Siege of Sarajevo Series Part 3 'You Stay Here' by Richard Shindell

Hello everyone! This is the third and final part of my 3 part series about songs based on the Siege of Sarajevo. Here are my previous articles Part 1 and Part 2. 

In this article I will mostly be using 'Zlata's Diary' by Zlata Filipić and 'My Childhood Under Fire' by Nadja Halilbegović for my reference as these 2 book talk about how they and their families got through the siege.

Today we will be seeing the siege from the view of a father and his family. This song was written in the 2000's by Richard Shindell. It was written about the Siege of Sarajevo. This is actually one of my most favourite songs I have ever heard. Not only because it's about something I'm interested in, but because the music is just as powerful as the lyrics. It gradually builds with new sounds being introduced each verse.

In this song we hear what it was like to raise a family during the siege. What they did to get by and how they tried to make it easier for the kids. He also talks about how he plans to protect his family if he has to. He starts questioning God towards the end.

Notable lines from the song:

"You stay here

And I'll go look for wood

Do not fear

I'll be back soon enough

Do not let the fire die

Neither let it burn too bright"

During the siege there was a shortage of both fuel and firewood. People would look for wood wherever they could. Towards the end of the siege people were cutting down trees and chopping furniture to get wood to burn as this was the only source of heat because of the fuel shortage.

"You stay here

And I'll go look for bread

And if I can

Some sugar for the kids"

Along with fuel shortages there was also a shortage on food. Certain foods became "luxury goods" such as simple candies and chocolate.

"Dry your eyes - I'll be alright

I know where they've laid the mines"

Along with bombing by Republika Srpska, they also planted mines in certain areas. Even to this day there are still mines in certain areas of Bosnia. The former Olympic village from the 1984 Olympics is a good example of a place that still has mines.

"You stay here

And I'll go look for coats

There may still be

Some out on the road

We'll wash them clean with melted snow

The kids don't ever have to know"

Here he is talking about getting winter coats for the kids from bodies of people shot by snipers. He says he'll wash the blood and dirt off of the coat because he doesn't want his children to know where he got the coats.

" You stay here

And I'll go look for guns

I think I know

Where they've hidden some

Cause if the Tiger comes one night

We won't go without a fight"

In this verse he talks about what he'll do if Republika Srpska tries to kill his family. He'd rather go down in a fight with honour than have his family slaughtered before him.

"You stay here

And I'll go look for God

Not so hard

Cause I know where he's not

I will bring him back with me

Make him listen - make him see" 

The father starts to question his religion. He doesn't think that God or Allah would allow the city to become a battleground because it feels like Hell. He wants God/Allah to know how his people are suffering under this war.

I pretty much quoted the whole song, but here is the video for you to listen.

Thank you so much for reading this series. I have been wanting to do this series for a few years but never had much motivation, but now that I have lots of time and energy, I decided to finally make it. I hope you enjoyed this look into a piece of history that fascinates me and that you learned a little bit about the Bosnian war and the Yugoslav civil wars.

-Amy Katrina

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Siege of Sarajevo Series Part 2 'Song for Sarajevo' Judy Collins

Hello everyone! This is the second part of my 3 part series about songs based on the Siege of Sarajevo. If you missed the first article, here it is here. I explained the history of the Siege of Sarajevo in the first article.

Today we will be viewing the siege from the view of a child. This song is called 'Song For Sarajevo' by Judy Collins. This song was actually written in 1994, around the time NATO intervened and the world came to know about the Siege of Sarajevo.

 In this song she writes the lyrics from the point of view of a small child who is orphaned by the war. The child is seeing everything she loved destroyed by the war. All this child wants is to have peace in her life because she is surrounded by war. She feels as if her childhood was stolen from her.

Notable lines from the song:

"There's nowhere to hide, no where that I can go"

As I mentioned in my previous article Sarajevo was blockaded and the city became a battle ground. There was no getting out. The whole city was the battle ground, you couldn't hide from it. To a child this would have been very frightening and beyond their concept of safety and danger. 

"I can hear my heart, pounding like a clock

Hiding from the planes and from the bombing"

Here Judy Collins is talking about how the child is scared because there is war all around her. There is constant bombings from Republika Srpska and airplanes overhead from NATO.

"Fire from the sky, burning down my life

There is no more love and no more longing"

This child's whole world is gone because of the war. She feels like there is no more love where she is.

(Chorus)

"But when I close my eyes:

I dream of peace

I dream of flowers on the hill

I dream I see my mother smiling

When I close my eyes I dream of peace"

Here the child talks about how she saw Sarajevo before the war and how she now dreams about seeing all the little beautiful things that she saw before the war.

