they
were highly motivated as they
had learned that Tito was leading
their troops and they wanted to
kill him.
Immediately the young
podnarednik knew that he had
met Tito in the woods and that he
could have killed him. Today that
podnarednik is alive and well and
living in England. He was pleased
to tell
his story and how he
could have changed the course of
history.
Tito incognito
After Tito’s death in 1980 stories
began to circulate in Yugoslavia
that he had been a doppelgänger,
replaced by the Russians or
Americans before or during
WWII and that he was not in fact
the Josip Broz born in Kumrovec,
Croatia in 1892. According to
some Tito had been killed at the
battle of Sutjeska or in a plane
crash after the German raid on
of Yugoslavia, Tito had all his
fingers and it is thought played
the piano.
Krushchev consults with Tito at the UN
his stronghold at Drvar or that he
was replaced whilst in Russia.
Long time Serb residents of
Bedford will recall a WWII
veteran Vučković who lived
among them and who told of
stories of his time when stationed
in Zagreb. As a sergeant in
the late 1920’s Gendarme, he
arrested a young Josip Broz and
he recalled that he had three
fingers missing on his right
hand. The later to be president
Tito had been active in the
Communist Party of Yugoslavia
which was then an illegal
organisation and there is record
of him having been arrested and
tried in Zagreb in 1928. Is this
just the Balkan conspiracy theory
gene working overtime or was it a
real case of “ti to nisi”.
Tito’s Tucker
Book shops in Serbia seem
to be awash with cook books
describing what Tito ate and with
whom.
In 1972 Yugoslavia was the first
communist country to be visited
by Queen Elizabeth II and she
also dined with Tito. Leskovačke
ustipke were on the menu with
kajmak & pogača, urnebes salata
and all was washed down with
domaća rakija.
Apparently the Queen was quite
taken with the Leskovački rostilj
and the manner in which it
was presented. Pictures of the
occasion showed that the glasses
on the table were shaped like
Wellington boots. There is no
recorded comment about the
glasses.
In 1979 on his last foreign tour
Tito visited Iraq and dined
with Saddam Hussein. Saddam
prepared a predictable Bagdadski
đuveč and urme u sirupu for
desert. There is no record of what
the two dictators discussed over
dinner.
Novaković & Co. Ltd
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advisors
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encourage businesses to reach out to other British Serbs. No other medium targets as many British Serbs.
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* Offer ends at the deadline of 17th September 2009. Please support your British Serb quarterly Britić.
Petrovdan 2009 l
7
Serbia Review
Živeli! the toast of emperors
It is said that sv Sava taught Serbs to ferment
wine, founding the vineyards of Metohija.
Indeed, sun-soaked Serbia has produced
wine over millennia. Roman emperor
Marcus Aurelius Probus, born in today’s
Sremska Mitrovica founded one of Europe’s
oldest vineyards on the slopes of Fruška
Gora. Centuries later, and at the mirror’s
edge of the mediaeval state, Car Dušan
commissioned a 15 mile ceramic wine to
span between his vineyard to his palace in
Prizren, so valuable was its produce.
S
ince the 18th century, English
connoisseurs have savoured
these wines and today Hugh
McHardy and Zlativoje Ivanović
are leading the vanguard by
importing the most delicious
Serbian wines to British shores.
“I love offering somebody
a glass of Serbian wine and
Every year at wine harvest season,
the fountain at Aleksandrovac
flows with wine.
8
l Petrovdan 2009
Hugh McHardy with TV personalities Keith Floyd
and Jon Inverdale at the launch of Serbian Wines
hosted by the Embassy. A Skadarlija-style band
weaved between guests including city, sports and
TV personalities to create an authentic atmosphere
and a great evening.
seeing their face change as
they taste it”, says Hugh, who is
always delighted by the positive
reaction when he challenges
peoples’ expectations. Recalling
his own first experience, “the
bouquet of the wine and the
natural fruit was fantastic – a
very natural taste”.
spoke with TV chef
Keith Floyd, himself known
for enjoying a glass of wine “I
am going to be helping all the
way down the line to launch
this venture because I think
it’s a great idea.” Alongside
are top London chef Tom Ilić
and Jonathan Pedley, a leading
authority on wine in the UK.
Previously, the celebrated Master
of Wine sampled some of Serbia’s
finest wines whilst visiting her
monasteries.
harvest. The wine cellars of
Karlovac are fabulous. The
region is famed for its dessert
wines Ausbruch and Bermet that
use secrets carefully guarded by
each family producer. Bermet
is a Vermouth-like wine infused
by 20 spices. It was highly
prized in the Viennese court and
appeared on the wine card of
the Titanic. Serbian wines have
avoided the peril of some early
Balkan entrants with a “onewine, bargain bucket” image
instead offering high-quality at
any budget. Hugh tips Vranac as
a potential Cabernet-beater wine
for the UK market. For BritishSerb tastes he recommends
Medveđa Krv and Rubin’s Car
Lazar for reds and for whites
Navip’s Muscat Ottonel and the
excellent Reisling.
Wine routes have been a tourist
draw since the Karađorđević
dynasties, particularly the
festivities which mark the grape
Serbian wines are now served
in some of London’s topclass bars and restaurants. Le
Beaujolais in Covent Garden
Photo: Ivan Stojanović, www.pimnice.com
The village of Rajac is famous for its picturesque Pimnice – they form a
unique architectural complex of 270 wine cellars built over two hundred years.
Cut 2 metres into the Rajački soil maintain in order to maintain a constant
temperature throughout the year, pimnice are connected by alleys and squares.
The vineyards of the easterly Negotin Krajina region are grown on the
quicksand of the Danube and are famed for their fragrant red varieties.
Sv. Trifun (St. Tryphon) celebrated
by Serbian winemakers on 14th
February 2009.
serves Chardonnay and Cabernet
Sauvignon and they are amongst
the best sellers in several of the
Langan’s Bistros and Brasseries
despite being amongst the topend of the price list.
Many of us have wished for a
way to help Serbia in our daily
life over these decades. Little did
we suspect the answer would be
so delicious and exciting as the
wonderful wines of Serbia.
Sparkling white
wine from Fruška
Gora by producer
Navip sharing the
name of the famed
wine cellars founded
in 1848 as Serbia
emerged as an Austrian
Hungarian empire
protectorate.
The Oplenac wine
region was favoured
by the royal
Karađorđević
dynasty. After
the second
world war,
the King’s
chief cellar
keeper fled to
Canada taking
with him
the secrets of
these fabulous
wines. Several
years ago, he wrote
to the current owners
Aleksandrović
Winery sending with
it the best recipe. The
cellar now produces
a Sauvignon Blanc
Trijumf, one of
Serbia’s finest white
wines.
www.serbianwines.co.uk [email protected]
Tel: 01932 827595 or 07812 352856
Remarkable
wine from the
Tvrdoš monastery
in Republika
Srpska which has
produced wines
in the traditional
way since the
15th century.
Do not miss
the Cabernet
Sauvignon from
Tvrdoš!
At £6 per bottle,
Car Lazar has
a bouquet like a very berry
pie and beats anything you’ll
pick up at the your local
supermarket in a similar
price bracket.
This quality Rhein Reisling
from the award-winning
“Small Cellars” of the
Radovanović family from
the village of Krnjevo in the
Šumadija region.
Petrovdan 2009 l
9
Music Scene
Ana Stanić
Beautiful,
talented and trendy. A domestic goddess at heart!
A
na Stanić, whose album
Sudar was the best-selling in
2008 in Serbia, admitted to
she was a traditional cook at heart.
Ana was born in cosmopolitan
Niš and was brought up listening
to new wave which influenced
her future music choices. She
completed her studies at the
Performing Arts Academy, where
she gained a degree in Film and
TV Production. Her life so far is
a story of talent and success.
She composed her first song at
the age of twelve (which was
later released on her first album).
At 18 she became a member
of Moby Dick. Her solo career
kicked off with the debut album
One metre above the concrete
which received many awards
within Serbia. After her second
album in 2000 she left for Paris
where she recorded two songs in
French, which she is fluent in.
She writes for herself, her
band and other artists while
performing concerts and on
TV. In 2008 she became the best
selling artist for the IPS chain
and received an award from
PGP for special achievements in
music. Yet at home she enjoys
creating her own recipes with a
penchant for Indian and Chinese
cuisine.
She is ambassador for Dance4Life
an organisation for support
Branko and Sun
photo by Julie Bennett
B
ranko Stoysin released his
sixth album Inexhaustible
on the sunniest day of the year
thus far. It appears that the sun
is his inspiration and who knows,
perhaps his personal friend
judging by its timing.
10
l Petrovdan 2009
UK-based Branko was born in
Novi Sad. At the age of 15, he
picked up a guitar and taught
himself to play. He moved to
England where he has lived
for seventeen years. Every
now and then he conceives a
new tune. In an instant. Soon
after, and sometimes within
minutes, the melody appears
in his set. No question, then,
about the virtuosity of his new
album Inexhaustible, but is it
inexcusable?
Well, if I told you it was nuanced
and impressionist jazz infused
with recognisable ex-YU folk
spices, you might have a little
trouble imagining it. Picture
of AIDS victims supported by
UNICEF.
If you want to know the real
Ana read our exclusive interview
in
in the next issue of
October.
www.brancostoysin.co.uk
an elegant and accomplished
acoustic guitar jazz trio,
punctuated by a Balkan heartbeat.
The perfect compliment to an
elusive English summer’s day and
a glass of Vranac.
The warm acoustic sound has a
real presence, as if someone let
three blokes, several guitars and
a very discrete drum kit in your
garden. But how could you mind
when it sounds so good? The
harmonic minors and complex
rhythms are the inheritance of a
kolo you or I might sit out, and
marvel as we watch the ones who
can dance to its wonderful offbeat.
Buy it. You’ll be glad you did.
60 Second
POP
UPS
Interview
: Why POP UPS?
catches up with Marko and
Olivera of punk-pop sensation
POP UPS on the release of their
latest single 1.6.5. Formed in
2006 in the northern city of
Sombor, POP UPS have garnered
awards, critical praise and success
with top-25 rankings for singles
Osmeh (2007) and Putnici (2008).
Olivera’s glissando and
effervescing vocals glide over
a perfect skating rink of punk
guitars; POP UPS cultivate a
deeply understood alternative
sensibility on the outer edges with
a delicious bubblegum centre
stage. As Marko says “it hooks
you with its simplicity and Godgiven vocals”.
