cafebabel.com

Nikola Djukic: 'Bosnia may have to wait until 2022 for EU membership'

('Tetyana Kostyuk',) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:00:00 -0000

Croatia’s citizens overwhelmingly voted to join the European union on 21 January. Meanwhile, its neighbour Bosnia-Herzegovina has not yet gained candidate status. We talk to Bosnia-Herzegovina’s ambassador in Hungary about what Croatian membership would mean and why Bosnia is different

My beautiful camp: Italy's Roma success stories

('Tom Gale',) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:00:50 -0000

Between a Roma camp claiming to be an example of social integration and a laundrette which is a supposed symbol of multiculturalism, profound problems linger at the heart of Rome’s gypsy communities

Heartbreaking Movies Of Staggering Bosnian Conflicts

('sladana perkovic',) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:33:54 -0000

Sixteen years since the end of conflicts, Bosnia is becoming the ‘promised land’ for moviemakers from Hollywood and Europe starving for a real commercial war story. Is the tragic Bosnian story finally beginning to make money?

I like Mostar: are there really no tourists who want to go to Bosnia?

('Monica Mircescu',) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:37:19 -0000

Mostar and I go back a long way. Ours is the story of a missed encounter – in 1998. Fast forward to September 2011: cafebabel.com organises the annual network meeting in Dubrovnik. On learning that the city is only 150 kilometres away from Mostar, I decide to revisit the city I never reached

ABV guide to learning your Serbian (from your Croatian, Montenegrin and Bosnian)

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:38:35 -0000

To hail the European day of languages on 26 September, cafebabel.com tries to learn Serbian. The short rocket takes us past planet Cyrillic alphabet and planet Latin alphabet, before speeding through planet lexical history and firing off into next-door neighbour space

Liv Holm Andersen: 'Danes like to lose their sense of security'

('Elina Makri',) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:02:04 -0000

She talks and laughs with Mediterranean hand gestures and speaks a bit of Greek, but don't be fooled. The 24-year-old is actually one of Denmark’s youngest politicians, a candidate for the Scandinavian’s country’s second smallest party Radikale Venstre in elections on 15 September. In Athens, we talk Europe, the Balkans and learning from Spain

Book trade faces bust in Balkans

('Ruth Halkon',) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:21:44 -0000

‘Remaining indifferent to books means recklessly impoverishing your life,’ said Yugoslavia’s best known author, Ivo Andric. Fifty years after he won his Nobel prize, people across the former Yugoslavia are in danger of ignoring this health warning

First McDonalds in Sarajevo opens on 20 July

('North Campbell',) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:13:59 -0000

Sarajevo leaves the company of Tirana and Pristina to join the ranks of European capital cities with the opening of its first McDonalds on 20 July. Locals used to claim that the food here was so good that the American fast food restaurant did not dare to compete. In a world of evolving cuisine and lifestyle, how is the arrival of McDonalds in Bosnia different than that of just another restaurant?

Serb general and 'Bosnia defect' Jovan Divjak under arrest since March

('AdeleK',) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:11:45 -0000

As Bosnia commemorates the Srebrenica massacre of 8, 000 Bosniaks in 1995, the former Serbian general Jovan Divjak is being held in Austria for crimes that he undoubtedly did not commit. He defected to the Bosnian army at the beginning of the 1992-1995 war. The president of the French association Confrontations Europe is convinced that European democracy is being tested in the Balkans right now

Expats: from London to Srebrenica this July

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:45:42 -0000

The difference between summer in the UK and summer in Bosnia-Herzegovina is much more apparent around the date of the anniversary of the massacre in July 1995, when 8, 000 Bosniak men were killed. Notes from an expat abroad on cafebabel.com's official Sarajevo blog

Bosnian food: cevapi vs Big Mac

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:00:00 -0000

11am on a Saturday morning is perfect for planting yourself down for a typical Bosnia kebab on a sunny terrace at the Ćevabdžinica kod Muje, a renowned traditional bistro in Banja Luka. Will this be a diminishing sight seeing as the American fast food chain is soon hitting town?