"Once I had a home, once my life was good

Once my mother sang to me and held me

Then the fire came, falling from the sky

There is no one left who can protect me"

This is the part of the song we find out that the girl was orphaned by the war. Her mother was killed in a bombing. She used to have a home, but now it's all gone. She feels alone and scared.

"War's a wicked bird that never comes to rest

Feeding on the dreams of all the children"

To a child war takes everything from them. Their home, their school, family, friends. Everything in a child's perception of life.

"Can't you stop the war, bring it to a close

You are tall and strong and I am just a child

Can't we live in peace, stop the flowing blood

Make a blessed world where I can be a child"

Here the child begs for peace. Peace would mean that she would get to be a child again. She knows she can't physically stop the war herself because she is a child, so she asks whoever is listening to bring peace.

Here is the song for you to listen to:

Thank you for reading this second article! I hope you come back next week to see the third article. 

-Amy Katrina 

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Siege of Sarajevo Series Part 1 'Sarajevo' by Watsky

Hello everyone! I know it's been a long while since I wrote anything for this blog. Life happens and I don't always feel motivated enough to write.

Today I'm going to start a 3 part series about 3 different viewpoints to the Siege of Sarajevo through music. A young couple, a child and a father. The songs I chose were all written about this subject. I have wanted to write this series for a while as I've always been interested in the city and culture of Sarajevo, Bosnia. I have read 2 books about this subject, 'Zlata's Diary' by Zlata Filipić, and 'My Childhood Under Fire' by Nadja Halilbegović. They are great books that I recommend you read.

Sarajevo is the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina which used to be part of the Socialist Federalist Republic of Yugoslavia. Bosnia is a multiethnic state, but the biggest 3 groups are Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs, and Catholic Croatians. Sarajevo used to be called 'The Jerusalem of Europe' because of how diverse it was.

During the wars that broke up SFR Yugoslavia there was a particular battle called The Siege of Sarajevo. Between the 5th of April 1992 to the 29th of February 1996 the city of Sarajevo was under siege at first by the Yugoslavian People's Army, and then by a paramilitary group that wanted to make Bosnia a Serbian state called Republika Srpska (literally Serbian Republic). This Serbian paramilitary group blockaded all access to Sarajevo. They also surrounded the city and it's hills with snipers. The city became a battle ground for Republika Srpska, Yugoslav People's Army and Bosnian defence groups. There was almost no way for civilians to escape this urban warfare. In 1993 there was a tunnel built to smuggle weapons into the Bosnian defence and to let people out. NATO intervened in 1994. A ceasefire was declared in October 1995 by the new Bosnian government and the last bomb was launched on the 9th of January 1996, killing one. The Bosnian Government declared the end of the siege the 29th of February 1996. The Siege of Sarajevo was longest siege of any capital city in modern warfare. People of all ethnic groups were killed. In total 13,952 people are believed to have been killed in the Siege of Sarajevo. Many of the buildings and bridges were damaged or destroyed including the National Library. Even now, in 2018, many buildings still bear damage from the siege.

Now that I got you roughly filled in to the history of The Siege of Sarajevo I will start this series. The first song I am writing about is called 'Sarajevo' by Watsky. It is a song based a real life couple's tragic story. Boško Brkić and Admira Ismić were called 'The Romeo and Juliet of Sarajevo' because Boško was Serb and Admira was Bosniak. They died on the Vrbanja bridge after being shot by a sniper. In this song Watsky writes from the perspective of Boško; talking about how he loves Admira more than anything and understands that their love is important regardless of their differences. He talks about their differences and the war itself.

Notable lines from the song include:

"And when she closed those eyes one final time no pipers came

But I know we got a love that's truer than a military sniper's aim

But we won't die in vain"

Here he is talking about the day they were shot and that their names will live on.

"People wanna put up walls to divide us

Kinda fitting that we died on a bridge"

Here he mentions how ironic it is that they were from 2 different sides of the war but they died together as 1 regardless of ethnicity.

"They say we're different and they're fillin in the facts

But they put the same metal in the bullets

And they put the same bullets in our backs"

In this part he talks about how they died as one, regardless of sides. They both were humans regardless of ethnicity and they were both killed the same way

"Kinda love that we got is one in a mill

Ain't no God that I pray to would wanna kill

It's not God but it's fear and it's politics"

Here he is saying that God wouldn't want this war. It's people who want war. People were dividing them and their love, not God.

"We're two drops of the blood and tears

Over thousands of years of the clash of the steel"

In the end they were just 2 people in this siege. There are lots of stories like this over years of wars.

Here is the song for you to listen yourself:

I hope you enjoyed this article and that you come back next week for the second article in my series. Thank you for reading!