Olivera: The name POP UPS
evokes all of those unwanted ads
which pop up from web-sites and
make us all shudder, but we hope
to be the POP UPS people want to
see and which delight them ;o)
: Anything lovely to say about
another band member?
Olivera: It’s all lovely. We respect
each other as musicians so much,
and anyway we’re great friends.
: Any gossip you would like to
reveal about another band member?
Marko: Since none of the other
band members are here right now,
there’s nothing for it but to praise
Olja for drooling so often whilst
she sleeps! Sorry Olja
: Osmeh was No 1 for four weeks
on B92’s domestic chart. How did
that success feel?
Olivera: That made us so very
happy. At that moment we started
to emerge in the public eye which
was a really big and unexpected
success for us. It meant a lot that
people got the chance to hear us,
but the real bonus was that we
were no 1 for four weeks and then
stayed on in the charts.
: At what point in your success did
mama and tata stop telling you to
“get a real job”?
Olivera: They have not stopped
yet! They are still nagging us
In Serbia it isn’t easy to choose
music as a career. I’m afraid for
them it is still a hobby. →
(continued on page 13)
www.myspace.com/sopopups
Petrovdan 2009 l
11
Opinion
AGONY POP
by Ilija Kadionica
Pomaže Bog!
We are pleased to have been assisted by Vladika Dositej who has
arranged for the following readers questions to be adressed by a team
.
of his priests in the UK as part of an ongoing dialogue in
This group of questions is on the theme of attending Church. We trust
that you will find the answers of interest and welcome your questions for
the next edition.
What should I do first when I
arrive in Church, kiss the icon
or light my candles?
Upon entering church you should
stop and cross yourself in the
Orthodox manner, then proceed
to kiss the icon located in a
prominant place in the middle
of the church. After you buy and
light your candles you can kiss
other icons in the church and take
your place in the congregation.
What should I pray for when
lighting candles?
Candles that Christians light in
church represent a gift to God.
One should first cross oneself and
kiss the candle before lighting it.
The kiss of the candle is as if you
were kissing the person for whom
the candle is dedicated.
The prayer that accompanies the
lighting of the candle should be
for the health of a living person or
for saving the soul of a departed
one. Churches will usually
provide an upper and lower level
for placing lit candles. The lower
level is for candles dedicated to
the departed and the upper level
for the living.
12
l Petrovdan 2009
In some churches men and
women are separated, why is
this and why is it not the case
in all churches?
Usually men stand on the right
side and women on the left of
the Church. This tradition comes
from the Jews and early Christian
church practise which has been
held until today. This is more a
custom rather than a rule and
therefore in some churches there
is a departure from that which
does not change the essence of
the worship experience.
When should I cross myself in
Church?
We should make the sign of the
cross at the following junctures
during the service...
* Always when the priest, deacon
or choir mentions Sveta Trojica
/ Oca, Sina i Svetoga Duha and
Presveta Bogorodica.
* When the priest blesses the
congregation with his hand,
cross, gospel or with the
communion cup.
* Other than that one can cross
oneself at any time according to
one’s personal needs and feelings.
At what points in the service
should people not move around
the church?
All worship in the church and
in particular during the Holy
Liturgy are important and
because of this movement in
the church should be limited.
There should be no greeting or
talking during the service. If you
have good reason to walk during
the service this should be done
with care so as not to disturb
worship.
During the service you should
stand upright with your face
turned to the Oltar, your hands
should be down by your side
and never crossed behind your
back. Frail, older or ill people
can sit along the side of the
church but they should if at all
possible stand for the Little Entry
with the gospel raised (Mali
Vhod), the reading of the gospel
(Jevanđelja), the Great Entry
with the gifts (Veliki Vhod), the
reading of the creed (Verujem
u…), “Zablagodarimo Gospodu”
too “Dostojno jest jako voistinu,”
during Oče Naš and during the
communion.
Heads should be bowed when
the words “Glave svoje Gospodu
priklonite” are said as well as
during the reading of Jevanđelje
and during the Great Entry. You
should also bow when the priest
is censing the congregation.
place their right hand palm up,
into the palm of their left hand.
They should kiss the cross held in
the priests hand and when they
receive the nafora they can kiss
the priests hand. After that they
move away and eat the nafora.
Is it true that only men can go
into the altar?
I read worshippers should
not leave before the Liturgy
finishes. Is it the same rule for
attending from the beginning?
In Orthodox churches women
cannot enter the Oltar because
they are not members of the
clergy. Exceptionally with
the blessing of a Bishop, in
monasteries nuns can enter only
to clean or to assist with a liturgy.
How should I receive the
nafora?
You should not leave the church
before the end of the service
and the priests words “u miru
iziđimo” after that you should
receive the nafora and the priests
blessing. You should then kiss the
icon in the centre of the church
and cross yourself before exiting.
Nafora is sanctified bread which
is given to the congregation after
the service. Worshippers should
approach in an orderly queue.
They should cross themselves and
The congregation should come
to the church soberly dressed
and on time, ideally before the
start of service in order to kiss
the icons and buy and light
candles. Of course there are good
reasons why from time to time
people will need to arrive late or
leave early but the congregation
should strive to make this a rare
event.
Write to : Britic PO Box 1379, Bedford
MK40 9DE or [email protected]
→ (continued from page 11)
Marko: Well I can brag now
as I’ve just got a job recently.
In Serbia, it’s really hard to be
making a living from writing
music. We’re not there yet, but
we will be!
: We hear echoes of Blondie meets
Lush in POP UPS. Who influences
you?
: When you write a perfect song
like Osmeh what comes first, words
or music?
Olivera: We usually create the
music first then write the words.
: Any plans to play in the UK?
Marko: Olja’s definitely more
into the Cranberries but for
Goran and myself it’s the
Ramones.
Marko: My ambition is to visit
London. It’s a special place with a
rich history, particularly in music.
Of course, I would love to play in
the UK. I’d love to play in every
place in the world.
: What is the most important
lesson in life?
: Where’s the coolest nightspot in
Sombor?
Olivera: For success you need lots
of effort and work.
Olivera: During the summer they
organize a gig in the town square
and lots of people turn up. That’s
usually very good.
Marko: That which you can do
today, do it today!
: Where’s the best place to get a
burek?
Olivera: Round our bassist’s
Andeja
Marko: Hmmmm...I’d agree with
Olja.
: Do you have a message of love
for Britić readers?
Olivera: Love binds us together,
so find a way to express and show
it whenever you can.
Marko: Ah! I am a famous
Here goes: “If music
romantic.
be the food of love, play on” by
William Shakespeare
Visit their page on MySpace and
fall in love with POP UPS.
Petrovdan 2009 l
13
Feature
Mileva Marić
By Andrej Živanić
Serbia’s first lady of
science & the most
famous equation in
the world
2
C
M
E=
Even if you don’t remember any science from school you’ll probably know of the equation
E=MC2; You may even know it was Albert Einstein’s discvovery. But what you may well not
know is that Einstein’s wife was Mileva Marić, a Serb and one of Europe’s first lady Physicists.
W
hile Mileva’s formal
academic career was
disrupted in 1901 when they
began to have children, this
article aims to answer one key
question;
Did Mileva Marić contribute
to Albert Einstein’s Nobel prize
winning work on relativity and....
if so to what extent?
First a little background ...
Mileva was born on 19 December
1875 to a rich family in Title,
Vojvodina. Following her
secondary education in Novi Sad
she enrolled at the Royal Classical
High School which until then had
been an all-male institution. She
had to get special permission to
study Physics which she went on
to pass and achieve the highest
grades of anyone.
In November 1894 Marić
moved to Zurich, Switzerland
to study medicine initially and
14
l Petrovdan 2009
then switched to Eidgenossische
Technische Hoschule (Zurich
Polytechnic) where she enrolled
on a diploma course to teach
Physics and Mathematics. Not
only was Mileva the only woman
on this course, but she was also
only the fifth woman ever to
study at this prestigious academic
institution.
Alongside her were only five
other students one of which was
Albert Einstein. In 1899 they sat
their intermediate diploma exams
with both achieving an average
grade of 5.5.
Overcoming the odds ...
Mileva Marić was a trail blazer
inventing a womens’ role in
science and breaking traditions
of academic institutions accross
Europe. She had to overcome
major odds to be given
opportunities, choosing a path
that hardly any women in the late
19th century had taken.
Einstein had to struggle also. One
of the less well known facts about
him was his dyslexicia. He didn’t
begin to speak until aged three.
Often Einstein’s teachers told his
parents to switch him to a trade
school. It was only after leaving
rote schools where students had
to memorise everything that he
was allowed to be creative in his
work and Einstein began to shine.
In different ways both Einstein
and Marić over- came massive
odds to be able to study Science
and Physics in particular, the
cornerstone for the world famous
equation.
Mileva with Albert ...
In 1901 Mileva became pregnant
by Einstein and had to stop her
work on her diploma dissertation.
By 1902 she went back to Novi
Sad where her daughter Lieserl
was born. Her fate is not known,
marriage would fail. Einstein had
been living in Berlin since 1914 and
the assassination of Austria’s Arch
Duke Ferdinand by a Serb Gavrillo
Princip did little to enamour Serbs
to the German race.
The contribution to Einstein’s
work?
Eidgenossische Technische
Hoschule (Zurich Polytechnic)
one of the world’s top universities
as Lieserl may have died in the
summer of 1903 or may have
been given up for adoption.
In 1903 Marić and Einstein
married in Bern, Switzerland. In
1904 a son Hans Albert was born.
At that time Einstein worked at
the Federal Office for Intellectual
Property where he stayed until
1909 when he became a lecturer
at the University of Zurich causing
the family to move. In 1910
Eduard was born and in 1913
during a trip to Novi Sad, Mileva
had her two sons baptised as
Orthodox Christians.
The following year the family
moved to Berlin, and yet within
a month Mileva was missing
Switzerland, which caused her to
take her children back with her
to Zurich.
By the end of 1914, as the world
descended into the Great War
(WW1) most of Mileva’s and
Albert’s friends realised that their
marriage had collapsed. After
the war in February 1919 Albert
and Mileva who were still living
separate lives, formally divorced.
Although Mileva had been
opposed to a divorce it was
probably inevitable that the
There is controversy over
what Mileva Marić might have
contributed to Einstein’s work,
and in particular dispute over the
Annus Mirabilis Papers of 1905.