Social networking in Sarajevo: analyse this (over Bosnian coffee)

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:48:15 -0000

Bosnia's capital wears its war wounds from the 1992-1995 war with Serbia honestly, the signs on its bomb-shelled buildings and pavements. What about its mental scars fifteen years on? Amidst a blaze of foreign healing initiatives, few private psychologists and one 'social networking internet cafe', this is a society which is resolved to solve its problems - globalised as they are - over coffee

Obituary: US diplomat Richard C Holbrooke, Bosnia’s broker

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:05:04 -0000

The young aspiring journalist, eighties banker and current US ‘Af-Pak’ (Afghanistan and Pakistan) special envoy has died aged 69 in Washington on 13 December. Snapshot of a man who helps us trace American interest in Europe through his time working with four democrat presidents. For young Europe it's the passing of a man who was a part of so many lives but yet not at all

Headscarfs and gags: Visa liberalisation view from Sarajevo

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:55:20 -0000

Bosnia and Herzegovina is queuing for new freedom; as of 15 December, the European Union will have liberalised the visa situation so that citizens can travel to the 25 countries of the Schengen. But contrary to the EU's expectations, not everyone is jumping for joy with the news

Visa liberalisation: cripes! Are Bosnians going to swamp EU?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 19:00:00 -0000

The news comes mid-afternoon on 8 November: the EU’s given the green light for Bosnia and Albania to travel in the 25 countries of the Schengen zone without a visa from mid-December! It has brought a smile back on a number of Bosnian faces who have tired of queuing in front of the embassies

Bosnia-Herzegovina cinema: Jasmila Zbanic's 'On the Path'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:23:59 -0000

Four years ago the Bosnian director unexpectedly won the golden bear at the Berlin international film festival with her debut film. Her new work 'Na Putu' also has controversial potential, handling themes of islamism and a couple's alienation in modern-day Sarajevo

Bosnia and Herzegovina: no gas makes for cold homes in Sarajevo

('Andrew Christie',) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:48:42 -0000

The countries of the former Yugoslavia are being hit especially hard by the dispute over gas between Russia and Ukraine. Above all, residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are having to wrap up warm: both countries are running short of gas supplies. Many homes in Sarajevo are still cold; electric heaters have sold out

EU-Bosnia: the Muslim, Serb and Croat joint responsibility

('Mira Galanova',) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:56:05 -0000

The UN announced an extension of the EUFOR peacekeeping mission for another year on 20 November. EU foreign ministers confirmed that the EU would play a bigger role in Bosnia ten days before

Sarajevo: ethnocracy wins the October elections

('Sarah Gray',) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:28:14 -0000

Results won’t be known until 4 November, after 54.48% of the population voted a month earlier. The country’s tripartite presidency will be shared by Nebojša Radmanović, Haris Silajdžić and Željko Komšić

Eastern ski resorts take centre piste

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Longer hours of daylight, groomed slopes, cheap fares and a chance to explore über-foreign cuisine and culture. More and more are taking to Slovenian, Bulgarian, Czech and Bosnian slopes

Erri de Luca, Neapolitan, generation '68

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Winner of the 2002 Prix Fémina for Foreign Writers for his splendid Montedidio – written in 'very Neapolitan Italian' – Erri de Luca reflects on Europe, the Mediterranean and the passing of generations

Bosnia: elections in a divided country

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 05:17:00 -0000

A new parliament has been elected in Bosnia, but the conflict between Croats, Muslims and Serbs is far from over

Goran Bregovic, a European tempo

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 12:00:00 -0000

With violin and accordion slung over his shoulder, Goran Bregovic, Serbo-Croatian composer and former rockstar, known for his cinematographic collaborations with Emir Kusturica, travels the four corners of Europe. A gypsy rhythm with European harmonies.