-Amy Katrina

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Saree Series: West India

Hello everyone! Today is the final article in my series about sarees from all over India. This final article will be about West India. The states included are: Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. Not as many states as my last article but still diverse in culture. Western India is known for its bright colourful handwork dyed sarees.

Nauvari - Maharashtra 

Nauvari sarees are also known as Kasta saree and Lugade saree. These sarees are 9 yards long, which is where they got the name "Nauvari" meaning "9 yards" in Marathi. Usually made with cotton.

Paithani - Maharashtra 

Paithani silk sarees come from the town of Paithan, Maharashtra. They usually feature a square design along the borders and nature designs on the pallu. Made with rich coloured pure silk and gold zari.  These sarees are very valuable and expensive. The weaving technique goes back to 200 BC.

Kota Doria - Rajasthan 

Kota Doria are handloom sarees made of silk and cotton blend. Woven into a square pattern known as "khat" with zari work on the borders. The fabric is very lightweight and fine. The weaving technique is originally from Mysore but was brought to Kota, Rajasthan by the Mughals in the 17th century.

Lehariya - Rajasthan

Lehariya is a type of tie-and-dye fabric that is used to make sarees. Made with cotton, silk, chiffon or georgette. The word "Lehariya" literally means "wave like" in Rajasthani. The fabric is tied and dyed to create vertical lines across the saree.

Patola - Gujarat

Patola sarees are handloom silk sarees that feature ikat weaving. They are made in Patan, Gujarat. These sarees are extremely expensive. Each strand of silk is dyed separately, which means that these sarees can take up to a year to make.

Bandhej - Gujarat

Bandhej is also known as Bandhani and is a type of tie-and-dye design from Gujarat. The fabric is tied very tightly and then dyed. After the dying process the knots are taken off and the fabric will feature a unique pattern. This art form is traced back 5000 years ago. 

Gharchola - Gujarat

Gharchola or Ghatchola is a type of Bandhej saree worn by brides. The word "Gharchola" literally means "Outfit for home" because it is given to a new bride from her future mother-in-law. It is usually red or green in colour with checked bandhej patterns and zari borders.

Thank you for reading my series on sarees from around India. I have quite enjoyed writing about the variety of sarees and researching them for this series. I love Indian culture, and I will hopefully make more articles about Indian culture because it's my passion. I hope you enjoyed my series and I will try to write regularly on my blog from now on.

-Amy Katrina

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Saree Series: South India

Hello everyone! Today I will be showing you the 3rd part of my 4 part series on Sarees from across India. This post will focus on South India including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Telangana states. This is a lot more states than my last articles, but they are all in the same region. South India is diverse in culture and language just like the rest of India.

Venkatagiri - Andhra Pradesh

Venkatgiri or Venkatagiri sarees are made with cotton with zari borders. They are known for their simple design and soft feel. They usually include bird and nature motifs on the pallu. These sarees were originally woven for royalty. They are made in Venkatagiri, a town in Andhra Pradesh.

Mangalagiri - Andhra Pradesh

Managagiri sarees are handloom cotton sarees with wide zari borders. A special process is done when preparing the cotton for weaving where they boil and use caustic soda to bleach the cotton in order to dye it. It is then left to dry in the sun. This process produces beautiful rich colours. Mangalgiri sarees are made in the town of Mangalgiri.

Pochampally - Andhra Pradesh
Pochampally silk sarees are similar to sarees from Odisha. They both use Ikat however these sarees are lighter, smoother and are usually a silk/cotton blend. This kind of saree has very detailed geometric patterns made with Ikat.

Gadwal - Andhra Pradesh

Gadwal sarees are made with cotton with silk borders. Similar to Banarasi sarees in terms of weaving. These sarees also feature zari work along the borders and pallu. Originally made with earth tones they are now a variety of colours.

Kasavu - Kerala

Kasavu sarees are very traditional in Kerala, usually worn on special occasions especially the Onam festival.  They are always cream coloured with thick zari border. Modern Kasavu sarees usually have more zari and coloured thread work designs on the borders and pallu.

Mysore Silk - Karnataka
Mysore silk was originally worn by royalty in The Kingdom of Mysore. Silk production in Karnataka was one of the main industries of the region until the 1930's. However the silk industry has been revived in Karnataka and is thriving.

Kanchipuram - Tamil Nadu
Kanchipuram silk is also known as Kanjivaram silk. These are handloom woven silk sarees from Kanchipuram village of Tamil Nadu. These silk sarees are heavily favoured by South Indian brides. They are known for the quality and thickness of the silk, the rich colours, and zari and brocade weaving.