Some “experts” such as John
Stachel claim that any reference
to “our” in work and research
was simply Einstein re-assuring
Marić of his love and that the
“our” always referred to general
statements rather than any
specific breakthroughs.
Much is also made of the fact
that there are no exclusive Mileva
Marić published papers.
The Tesla Society view
The Tesla Society however has
been gathering evidence and
claim that the newest findings
gathered on the Theory of
Relativity and specifically
Mileva Marić’s contribution, was
significant.
of Relativity” was signed with
Einstein-Marity (Marity for
Marić).
• Soviet Scientist Abraham Joffe,
an alumni of the Eidgenossische
Technische Hoschule (Zurich
Polytechnic) where Einstein and
Marić had both studied, claimed to
have seen this original manuscript
with the two signatures of Einstein
and Marić.
Then there’s Einstein’s quote from
1905 (translated from the original
German):
“For everything that I achieved
in my life, I must thank Mileva.
She is my genius inspirer, my
protector against the hardships
of life and Science. Without her,
my work would never have been
started nor finished.”
Summary of evidence ...
• Both Albert Einstein and
Mileva Marić overcame
tremendous odds to even study
Physics.
• Einstein saw Marić as an equal
in Physics this being part of the
attraction between them.
• Mileva’s contribution to
Einstein’s paper on Brownian
Motion, a key part of his
Annus Mirabilis Papers is seen
as evidence of Marić’s direct
contribution to the work on
relativity.
• A letter from Marić to Einstein
discussing a 1897 lecture at
Heidelburg, which would
influence Einstein’s studies of
Brownian Motion, one of his
three influential
1905 papers
• The
documentary
“Einstein’s Wife”
showed that
the original
manuscript
from 1905 of
Mileva with her two sons Hans Albert and Eduard
the “Theory
Petrovdan 2009 l
15
Listings
Verdict ...
If Marić had chosen to live the
privileged life of her wealthy
family she would never have met
Einstein and perhaps The Theory
of Relativity would have taken
longer to be discovered or maybe
may still be undiscovered.
Marie Curie, contemporary and
friend of Mileva’s
• Abraham Joffe’s claim to have
seen the original papers signed by
Einstein and Marić.
• Einstein’s 1905 quote.
Business Listings
FRESH KOBASICE
& CEVAPE
Kobasice (Ljute & Neljute),
Cevapi, Pljeskavice, Prase do
30kg (sveze peceno)
Ljuban 07746 681 764
Charity Listings
CORBY CHURCH
Following completion of the
church with the building of
the bell tower recently further
donations will be put to the
purpose of maintaining both the
church and church hall buildings.
Please contact Prota Vido Vukovic
on [email protected]
(see pictures page 4).
Announcements
Happy Anniversary
Happy First wedding anniversary
on 27 July to Zorka and Charles
from Mama and Family.
16
l Petrovdan 2009
On balance it would appear to be
reasonable to assume that Mileva
Marić made a contribution to
this theory, and perhaps if she
had stayed married to Einstein
and been able to continue her
work, she would be more widely
acknowledged as such.
Context ...
Compare this with a
contemporary and friend of
Education
CAMBRIDGE SERBIAN SCHOOL
For children aged 2-14 years.
Syllabus includes language,
literacy and culture includes a cafe
for parents who are encouraged
to support. Every second Sunday
(last in this term is 12th July) at
10.30am-12.30pm in Cotton Hall,
Cambridge Road, Girton. £5 per
child. (£7 for two children). Email
Vesna Radivojević at
[email protected].
Mileva’s, Marie Zklodowska, a
Polish woman who like Mileva
against the odds studied science
in the 1800s – and then who
alongside her French Husband
Pierre Curie pioneered and
developed important work in the
field of Radioactivity.
In the world of Science Marie
Curie is well renowned and
respected, having received the
kudos of Nobel prizes in 1903
alongside her husband Pierre,
but the Theory of Relativity,
and the world’s most famous
equation? The kudos went to
Albert Einstein who in the eyes
of the world just happenned
to have a wife called Mileva
MariĆ.
Travel & Tourism
Attractive renovated self
catering village Farm
House. sleeps 6-8 plus cot,
2 bathrooms. Old style, new
comfort. Secure garden,
parking, outdoorcooking
and seating. Bikes, canoes,
village lake and olympic sized
pool. 2 Hrs north of Belgrade,
between Subotica/Sombor.
Book online, meals to order.
www.stara-moravica.com
Nurseries
Bubamare playgroup
For under 5s and their families meets
Sundays 9:30-12:30 at Serbian Cetnik
Club, 13 Saxby St, Leicester.
NEED TO BRUSH UP ON
YOUR SRPSKI?
FREE. INTERACTIVE. ONLINE
Govorim serbski !
www.serbianschool.com
You’ve got 24 hours
to learn the Serbian language
HILANDAR
Pilgrimage to the mount athos
hilandar 7-11 septembar
2009 www.Savindan.Com
07790777523
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Petrovdan 2009 l
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Belgrade Index
30
30
Stari Grad
Novi Beograd (Arena)
Rakovica
Savski Trg
Voždovac
Vračar
Zemun (Centre)
Zvezdara
Source: 8th June 2009 Beogradske Nekretnine
18
l Petrovdan 2009
€ / m2
2351
2268
1176
1999
1767
2470
1635
1757
Growth (12 months)
-10%
-1%
-12%
-13%
-4%
-8%
-7%
-7%
d
“Živeli” is the Serbian for “Cheers”, but…by the third
beer I was going backwards. Clinking our bottles
together for the umpteenth time, I proclaimed
“Jumanji”…Sasha kissed me goodbye on both
cheeks and bought me another can of beer for the
journey….Soon a van driver called Boris pulled up.
His English was better. “Do you want to come for a
beer with me,” he enquired. While many Serbians
hold a grudge against the Western media for the
way they feel they have been portrayed, any rancour
certainly doesn’t extend to a personal level. In fact, I
don’t think I’ve ever encountered such widespread
hospitality as I’ve enjoyed in the past few days.
ro
un
An international mission to help a baby kangaroo
rejected by her mother has been launched
in Serbia. Six-month-old Tijana fell out of the
pouch last month…and has not been allowed
back in…”The zoo has done a fantastic job,” said
Australia’s Ambassador to Belgrade Clare Birgin,
after delivering a shipment of kangaroo milk. “They
really saved her life.”
Labour’s early decision to move from the Tories’
policy of humanitarian relief in Yugoslavia to
threatened, then actual, aggression against the
Serbs represented a coherent policy. By rewarding
each separatist movement in turn it achieved
Nato’s covert objective of Balkan fragmentation.
The same outcome will probably follow
intervention in Iraq, Afghanistan and even Pakistan.
Pa
pe
r
A young mother who was stabbed to death in
front of her children by her estranged husband
had repeatedly warned police of her fears he
would attack her. Hajrudin Hasanovic, 33, plunged
a large kitchen knife into his former wife’s chest
Simon Jenkins, Comment
after being told he had lost his custody battle and
The Serbian father of Australian tennis player Jelena was being deported back to his native Serbia…
Later, he dialled 999 and told them: ‘I have done
Dokic has been ordered by a judge to remain
something bad. I stabbed my ex-wife.
in jail for 30 days … [Blic quoted Damir Dokic]
saying he had called the Australian embassy and
threatened to “fire a rocket” at the car belonging
to the ambassador…”Let the ambassador halt the
witch-hunt against me and I will apologise publicly. Many in the West who deal with Serbia see what I
shall call “the toothless Serb syndrome” as part of
If not, I will kill her.”
the country’s problem…[They] argue that much
of this is the fault of Serb politicians: they have not
The international community’s persistent failure
admitted that wrong was done in the past and
to ensure the safe and sustainable return of about
have not prepared people for the loss of Kosovo…
220,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians expelled
When pressed, diplomats argue: “The Serbs have
from Kosovo since 1999. … [Estimates by UNHCR]
forfeited the moral right to rule Kosovo.”
revealing that “only 582 minority community
Mark Mardell’s Euroblog
members returned to Kosovo in 2008, as compared
to 1,816 in 2007 and 1,669 in 2006”.
Officials in Serbia are investigating a rehabilitation
centre affiliated with the Orthodox Church where
addicts have allegedly been filmed being beaten.
A Serbian union official chopped off his finger and
ate it in a protest over years of unpaid wages. Zoran
Bulatovic said he did it to show how desperate
workers were. “It hurt like hell,” he said.
…A priest running the centre, near Novi Pazar,
said a “heavy hand” was needed. “Whoever has
a junkie in the house knows what I am talking
about” ….Government human rights monitor Sasa
Jankovic, who plans to file torture charges against
the facility, said: “It is no therapy. It is a criminal act.”
Vaskrs2009
2009ll
Vaskrs
19
Exclusive Interview
She’s the most famous Serbian girl since Kosovka Devojka.
Last summer she was on top of the world. Her plans for
this summer are pretty much the same. She is the girl who
never stopped dreaming, she is tennis sensation...
By Stan Smiljanić
Ana Ivanović
M
ore rain falls in June than
in any other month. At
least in my hometown and
in Ana’s too. This June is no
exception, as Ana prepares for
Eastbourne, a grass court warmup the week before Wimbledon.
By the time you read this, we
will all have willed Ana to win,
and her Wimbledon adventure
will be over, for better or worse.
I was lucky enough to ask Ana a
few questions. I start by asking
how it feels to hear Serb voices
egging her on when she plays at
Wimbledon and elsewhere.
“It feels very special, knowing
that there are so many people
supporting me in this way. Even
though we are a small country,
I see so many Serbs around the
world: no matter where I play,
we always see Serbian flags and
hear their voices. It’s a great
feeling.”
Ana, 21, sought to defend her
French Open victory of 2008. In
the third round she beat Iveta
Benesova 6-0, 2-6 in a match
many considered her finest this
year. Ana agrees, “Yeah, it was a
pretty good match. I was really
happy. Still the score doesn’t
indicate how hard I had to work
for some points.
20
l Petrovdan 2009
“She started playing much, much
better in the second set, and
started hitting the ball much
heavier. I just played really good
and stayed in the moment and
did what I had to do out there.”
