In the framework of our editorial mission Orient Express Reporter, cafebabel.com is sending 34 young journalists, photographers, photojournalists or videomakers 'on the ground' to discover the Balkans and Turkey. Eight feature reports in eight cities to meet our young counterparts and find stories from the Balkans which should not be lost on a European public


Unravelling the Zagreb web

Contrary to our expectations of a post-war, post-Yugoslav capital, Zagreb looks like a puffy cream cake. The typical Balkan cliché doesn’t strike the eye right away. It is not for nothing that Croatia is a favorite for membership in the European union, having reached 30 of the 35 'negotiation chapters'. 23 May saw EU enlargement to this potential 28th state going on behind closed Brussels doors, but Zagreb has been producing its own critical tones too. Its ladies go for the 'western model' and its LGBT rights record pips it ahead of its Serbian neighbour. The Balkan idyll is cobbled together despite Croatia's status as having the youngest history of war and existing neighbour policy conflicts. Scratch the surface and this deteriorates. Citizens first raged the streets in February against corruption scandals and a bad economic climate. Changes here happened too quickly and in too short a time for this city to grow 'adult'. Read the articles from our French-German-Serbian-Bulgarian team who report from Croatia's capital in the framework of our special edition, Orient Express Reporter (Image: (cc) lern/ Flickr)

INTERVIEW Croatian writer Olja Savicevic: 'We have never lived in a normal society'

Croatian writer Olja Savicevic: 'We have never lived in a normal society'

The writer from Split, 36, recently published her debut novel 'Goodbye Cowboys' in German. Her award-winning short stories and poetry have been translated in over ten languages. We talk war, youth and why she one day hopes to speak about the 'tragedy' of her family 'more openly'

by katharina kloss // 31/05/11

war, orient express, culture, interview

REPORT My Zagreb Vitriol: remembering Croatia’s anti-government protests

My Zagreb Vitriol: remembering Croatia’s anti-government protests

As France, the UK and the Netherlands keep the country at arm’s length, the fact is that its almost six-year candidacy to the European union is almost complete in 2011. Anti-government protests against corruption and political incompetence marked the Croatian capital in February, and cafebabel.com sampled the ongoing street passions in March

by Matthieu Amaré @ // 31/05/11

civil society, revolution, egypt, orient express, unemployment, youth, society, zagreb

FEATURE Croatia’s writers and playwrights: no post-war no-hopers

Croatia’s writers and playwrights: no post-war no-hopers

It’s impossible for the moment to imagine a literature and theatre scene in Croatia which does not blend in the story of Yugoslavia’s collapse. The wounds are too fresh, holding back the development of a certain maturity. One young generation of playwrights and writers between Zagreb and Split literally put the streets on their stages and pages, as they move between the daily quest for an identity and the desire for renewal

by Katharina Kloss @ // 25/05/11

theatre, literature, drugs, orient express, culture, youth, zagreb, culture calendar

DEBATE Zagreb’s Miss Independents

Zagreb’s Miss Independents

The higher educated woman in Zagreb is close to the 'western model' of female independence. In the Croatian capital a Serbian journalist meet feminists, students, musicians and actresses who she says are moving away from the ‘traditional’ – at least from a Balkan perspective

by English language version of cafebabel.com @ , Milena Stosic @ // 19/05/11

university, feminism, youth, society, zagreb, traditions

INVESTIGATION Is gay OK in catholic Croatia?

Is gay OK in catholic Croatia?

The Balkan cliché of a traditional patriarchal society of machos is stable. We have all heard what happens every time the Serbs decide to have a Gay pride parade. But we are in Croatia now – a country that does not even count itself Balkan anymore, and which adopted a same sex partnerships bill in 2003

by bistra andreeva @ // 03/05/11

human rights, discrimination, gay rights, orient express, society, zagreb, cities, gay

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