Boris Tadić, the President of
Serbia came to support Ana and
her fellow Serbian players in
Paris. She was clearly taken with
the experience. “It’s great. I was
really nervous, actually, seeing
our president in the box. But it’s a
great honour for me. I think we,
as athletes, have many new doors
open up for us. This is one of
them. I feel very honoured and
blessed to have this opportunity.”
Indeed, the President actually
attended Ana’s 20th birthday
party. Quite a guest list!
By the fourth round, however
the tournament had turned for
Ana and she was defeated by
Belarusian Victoria Azarenka,
seeing her world ranking dip
below the top-10 for the first
time in over two years.
Ana has made some changes
recently. Having trained with
a part-time trainer for so
long, she reflects on her newly
appointed full-time coach. “Craig
understands my game and what
I want to achieve, as well, and
he has lots of experience. We’ve
been working on certain areas
and certain aspects in my game
coming forward and playing
some feeling more comfortable.
“I’m just trying to apply that, but
it’s great to have someone who
can take care about practices so I
don’t have to even think about it.
I can just relax and switch off.”
After clay surface, Ana
contemplates whether she felt
ready to play on grass this year.
“I did. I think Craig has lots of
experience with Martina and
other players, playing really well
on the grass courts, and I think I
have potential, my serve can be
really big. Going forward I feel
more comfortable. I think this
year I’m very excited to come to
Wimbledon and play.”
London is one of Ana’s favourite
places in the world. At
Wimbledon she confirms the hotel
will have only one outlandish
demand from the starlet, “Ice…a
lot of ice, because I take ice baths
as part of my recovery!”
She will almost certainly be
scouting for a regular restaurant
before Wimbledon. It is one of
her famous rituals. The other is
avoiding walking on the lines on
court.
Copyright notice: “Stephan Schacher”
Bio
Born in Belgrade, Ana was
five years old when she was
inspired to start tennis after
watching Monika Seleš on
television at the 1992 French
Open. She later memorised
the phone number of a tennis
school and enrolled. She was
just 11 when NATO shelled
Belgrade, enforcing morningonly practise. In the winter
months, she played tennis in the
bottom of a disused swimming
pool that no-one could afford to
heat. Someone decided to drain
it and roll green carpet over.
Indeed, those were the winter
years of sanctions in Serbia.
Immigration control was always
longer, and visa always harder to
come by for her and her fellow
Serbian players than others.
Such was her welcome to the
international scene.
At 15, her determination to be
World No. 1 impressed Swiss
entrepreneur Dan Holzmann so
much that he resolved to fund
her professional coaching. She
promptly lost the first round of
her next tournament. As Dan
recalls, “She was crying. She
didn’t come out of the changing
room for four hours, she
thought I was going to end our
agreement!”
She went on to reach the junior
final at Wimbledon in 2004.
Within months she turned
professional. She continued her
rise coming runner-up in the
2007 French Open and become
World No. 1 after she won the
2008 French Open.
Dan Holzmann continues to
manage her to this day.
Copyright notice: “Verano”
Ana at the 2008 victory parade in Belgrade
Personally Anči
readers will recall that
Goran Bregović enjoys reading
Einstein’s (and Mileva’s?) Theory
of Relativity. I asked Ana the
same question. “I like to read
books or watch movies, usually
on DVD, but I enjoy going to the
cinema too. I also like to listen to
music. I have quite mixed tastes,
for example I have Coldplay,
Kings of Leon and also some
Serbian music on my iPod. I used
to read psychology books: they
are fascinating, but in the end I
didn’t find it so relaxing!”
Since the age of 13, Ana has lived
in Basel in Switzerland where she
has had the best tennis facilities
and trainers to hand. She still
finds Switzerland breathtaking.
But on tour, she admits the
hardest part is missing her family.
Still, Ana’s mother has never
missed a match, despite herself
being a professional lawyer. They
shop together too, although
at just one spree every few
months, Ana is far from being a
shopaholic. Skirts from the likes
of DKNY and Louise Vuitton are
probably her favourite purchase
and mama’s keen eye means
Anči never regrets a buy. When
in Belgrade together, Ana is
routinely stopped in the street
or at restaurants and offered free
coaching tips!
Absurdly beautiful, Ana is a
one-girl rebrand of Serbia to the
readers of FHM (she appears
23rd in their top 100 sexiest
women of 2008) and plenty of
other publications. She accepts
this graciously, without a hint
of conceit. She is genuinely
bemused by the “will you marry
me?” proposals she encounters.
On court, Ana is first to sport
striking new designs from
Adidas. “I like to play in dresses,
Petrovdan 2009 l
21
Exclusive Interview
so they have the designers who
obviously design dress for me.
Yeah, so I’m always, yeah, the
first one to play in these kind of
dress.
But, you know, they’re doing
really good job, and I think it’s
becoming really feminine. I like
what they’re doing. When I’m on
the court, I don’t think too much
about it.”
At home, she loves TV thrillers
(24, Lost, Prison Break – she
would most love to meet lead
actor Wentworth Miller). At
the cinema she is a sucker for
romantic comedies at the cinema
(Love Actually, Little Miss
Sunshine).
She is learning Spanish and
studying Finance.
Copyright notice: “UNICEF Serbia / Zoran Jovanovic Maccak”
Copyright notice: “Manuela Davies / www.doubleXposure.com”
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22
l Petrovdan 2009
Ambassador for Serbia
In September of 2007 Ana was
appointed goodwill ambassador
by UNICEF for Serbia. “It’s such
a great honour. I enjoy spending
time with kids, so when I was
asked if I wanted to become a
UNICEF ambassador it was a
very easy decision,” she explains.
“When I am in Serbia I take part
in events such as visiting schools
or just recording a message to be
shown on television. Considering
that I am not very often in Serbia
we try to do some things to help
that don’t require me being there:
I have written many newspaper
columns, donating the fee to
UNICEF, and we are about to
launch some special t-shirts with
adidas, with all the profits from
sales going to UNICEF.”
10 Things You Didn’t know about Ana
1. She loves sarma but rarely permits herself to indulge!
2. She appeared on Serbian postage stamps during the runup to the 2008 Olympics.
3. She considers loyalty her greatest quality.
4. Her favourite quote: “A smile is a curve that can straighten
out a lot of problems.”
5. She is over six foot tall.
6. Her website is the most visited of any sports woman in the
world.
7. Her iPod and Blackberry are essential. She is suspicious of
starting Facebook in case she gets addicted.
8. She famously cries “Ajde!” after a winning shot.
9. She received no Valentine’s Day cards in 2007.
10. She will never die her hair blonde.
“I am concerned mainly with
the ‘School Without Violence’
programme, where we are trying
to increase awareness about
children’s safety in school and
reduce the amount of violence
that they experience.”
Finally, Anči’s message
to her Britić fans
“I’d like to thank them for
their great support, and I hope
they will enjoy the grass court
season!”
Ana at Wimbledon in June 2009
sent to us by reader Branko Mileusnić
Special Offer on Britić Ad Rates
We’ve slashed our advertising rates by up to 40% for the next issue, sv Petka (October 2009) to
encourage businesses to reach out to other British Serbs. No other medium targets as many British Serbs.
Non-prime ad locations are now priced:
Business card £60 £40
Quarter-page £125 £80
Half-page £250 £150
Full-page £500 £300
* Offer ends at the deadline of 17th September 2009. Please support your British Serb quarterly Britić.
Petrovdan 2009 l
23
Kitchen Corner
Snježana’s
pogača
By Tamara Nišević and Billie Krstović
M
ix all the ingredients
making sure that the milk
is slightly warm and leave for a
couple of hours to rise (picture 1).
Dough should be firm but not
hard (pictures 2, 3).
Once ready, divide into three
parts, flatten with a rolling pin
and spread margarine on top
(thinly) (picture 4).
Roll all three parts again and
leave for 15 minutes (picture 5).
Do the same two more times.
Mix all three parts together and
make a round shape.
24
l Petrovdan 2009
Place in a greased
baking tin and
leave to rise a bit
more for about
half an hour
(pictures 6, 7).
1
Preheat an oven
on 220C. Once
ready place the
pogača in the
middle of the
oven and cook for
20 minutes or until golden brown
(some ovens will need a little
longer, while fan assisted ovens
might need less time) (picture 8).
2
When ready take it out and cover
with a clean cloth for 2 minutes
Serve hot with cream cheese,
humous, olives or any other
meze *
* Meze is finger food that might
contain anything from smoked
meats to cream cheeses, olives,
hard cheeses, cold meats, salami
etc. to be eaten while drinking and
socialising (picture 9).
3
4
Photos: M & M Pogača Portraits Studio
◆ 1kg plain flower
◆ 1 packet of yeast (or half a tea spoon)
◆ 2 eggs
◆ 1/2 pint milk (or slightly more if needed)
◆ 250g margarine
◆ salt to taste
5
Elder flower
(Zova)
6
7
W
ith the coming season of sniffles and
allergies we decided to remind you of
the existence of ZOVA ( elder flower).
It is a traditional medicine from the muchrespected tree known in all parts of the
former Yugoslavia”.
Our ancestors used it for any lung complaints
sniffles, catarrh and allergies. Traditionally,
it is used in the form of tea but the cordial is
not to be missed either.
8
In the UK I have found excellent apple and
elderflower cordial in “Tesco’s
Finest” range.
As for stockist of tea organic
elderflower can be mail ordered
from “Hambly’s Herbal
Dispensary on 01892 783027
for £5.50 for 100g.
9
Petrovdan 2009 l
25
Readers View
Sarma
I
f you want to make sarma but (like
Ana Ivanović!) aren’t prepared to buy
the entire stock of cabbage in your local
supermarket, and even less like the idea
of having to face your neighbours in
the spring after you cleared the pickling
barrel in your garden, then the next best
thing is to buy ready-pickled cabbage
leaves. Even though they are hard to
come by we have roamed the shops and
found an excellent product by “Melis Pickles”. At 97p
per a jar in Asda (in their Worlds’ food section), you
only need two jars for a quite a large pot of sarma. We
also found it at £1.20 in some smaller shops which sell
oriental and Turkish foods. Bonne appetite!
The cut cabbage version
illustrated. Cabbage
leaves for sarma is
available in the same
range.
The best beer in the
ex-YU? Probably
T
he best loved beers from
Montenegro are now
available in the UK from Vuk
Distribution. The ex-YU’s
superior Nikšičko beers come in
three varieties Standard, Gold
and Tamna, with a stout-like
quality. These award-winning
beers are available in London
(from Pajo & Horse, Vradar,
Mugi’s), Bedford (Eurobar),
Ćetnik dom in Leicester and the
churches at Corby, Halifax and
Bradford.
Or buy direct for £30 for 24
bottles (330ml).
26
l Petrovdan 2009
Equally famed is the highquality Montenegrin Vranac
red wine, also being imported
by Lazar Vuković. The fruit of
the Plantiže Vranac is grown on
the Ćemovsko plane close to the
beautiful Skadar Lake. Available
for £40 for six bottles (0.75cl).
Lazar is planning to add rakija to
his line-up also.
[email protected]
Gold medal winner at
the prestigious Beer
fair Monde Selection in
Brussels 2003
Your Letters
Memories from Bosnia
I recently got a e-mail wich make me
know about your publication; I feel
very glad to visit your pages and be
in touch with some Serbian voices.
I’m from Chile and I was in the UN
Mission as a Police Monitor, 20002001 in the Sbrjne area. My hearth is
full of Serbia, full of memories and I
keep the hope I’ll visit that beloved
land again, someday. The novel
“Seven Days in Sarajevo” put me there
for a wonderful moment.
Best regards,
Guiraya, Chile.
Desperately Seeking Smiljanić
: Dušan Parojčić wrote to us
on behalf of Mirjana Hajoluković, a
lady desperate to find her long lost
brother…
Selo Gudurica kod Vršca Pošta 26305.
Rođena sam u Lici selo Grabr opština
Brinje. Pošto imam brata Smiljanić
Milana u Londonu. Neznam ništa za
njega i njegovu porodicu. Supruga
je Nataša, sin Đorđe. Pošto nemam
adresu pa bi želela da čujem bar nešto
za njih - otišao je 1945 god.
Please let us know at the usual
address if you can help Mirjana.
Bravo Britić
Just received my first issue of Britic,
not sure how you got my address but
am very glad that you have. Please
keep them coming !!
Desa Radojević
I was very impressed with your
recent issue, it made great reading,
a good mixture of articles. I found
the Church calendar very useful as
nobody in my household seemed to
know when Orthodox Easter was this
year (we get confused every year!)
The events calendar was also useful
& the interview with Goran Bregovic
very enlightening, I have
a copy of one of Bijelo
Dugme’s albums gathering
dust somewhere! On your
letters page, I agree with
Bosko Novakovic, recipes
would be great.
Natasha Marčetić, London
Thank you for a really good
magazine. I found a copy
at the bar at the church in
Halifax. It went down well
with šljivovica!
Sonja Macura
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visit
please visit
The content is quality
and diverse and I would
single out certain articles
like the UK Media with
analysis certain British
or call Mr Ilic on +44 7956 653 733
press about R Karadzic like
or call Mr Ilic on +44 7956 653 733
the initiative by Ilija that
Media Massacre
the Serbian Orthodox Church will
eventually accept awarding Slavas for
The media analysis was a really
newlywed mixed marriages.
interesting perspective on how you
can be programmed / “seeded” into a
You have successfully offered a
way of thinking....it appears some of
magazine free-of-charge and I
your letters further substantiate these
hope that you will succeed to stay
findings. I trust and hope some bright
financially liquid via ads, and so forth.
“Britic” does a thesis on this whole
Dr Žika Petrovič, Canterbury, Kent topic, and takes this type of analysis
to another level.
The other side of the Drina
www.villaqo.com
www.villaqo.com
The idea of having British Serb
magazine is extremely welcome
and I can not praise it enough. I do
however have some thought that I
think could help the magazine be
even more successful.
Being a Serb from Croatia, I would
like to see more topics related to
Serbs from “our side of Drina” and
the Diaspora in general, as it seems
to me that focus is on Serbia. I don’t
mind that, as all our thoughts are
streamlined that way anyway, but there
is still significant number of Serbs in
UK that come from that parts.
Dragan Obrenović
Tying in hatred and its “seeding”
with Alex’s comments, the Makele
tragedy has been well documented in
General Sir Michael Rose’s book (and
others), “Fighting For Peace: Bosnia
1994”. In his book he mentions
actually threatening General Divjak
and Dudakovic, that he would expose
them and the findings of the French
UN engineers, (who incidentally were
the first professionals on site in the
Makale Market) should they not agree
to a ceasefire he was negotiating. It’s
interesting how some UN forces had
the equipment, and knew exactly the
“providence” of these explosions, and
that was 4 hours after they were fired.
Petrovdan 2009 l
27
Readers View
Its quite naive to believe that the
Hague Tribunal represents some kind
of justice, its nothing more than a
political and diplomatic instrument,
which ironically is an extension of
the war, but in a court room. That
actually acquits people that personally
fired the bullets. Maybe someone
can explain to us how hundreds of
witnesses can disappear? Never has a
courtroom seen so many anonymous
witnesses, never has a courtroom
seen so many western politicians and
military figures give evidence behind
closed doors, without public scrutiny.
The hypocrisy of it all is, here we
have a court funded by countries who
don’t actually recognise its legality.
Unfortunately we have to swallow all
this political theatre as modern day
jurisprudence.
The real monsters of this war, are
those who profited most from the
former SFRY misery, those monsters
that prepared for war long before
it was apparent there will be one.
Those monsters that seeded the
ideology (lots of Britic’s know about
this one) that creates the conflict
of thinking and the hatred. Those
monsters that facilitate the funding
and armament. Those monsters that
prolong, extend wars and increase
death. Those monsters that return as
philanthropists in the “fire-sale” that
follows these tragedies, and those
monsters that liar and manipulate
the truth.
PJSK
Divided by a common language
I read with interest Sanja Rusic’s letter
on the use of the Serbian language or
lack of it in Britic. The idea itself is
commendable but one has to realise
that Britic is intended mostly for
second and third generation Serbs
born in the UK.
She says “bolje izgubiti sve bitke i
ratove nego izgubiti jezik”, spot on
Serbia has lost both of those a long
time ago. I watch Serbian TV and
cringe when I hear them, if anybody
should preserve the Serbian language
28
l Petrovdan 2009
it should be RTS (Radio & Television
Serbia). I was educated in Belgrade
but don’t understand a lot of words
like ketering, blek, bend, keš, dejria,
komunicirati, medijski and many
more.
Now Miss Rusic I seem to notice that
you have a little difficulty yourself
with Serbian words. I don’t remember
the word mailom which you use in
your letter. I have a suggestion if
I may, why don’t you write to the
director of RTS and give him your
views, it might do some good and you
might get an answer if you’re lucky,
mailom of course!
Gojko, Bedford
As a British-born Serb myself, I feel
that too often we are put in a position
of having to “choose” between
our “British” and “Serb” identities
(having to be either one or the other)
instead of emphasising the identity
that has been created deliberately or
inadvertently . We are “British Serbs”
and should be proud of being so.
I read in previous issues that some
people are unhappy with your
choice of English as the medium of
publication. Language is an essential
part of any identity but the examples
of the Irish and the Scottish have
proven that identity is not wholly
and exclusively reliant on language.
Similarly if someone has a French
degree that doesn’t make them French
does it?!
Although I can speak Serbian,
understand it and read it (both Latin
and Cyrillic) to a pretty good level, I
don’t feel comfortable enough writing
an article in Serbian. I feel let down
by the older generations (as do people
from my Mother’s generation who
were born in the UK as well) as there
just weren’t enough schools and clubs
etc established for us to properly learn
Serbian away from the traditional
Serb gatherings.
The Serbs, as a people have more
than just language to unite us. Our
history, culture, idiosyncrasies and
our religion (in particular the Slava)
are our identifying elements as well as
our language.
One final note, anyone who has been
to Belgrade or Serbia recently will
have noticed the “Anglicisation” of the
Serbian language:
“Irritiraš me”
“Da li je to adekvatno?”
“Šta to sugestiraš ?”
Maybe resurrecting the Serbian
language should not just be limited to
the Diaspora!!
Aleks, Worcester
Congratulations for a highly
professional, interesting and
informative issue of
. It’s a
very exciting development and I can
imagine that it will foster a stronger
sense of community spirit among
Serbs in the UK.
I fully agree with your stance
about using English in
. It is
truly a breath of fresh air to have a
comprehensible source of information
on a number of issues related to
Serbia and Serbian people. Of course
the choice of language will be a
sensitive issue to many people, so tied
up as it is with issues of culture and
identity. I do think that the identity
of any diasporan person is likely to be
delicately balanced between the two
countries, cultures and languages.
... but certainly the fact that
is in English fosters in me a sense of
belonging to a Serbian community
that I struggled to feel before.
Aleks Palanac, Leicester
Responses
The letter I wrote about fellow Serbs
in the area to contact me has been
a success. I have had numerous
replies and even people visiting my
restaurant.
Mario, Rotherham
I am a member of a Harley club in
the area, I own a 1991 custom built
Harley which I ride almost every day,
question is are there any more Serb
bikers in this country? I am also a
member of the choppertown nation,
hopefully this may not freak you out
as in my experience all Brit Serbs are
far too well behaved, its about time
we branched out I think,
Alex Karić, Staffs
Harold Pinter
tears on stage. Pinter’s work continues
to live amongst his many fans around
the world. I think it is time to get a
Belgrade street named after Harold
Pinter in the memory of our great
friend’s bravery. If you agree, let’s run
the action to achieve.
Emilija Kiehl
The letter I wrote about fellow Serbs
in the area to contact me has been
a success. I have had numerous
replies and even people visiting my
restaurant.
: Please get in touch via the
usual channels if you’d like to help.
Last night “Harold Pinter, A
Celebration” was held in a crowded
London National Theatre. Among
the guests were the greatest figures
from the literary, film and theatre
world reading his poetry and political
essays. Some of the actors were in
Imagine people living in the
countryside.
Blue Bands
There was a war in Europe.
Imagine them being forced to wear
blue ribbons.
Imagine them being gathered in
churches and churches being burned.
Imagine them being sent to
concentration camps and being
slaughtered.
Imagine them being starved to death.
Imagine them refused water.
Imagine them being killed with
sledgehammers.
Imagine them being smacked against
oak trees.
Imagine them cooked alive.
Now imagine them wearing yellow
bands.
Serbs were forced to wear blue bands
in the Nazi state of Croatia during
the WW2.
Sava and Senka Zxivanovich,
Tatjana Zxivanovich Wegele
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name included)
Tel: 01753 860 902
Mob: 07947 797 590
www.studioathena.co.uk
www.studioathena.co.uk
Petrovdan 2009 l
29
Sports Roundup
Who let
the Serbs
out ;)
By Dragan Obrenović
Bane Ivanović, Chelsea
I
f you come across a
reasonably knowledgeable
football fan in the UK and ask
about football players from
Serbia, the answer will be all too
obvious. We won’t name “him”
just yet. Manchester United
hardliners might add two of the
youngsters that recently joined
their flanks, Chelsea fans will
know Ivanović, of course. The
fact of the matter is that Serbian
players have always been here
adding that little bit extra to the
art of football.
Some of us, longer in the
tooth, might remember that
Petar Borota used to delight
and frighten Chelsea fans with
his legendary saves. One of
Red Star’s legends, Vladimir
30
l Petrovdan 2009
Petrović had a stint with
Arsenal. The present Serbian
national team coach, Radomir
“Raddy” Antić is well known
from his time at Luton. More
recently Dejan Stefanović
left his mark at Sheffield
Wednesday, Portsmouth,
Fulham and Norwich and Savo
Milošević is still remembered by
Aston Villa fans.
Fast forward to present time...
When someone is voted as the
best player by both players and
fans of his own team (which
happens to be one of the best
known football teams in the
world), as well as by the Premier
League; when someone loses out
on an accolade from the FA due
to politics alone; when someone
is named in the ideal team of
the season in countless football
magazines; when someone is
at the heart of the best defence
in the game, HE must be worth
all the praise. Two words. A
forename (which comes from
the Serbian royal lineage) and a
surname. Nemanja Vidić.
The other Serb who showed a
glimpse of his talent this season,
with two important headers
(even although he is defender)
Branislav Bane Ivanović. He
scored his first goal for Chelsea
against Liverpool in the first leg
of Champions League Quarterfinal match. He then went on
to score another header in the
same game, which proved to be
decisive to see Chelsea progress
to semi-final. Ivanović was a
surprise signing for Chelsea,
who signed him for £9 million
from Russia’s Locomotiv
Moscow. He was hailed as
being one of the best offensive
defenders in emerging Russian
league. Bane is also part of
Serbian national team and has
a formed solid partnership
with Vidić in the heart of the
defence.
In January 2009, Manchester
United reportedly paid £17
million for the Partizan
Belgrade talented duo, Zoran
Tosić and Adem Ljajić. The
latter stayed with Partizan until
the end of the season and joins
Manchester for next season.
These two were some of the
bright young prospects in
Serbian football. Zoran Tošić,
who is nicknamed Bambi for
his small stature is a promising
midfielder/winger who is
expected to rise and is touted
to be replacement for ageing
Ryan Giggs. On the other side,
Adem is nicknamed “little
Kaka” and he is apparently one
of the best talents to come from
Serbia.
Although there are only three
players that currently play in
the Premiership, they appear
to have very important parts
of their respective clubs. Time
will tell if Ivanović and Tošić
will rise to the dizzy height
of Vidić’s success, but all the
positive signs are there.
Serbian football in brief
Other Sports
In the recently finished Serbian
football league (Jelen Super
Liga Srbije), there was no room
for surprises regarding the
champions. Partizan Belgrade
was the runaway leader for most
of the season and duly won
the league with a few games to
spare. They also won the Cup.
In the final of the Lav Cup Of
Serbia, they beat the surprise
package of the competition, FC
Sevojno, with a comfortable 3:0
score line. Sevojno caused a
huge surprise by knocking out
Serbian football giants Red Star
Belgrade in the semi-final. This
was Partizan’s second double in
a row, since they won both the
championship and the cup in
the previous season too.
Perhaps the biggest surprise
was the continuing slump of
once mighty Red Star Belgrade
(winner of European Cup in
1991). The bad results just
reflect the shambolic situation
in the club’s administration
along with mounting debts.
There is, however, light at the
end of the tunnel, as recently
the club has appointed a new
President in ex-player Vladan
Lukić. He quickly installed
another ex-player and Red
Star legend, Vladimir Petrović
as the head coach. The next
step is looking for a sponsor
who would pump in the
all important cash into the
strapped club.
The domination of the Partizan
Sports Club is not only evident
in football. It is as successful in
other sports too.
The basketball championship
was dominated by Partizan,
who strolled comfortably to the
final, where they met archenemies Red Star Belgrade. The
only surprise there was that the
red-and-white of Red Star put
on a brave display and Partizan
needed 5 games to add the Cup
to their trophy cabinets. They
added the National Cup to
the tally, as well as the title in
the regional NLB League. The
latter is the league that consists
of teams from ex-Yugoslav
republics and is considered
to be one the strongest
competitions in Europe. In
the final of the NLB League,
Partizan beat Croatian giants
KK Cibona Zagreb.
The handball championship was
also won by Partizan who beat
Kolubara Lazarevac and Red
Star Belgrade to it. Kolubara
Kolubara had its revenge by
beating Partizan in the cup final.
Volleyball was the sport where
Partizan was nowhere near
the top and where teams from
Belgrade are not a dominant
force. The Championship was
won by Radnički Kragujevac
who beat Vojvodina Novi Sad in
the final.
Petrovdan 2009 l
31
Novella
World Cup round up
By Stevan Popović
S
cleared the ball from Serbia’s
six yard box after a comedy of
defensive errors almost allowed
Austria to score.
Next came a 2-0 win over the
Faroe islands with goals from
Milan Jovanović and a header
from Neven Subotić. Similar to
the Austria game the Faroes had
chances to score and a better team
would have certainly taken them.
Serbia cannot afford to make
the same defensive mistakes,
along with the midfield at times
erbia remains on course
to finish at least second in
Group 7 after two wins against
Austria & Faroe islands.
A penalty from Wolverhampton
Wanderers target Nenad Milijaš
was enough to give Serbia a
1-0 win in Belgrade. However
Austria had the best chances
during the match with Manuel
Ortlechner shooting wide.
Marco Janko rattled the crossbar
and forced a save from Vladimir
Stojković. Dejan Stanković
disappearing from the game. The
next two games at home to France
and Romania will determine if
automatic qualification or the
horrible lottery of the two-leg
play offs will be the route to
South Africa.
Serbia
France
Lithuania
Austria
Romania
Faroe Islands
7
6
0
1
15
5
18
5
3
1
1
7
6
10
7
3
0
4
6
6
9
6
2
1
3
7
9
7
6
2
1
3
7
10
7
5
0
1
4
1
7
1
Seven days in Sarajevo
Second installment of a serialisation of a novel by Biljana Krstović
I
push a trolley around a heaving supermarket as my
sister loads sacks with fish, rice, mushrooms, oil and
various posni groceries. A posni lunch as customs demand.
One mrsni two posni. For this dinner we observe the no
mrsni (no cheese, lard or anything else of animal origin,
while fish is ok) food since the previous one, some six
months ago, permitted them.
needed seem to be over. I might even load up here and
take it back to England.
I check the shelves, they want for nothing. Chicken-stock
soup, various palenta (I had no idea there were so many
kinds), a new brand of coffee with a “free mug” offer,
silky stockings, masses of chocolate, pâtés, spices... A deli
counter full of delicious treats from fresh smoked local
pork to Italian Mortadella. Fish, shellfish, warm sweet
smelling pastries and loaves of sided breads. Somun,
baklava and small “finger licking” cakes sold by weight. So
much here, as if the war had never been. The days when
we slaved over huge bags on airports loaded with stuff they
I last had a coffee with Stefan I think on 9th of April ’92
round his flat in “the matchstick”; the strange name that
the building he lived in was known by.
32
l Petrovdan 2009
My mobile rings. Stefan! It must be Stefan an old-time
friend from “Socijalno”. I had not seen him since April
1992. We are supposed to go for catch-up drinks, Stefan
and maybe Stojan. Stojan was my ex and he is Stefan’s good
friend.
I remember a lovely day, exquisite even, sunny with
clear blue skies. I became restless at home. It was noon
and the fighting had not yet started (it usually started
in the afternoons then in the beginning, but later it all
got random), there were no grenades as yet either. I
look through the window at God’s beauty. The sky, the
mountains, the smell of Spring flowers. But there were no
birds and no children at play. War had started. No one
believes it. Outside is a dangerous place. All a bit bizarre
really. The bullets and strange men with guns and in
the afternoon a hail of shells starting earlier as each day
passed.
inviting themselves round! Two of them flew in just
yesterday!” He points at the wall. “Which city do you live
in?” He laughs, half seriously.
Mum is making lunch; a freshwater fish; caught in the
mountain river it ended up in our freezer. Somehow
disgraced end to the wild creature. The smell of cooking is
lovely but I am not hungry. That was the first side-effect of
war, I lost my appetite. I drank only coffee. Black, dark and
strong. I felt nauseous all the time.
“No idea. It’s nuthouse here!”
I tell dad I am just popping round to see Stefan. I won’t
be long. He doesn’t want to know. What has come over
me? No way is he letting me out of the flat. He is right,
something has come over me. It had become an obsession.
People could not get out of their homes for fear of bullets.
Or grenades. Or snipers. I became obsessed with a simple
walk. Just need to walk. Just a brief stroll. The streets are
calling me. Loudly and clearly. I cannot ignore them.
We eventually arrive at a compromise; I can go but am to
call home the moment I arrive at Stefan’s. No walking for
long. After all, the trams were still running every day up
until heavy fire. It is not time for it yet. It is such a lovely
day. No one will fire yet. I am sure.
“I had no idea. Nothing like this our end of town.” My
palms are as if glued to my cheeks.
I phone home and have a coffee. We chat as if there was
no war there, just beyond those windows. Will Stojan
bring us some eggs? They have got them round his way
in Rakovica. We chuckle. Jokes about Stojan living in the
country unlike us are still funny. The television flickers
with evil eyes. A skinny ray of sunshine peeps through the
slits at the corner of the window. It dances on the wall.
Does anyone come to visit? Do people still mix with one
another in the block? Has anyone been taken away? Stefan
asks all sorts of things. Suddenly I feel cold.
I call home again and head back. The television sees me
off with a final bulletin: “Such and such a policeman found
dead at an office floor in...”
“Be careful out there honey! Hurry home. They are just
out of shells!” He kisses me on the cheek. Waves as I get
in the lift. “Quick! Go, go, go!” - Cheeky grin.
I get to the tram stop and look inside the
vehicle right in front of me. The doors open.
The doors close. I turn on my heel and start on
foot, slowly. I walk. I watch the town around
me. My town! Shattered shop windows one
after another, someone has smashed and looted
everything inside. A sea of glass upon the
streets. I walk. I am not alone. Other people
are walking too as if oblivious to the despicable
chaos around them. This has got to be a
movie!- I catch myself thinking. Surrealism at
its best. Just a bit too real. I walk. I buy some
cigarettes, at double the normal price from
some guy on the street then head straight for
Stefan’s. Coffee and cigarettes: war’s lovely
pleasures...
The buzzer rasps a second time, the door
opens, and there he is with his cheeky grin.
“Do come in, Miss Milica”.
I make my way into his room and stop utterly
shocked. Every window is blacked-out with
doors, cardboard boxes and mattresses. I catch
sight of two round holes I the wall. The room
is dark, shadows play on the sofa. Only the
hallway light is on. The television flickers in
the corner.
“What’s all this Stefan?” I ask in disbelief.
“What do you mean, princess? I got bullets
Petrovdan 2009 l
33
Novella
From the street I turn around and look at the building.
Everywhere shattered windows. Walking towards Hrasno
in some kind of a daze. I had no idea bullets would fly into
my room very soon too...
“Well, yes and no. I am in some kind of Sarajevo, but no
idea which. East or West or Srpsko. Wait, I’ll ask, just
wait.” I shake my head, confused and frustrated. Suddenly
I feel this is hilarious.
“Who’s phone is ringing so long? Is it in my handbag?”
My sister’s voice brings me from the past.
“In Srpsko or East Sarajevo tetka, it is all the same... In East
Sarajevo. Tell him you’re in Lukavica, at the supermarket
in Tomaševića. That’s closest.”
“No, no, that’s mine, wait I’ll dig it out!” I hunt around in
my bag suddenly so deep I am in danger of losing my own
hand in it. It occurs to me I have no idea what is in there.
“Halo!”
“Listen, Stefan, I am definitely somewhere in some kind of
Sarajevo, wherever. I just can’t get my head around these
new names every five minutes.”
“Oi, you crazy woman, how can you not know where you
are?” He is winding me up, I can hear him laugh.
“Milica!”
“Hey, Stefan!”
“Listen, I’m free in half an hour. Where are you now?”
“Me?”
“Yes?...Yes you! Where are you?”
“I am...at you know, where am I...”
“What’s that? You’re breaking up, signal’s crap!” Stefan
bawls.
“I am... in... Saša! Where am I here?” I am so confused.
“Where are you? At the supermarket, in TOM.” marvels
the child.
“But where am I? I always mix-up towns.”
“In Sarajevo, tetka, what’s with you?” She stares at me as if I
have lost my mind.
“Sorry, are you talking to me or what?” Stefan’s voice
breaks in my ear.
“Tell me about it. This is all mad. Listen, why don’t you
get yourself over to my mum’s?”
“OK.”
“Is Stojan with you?”
“He’s here, we’ll be over in half an hour.”
“Cool.”
“Figure out where you are, at least so you can get back
home!” His “evil chuckle” is creeping out of the speaker.
“Don’t make us go all over town looking for you when we
get there!”
“Yeah, yeah. So I’ll see you in half an hour. Ciao.”
“Ciao.”
I fold away the mobile and put it in my bag. I look up and
am greeted by Saša’s stare.
“Are you feeling OK, tetka?”
“Sure I am” I shrug my shoulders and give her a mad grin.
OF THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN BEFORE
The sun burns mercilessly beneath mount Igman. Two
figures walking slowly on the winding, dusty, rustic lane
towards our house in Vojkovići. Grass is green and trees
bow with ripe fruit. Mum left the metal gate open so we
could get in with the car. Water drips from the outside tap.
The grey and white cat naps in the lush green shade of the
cherry tree. Ivana, tiny, barely six years old sits on a grey
blanket and makes a chain from daisies. Her pink skirt
turned white under a mass of tiny flowers. Two kittens
run joyously after the black cat over to the other side of
the yard. In the distance someone’s brown cow grazes
tranquilly. The air is soaked with healthy country life. The
season is lazy. Mum’s flowers are in bloom red, orange and
yellow, arched around the window. The two-storey house,
large, spacious and white. My late father, finished it after
the war so we would have somewhere to live. They started
building before the fighting broke out and continued
through the war. It was a miraculous thing only my father
would undertake. The apartment in Sarajevo had not been
returned to us as yet. The summerhouse in Vojkovići was
34
l Petrovdan 2009
rather small. That was before. The past which has been left
in some other time. But now is not what was before, I am
constantly reminding myself. This is another time. And
this is no longer a summerhouse.
“Milica! My lovely Milica! My darling girl!” – Stefan
embraces me at the gate. “Long time no see, where have
you been all this time!?” Stefan has not changed at all. As
if time have stood still for him, as it has for me, just for
different reasons. It stopped all way back in ’92 and stalled
what seem forever. He grins again. Frivolous, funny and a
little cynical. The same Stefan. Just the same!
“Hello!” I kiss him on the cheek. “And hello to you!” I
shout over his shoulder to the other figure. The tall figure
is Stojan. Lord, I forgot how handsome he is! Tall with
wide shoulders, blue eyes and dark hair. White teeth and
a wide smile.
“Hello Milica!”
I kiss Stojan three times on the cheek and we all three
walk towards mum’s house. Dazed, after so many years
no one knows what to say. Stojan and I both came from
the foreigners’ world and met up by coincidence, in our
hometown at the same time. This is a chance meeting.
Coincidence and nothing else. And he, up to recently
a married man. We have to keep our distance a little. It
won’t do to show just how happy we are to see one another.
It would be easier now had we not had a happy past with
each other. As it is, we are glad this is happening, even
though we cannot show it. Maybe slowly, little by little.
Mum watches from the door and I can see that it reminds
her of that…that which was before…but she says nothing.
She does the right thing. Milica has her Englez and he
is a wonderful man – he is, and she knows it. She and
Milica’s father had met him.
Fine, courteous and from a good
family, they could not wish for
better. Attentive, he really loves
Milica. He knew to bring coffee
and sugar the first time he came
over, took on our customs as his
own, as was proper. Nothing
would be different, even if he were
born here! He still does not speak
srpski, but there is time yet, he can
learn. When she was in England,
he was wonderful. No place was
too far to take her or effort too
great to charm her. How they
welcomed her! His parents met
with her. Fine, cultured and so
very affectionate they send her a
card for every birthday, Božić and
Easter. As if they were not English!
As if they drunk this water here
of this mountain their whole life with her. They were like
people at home. She knows all of this so she says nothing.
She is recollecting. These are just memories, of some other
times. Of things that have been before. Some other times.
Happy times. Only the sadness in her eyes speak of her
traitorous thoughts!
“Come on Stojan, Stefan! Come on kids, lunch!” Mum
brings out a warm potato pita, soup, salad, meats, one after
another all in proper order. “And I have made čupavci.
But only after you’ve eaten properly!” – she jokes.
Mum loves it when the “kids” gather around the table.
Only Saša is not here, she’s gone out somewhere with her
friend. There’s always an empty seat. As for Milica’s chair
it was always empty. Mum was always sad to see the empty
chair. Her youngest child went out into the big wide world
and is not often back. It is hard on her. During the war
she once made jam, and kept two jars aside for Milica. She
never gave them to her, they rotted instead. Nevertheless
she kept them, waiting. It was a shame; that was the
finest jam. Or did she just see it as so special in those
war days when there were none to buy even though the
Earth gave amazing crop that year. As if the Earth alone
wanted to help the scared and suffering by its fertile gifts.
She remembers the plums were so blue in the end of the
summer they made the fields look like a sea. But she could
not share them with her children.
Her late husband, while he was still alive, God rest his
soul, always grieved after Milica. When he was drying
and smoking meats, during winter, he always left a prime
cut for Milica should she come home. Once, after the war,
he set aside a cherry tree the whole summer forbidding
anyone to touch it. Not even the birds. The whole
summer.. After a while the cherries, ripe and almost black,
Petrovdan 2009 l
35
Church Services
fell to the ground. He had hoped Milica would come, his
youngest daughter, from England and she could feast on
“real cherries” not the “plastic” ones from the packets.
But she did not come. Not that summer, nor the one that
followed. Never mind, he thought. Just a problem with
her passport. God willing, it will sort itself out. Soon. She
will come and there will be cherries. Sweet cherries. He can
already see her in his minds eye, picking and eating with
her fingers. Sweet cherries.
After two years, when she finally sorted out her passport so
she could come home after ten long years and then come
more often, he had died.
“Look Ivana! Had someone shown me her photo I would
have thought it was Vedrana when she was little.” Stojan
hugged the black-haired girl in the grass. She cuddles him
back. She blows him kisses. And he returns them. His
eyes are laughing.
“That’s what everyone says.”
“And how old is Saša now?” Stojan asks.
“She was fourteen not long ago. A young lady now, taller
than me!” I show the distance over my head.
“Eh? Taller than you? That I’ve got to see!”
“She’ll be here soon. Vedrana when will Saša
come?” I shout towards the open door. At that
very moment Vedrana walks through it.
Vedrana, my sister. My lovely, beautiful sister.
My inspiration and my muse. I missed her
terribly and that sorrow gave me inspiration.
And I thought it was a cliché that artists create
out of their misery alone. I painted to testify
to the canvas how much I missed her. And
the canvas still holds the testimony, like it
is treasure. Silently. Does not share it with
anyone. The canvas, my best friend, listened,
witnessed and soaked up all my torments. The
sorrow of war and the grief. Broken hearts,
strewn families, returned letters, lost packages,
sanctions on borders, deaf phones…
I loved listening to Bizet and Vaughan
Williams – but only whilst I painted. During
those wartime years… Missing men, lost
connections, refugee IDs, Red Cross forms, the
endless contradictory news on television…
Not Vivaldi, nor Tchaikovsky, nor Brahms.
Just Bizet and Williams. They reminded me
of Vedrana! Bizet’s “Intermezzo”. Soft when it
starts, progressively louder and more powerful.
William’s “Lark ascending” is just like my
sister. Gentle, quiet and full of love. A love
greater than the mountains, an inexhaustible
force. Yet modest. She sees how her little
sister has grown up, and gone out into the
36
l Petrovdan 2009
world all by herself, all independent. Little does she know
I took her with me into that big, wide world and how I
turned to her every time I needed advice. Nor does she
know that London and Paris saw her shadow stepping out
before me. She does not know that she counted in the
New Year beneath Big Ben. Or that she whispered with
the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. She does not know that if
she ever walks dawn the Charles Bridge in Prague or below
Sagrada Familia in Barcelona she will feel an unbearable
déjà-vu.
She does not know I took her in my heart, somewhere
deep inside, so as not to lose my mind with loneliness.
She does not know her sister could never have done those
things by herself. No, she doesn’t know! During the war
she once told me how she wished I was around more. That
she missed me terribly. And I her! I imagined having
another sister and missing her as much. I am sure I would
go entirely mad. My heart would break missing two sisters
like that. And no, that another could not be as amazing
as this one. She just could not be. Anyway, I am jealous
of her already. I am not sharing my sister with that other
one either. No way. So there can be only one. My dear,
beautiful sister…
Church Services
Bedford (parohija sv. Andreja)
St. Paul’s Church, St. Paul’s Square
JUL 5 Sun 11.30am
AUG 9 Sun 10am Dom 62,
Kimbolton Road,
Bedford
SEP 13 Sun 10am Dom 62,
Kimbolton Road,
Bedford
OCT 4 Sun 11.30am
Bradford (parohija sv. Trojice)
Derby (parohija sv. Apostola)
Sv. Apostola Petra i Pavla,
Normanton Rd.
JUL 12 Sun 11am Parohijska
Slava
12.30pm Slavski
kolač
1pm Luncheon
3pm Event
Halifax (parohija sv. Jovana
Krstitelja)
Heap Street, Boothtown
JUL 19 Sun 11.30am followed
by memorial service
in honour of general
Drago Mihailović
AUG 2 Sun 11.30am sv Ilija
16 Wed 11.30am
23 Sun 11.30am
30 Sun 11.30am
98 Little Horton Lane
JUL 5 Sun 11.30am
19 Sun 11.30am
26 Sun 11.30am
AUG 9 Sun 11.30am
23 Sun 11.30am
30 Sun 11.30am
Leicester (parohija sv. Apostola)
SEP 13 Sun 11.30am Memorial
Sv. Đurđica, Rutland Street
for Momčilo Đujić
JUL 5 Sun 11am
20 Sun 11.30am Patron’s
Day Church
Womens’ Association
Letchford (parohija sv. Andreja)
27 Sun 11.30am
JUL 26 Sun 11.45am
OCT 4 Sun 11.30am
AUG 30 Sun 11.45am
11 Sun 11.30am Patron’s
Day Ćetnik’s
Womens’ Association
18 Sun 11.30am
London (parohija sv. Save)
25 Sun 11.30am
Crkva sv. Save, 89 Lancaster Road
JUL 12 Sun 10.30am Petrovdan
16 Thu 8.30pm
Corby (parohija sv. Andreja)
18 Sat 6pm
Crkva sv. Proroka Ilije,
19 Sun 10.30am
47 Rockingham Rd
JUL 11 Sat 6am
23 Thu 8.30am
18 Sat 6am
25 Sat 6pm
19 Sun 10am
26 Sun 10.30am
AUG 2 Sun 10am Ilindan
30 Thu 8.30pm
23 Sun 10am
AUG 1 Sat 6pm
OCT 3 Sat 6am
2 Sun 10.30am sv Ilija
10 Sat 6am
6 Thu 8.30pm
17 Sat 6am
8 Sat 6pm
18 Sun 10am
9 Sun 10.30am
13 Thu 8.30pm
15 Sat 6pm
16 Sun 10.30am
19 Wed 10.30am
Preobraženje
Gospodnje
20 Thu 8.30pm
22 Sat 6pm
23 Sun 10.30am
27 Thu 8.30pm
28 Fri 10.30am Velika
Gospojina
29 Sat 6pm
SEP 3 Thu 8.30pm
5 Sat 6pm
6 Sun 10.30am
10 Thu 8.30pm
11 Fri 10.30am Usekovanje
glave sv. Jovana
12 Sat 6pm
13 Sun 10.30am
17 Thu 8.30pm
19 Sat 6pm
20 Sun 10.30am
21 Mon 10.30am Mala
Gospojina
24 Thu 8.30pm
26 Sat 6pm
27 Sun 10.30am Krstovdan
OCT 1 Thu 8.30pm
3 Sat 6pm
4 Sun 10.30am
8 Thu 8.30pm
10 Sat 10.30am Miholjske
zadušnice
6pm
11 Sun 10.30am
14 Wed 10.30am Pokrovica
15 Thu 8.30pm
17 Sat 6pm
18 Sun 10.30am
22 Thu 8.30pm
24 Sat 6pm
25 Sun 10.30am
27 Tue 10.30am sv Petka
29 Thu 8.30pm
31 Sat 10.30am Lučindan
Petrovdan 2009 l
37
Key Dates
Peterborough
Church Services
(parohija sv. Andreja)
AUG 16 Sun 11am
OCT 25 Sun 11am
Northampton
(parohija sv. Andreja)
OCT 11 Sun 11.45pm
Oxford (parohija sv. Vaznesenja)
St. Alban’s Church, Charles Street
JUL 12 Sun 11.30am Petrovdan
19 Sun 11.30am
AUG 9 Sun 11.30am
16 Sun 11.30am
SEP 13 Sun 11.30am
20 Sun 11.30am
OCT 11 Sun 11.30am
18 Sun 11.30am
Waltham Cross
(parohija sv. Save)
St. George’s Church, 706 Hertford Rd,
Enfield, EN3 6NR
SEP 6 Sun ~10.30am
OCT 4 Sun ~10.30am
Reading (parohija sv. Vaznesenja)
St. Batholomew’s Church,
West Wycombe
St. Batholomew’s Road
(parohija sv. Vaznesenja)
JUL 26 Sun 11am
St. Paul’s Church, High Street
AUG 23 Sun 11am
JUL 5 Sun 10.30am
SEP 27 Sun 11am
AUG 2 Sun 10.30am sv Ilija
OCT 25 Sun 11am
SEP 6 Sun 10.30am
OCT 4 Sun 10.30am
Stoke (parohija sv. Apostola)
St. Marks Church
JUL 19 Sun 11am
Events Diary
JUL
Sun
London
2pm Concert for Ada Art Jaques Samuel Pianos, 142 Edgware Road ,
Marble Arch, London W2 2DZ Tickets Adults £8, Children £5
01892-662 575; Mobile: 0798 4857 355;
Email: [email protected]
11 Sat
London
Boban Marković perhaps the greates trumpet player in the Balkans
today and winner of the Guča First Trumpet award in 2001
Barbican Centre Tickets £10
020 7638 8891
www.barbican.org.uk
12 Sun
Derby,
from 11am Petrovdan - Parohijska Slava, blessing of the new
Cambridge iconostasis and celebration of 30 years of Proto Radmilo Stokić in
5
service for the Church ft. Oktet sv. Serafim (opera singer group led
by Prof. Dirigent) and with Preosvećeni Vladika Dositej and Princess
Katarina Karađorđević in attendance Sv. Apostola Petra i Pavla,
Normanton Road, Derby
19 Sun
London
Noon - Dražin Pomen - Lunch at Ravna Gora Hotel, 29 Holland
Park Avenue, Notting Hill, London W11 3RW
020 7727 7725 ,
followed by full programme 3pm sv Sava Hall, 89 Lanchaster Road,
London W11 1QQ. Tickets £5 at the door.
22 Wed
London
Serbian City Club event - see www.serbiancityclub.org
30 Thu
London
7.30pm Goran Bregović and the Funeral and Weddings Band and
Orchestra Barbican Centre Tickets: £15 / 20 / 25
020 7638 8891
www.barbican.org.uk
AUG
5
Wed
Stoke-OnTrent
9.45pm Alex Karić performing various folk songs.
Free entry at the Coachmakers Arms 65, Lichfield St, Hanley, StokeOn-Trent ST1 3EA.
SEP
2
Wed
Stoke-OnTrent
9.45pm Alex Karić performing various folk songs.
Free entry at the Coachmakers Arms 65, Lichfield St, Hanley, StokeOn-Trent ST1 3EA.
See www.britic.co.uk, www.serbiansociety.org.uk and www.serbiancouncil.org.uk for latest events information.
Serbian City Club organise a monthly event see www.serbiancityclub.org for details.
Email: [email protected] for free events listing (first 20 words) or see page 17 by 17th August 2009 for events
after sv Petka on 27th October 2009.
38
l Petrovdan 2009
Church Calendar
Mon
Tue
Wed
Fri
Sat
Sun
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
10 11 12
15
16
17
18
19
22
23
24
25
27
28 Fiery Mary 29
30
31 1
26 Sabor sv
Arh. Gavrila
2
Ilindan
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13 14
15
16
17
18
19 Transfigra- 20 21
22
23
24
25
26 27
28
31
1
2
3
4
7
8
9
10
11 Usekovanje 12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 Mala 22
21
Gospojina
28
29
23
24
25
26
27 Krstovdan
30
1
2
3
5
7
8
9
10
11
14
15
16
17
18 19 Tomindan 20 Srđevdan 21
26
27 sv Petka 28
22
23
24
25
29
30
31 Lučindan
7
13
14
20
21
6
12 Miholjdan 13
Fasting guide:
Ivanjdan 8
Thu
9
6
tion
Vegan
Vegan, no oil
Vegetarian ( diary allowed)
Uspenije 29 5
Petrovdan
& Pavlovdan
30 6
Vegan, fish and wine allowed
No food, or bread and water only
See www.sv-luka.org for more information about fasting.
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Petrovdan 2009 l
39
Your Rewiew
KOMSHE d.o.o
Vladetina 7/5, Beograd
+381.11.323.88.94
+381.63.83.56.176
[email protected]
www.komshe.com
Explore new locations with this unique series of
travel guides which have more than 250 full colour pages,
more than 400 photos and feature very detailed maps.
You will enjoy exploring every page, whether you are looking
a place to eat, sleep, relax or just have a good time.
We wish you a fun and pleasant stay in Serbia and invite
you to share your experience with us on our website.
40
l Vaskrs 2009
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