Narayanpet - Telangana 

Narayanpet silk sarees are from the town of Narayanpet, Telangana. They are handloom silk with checked designs and simple zari borders. They are dyed with natural vegetable dye. These sarees aren't very expensive compared to other handloom sarees

Thank you for reading this article. Next week I will make my final part of this series. I hope you enjoyed this article. Stay tuned for the 4th and final part of this series next week. 

- Amy Katrina

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Saree Series: East India

Hello everyone! Today I will be showing you the second part of my 4 part series of sarees from all over India. This time I will focus on the eastern part of India including: West Bengal, Odisha, and Assam. Eastern India is well known for their handloom sarees, usually made of silk or cotton. 

Matka - West Bengal 

Matka silk is from silk worms grown in Karnataka and Kashmir and woven into sarees in West Bengal. This silk is known for its texture and durability. The texture is similar to tweed.

Kantha - West Bengal

Kantha is a kind of embroidery from rural West Bengal. It is a very old art, that traces back to Vedic period. Done as a running stitch with nature motifs like birds and animals usually done on the borders of sarees. The word "kantha" is Bengali for "throat" which stems from a Hindu story of Lord Shiva after he consumed poison.

Batik - West Bengal

Batik is a process of using wax and dye to create elaborate designs on fabric. Wax is applied to the fabric then it is dyed, after a few layers of wax and dye it is boiled off. Usually done on cotton or silk it is now done on georgette. West Bengal is known for their Batik sarees, however other parts of India also do batik work.

Baluchari - West Bengal

Baluchari silk sarees are made in both India and Bangladesh. They are similar to Chanderi sarees however Baluchari sarees are made only with pure silk. These sarees are bright in colour and always have a woven design on the pallu depicting Hindu mythological stories.

Tant - West Bengal

Tant cotton handloom sarees are very favoured among Bengali women. They are crisp slightly sheer fabric and usually have a thick border with a wide variety of motifs on the pallu. Tant or Taant literally means "Of the Loom".

Sambalpuri - Odisha

Sambalpuri sarees are handloom cotton or silk fabric that is then tie and dye in a process called Ikat. These sarees are made in Sambalpur and Berhampur, Odisha.  Motifs that are seen on these types of sarees are shells, wheels and flowers, all of which have symbolic meaning

Bomkai - Odisha

Bomkai silk or cotton sarees are from the villiage of Bomkai, Odisha. They are known for their intricate thread work and usually has some Ikat work on the edges. Motifs on the edges are nature inspired mostly including flowers and plants.

Muga Silk - Assam

Muga silk is a type of silk from Assam. It is considered one of the rarest silks in the world and is quite expensive. Made from muga silkworms it comes out a yellowish colour which is where the name "muga" which means "yellow" in Assamese. 

I hope you enjoyed this article. Stay tuned for next week when I feature another region of India and the sarees that originate from it. Thank you for reading.

- Amy Katrina

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Saree Series: North and Central India

Hello Everyone! Today I will start my series about sarees from all around India. I will focus on different regions starting with North and Central India. I will include pictures I have found online of each kind of saree.

To start off, a saree is a traditional dress from India. It is a long piece of fabric folded and tucked into a petticoat along with a matching blouse underneath. The most decorated end of the saree is called the 'pallu'. It can be made with many different materials like cotton, silk, linen, net, and lace. Most sarees now are made with synthetic material and are machine made. However India is known for their handloom sarees, where artisans weave the fabric by hand on a loom and incorporate detailed designs into the fabric. Most traditional handloom sarees are made with either silk or cotton.  Many different regions have their own style of fabrics, embroidery, design, patterns and length.

Today I'll focus on North and Central India. This includes Uttar Pradesh in the North, and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in Central India.

North:

Gota - Uttar Pradesh 

Gota sarees are usually made with tissue, georgette, or chiffon with a thick embellished lace sewn on called 'gota'.  These sarees originated in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. 

Banarasi - Uttar Pradesh 

Banarasi handloom silk sarees come from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. These sarees are well known in India for their quality 'zari' work, which is when gold or silver thread is woven into the fabric. Most patterns include floral and nature type designs. Usually these sarees are bright in colour. Many women wear these sarees for their wedding. 

Chikan kari - Uttar Pradesh 

Chikankari is a traditional embroidery technique from Lucknow. It is usually done on muslin cloth. Patterns and design are traced back to the Mughal era when the Persians ruled Northern India. Originally done with white thread on white fabric it is now done on many different coloured fabrics with colourful thread. 

Central:

Chanderi - Madhya Pradesh 

Chanderi sarees originate from the town of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh. They are handloom sarees made with thin translucent cotton or cotton/silk blend. Usually mute in colour with golden zari borders.

Kosa - Chhattisgarh 

Kosa silk sarees also known as Tussar silk sarees come from Indian silkworms. Usually brown, gold, honey, or amber in colour from the natural process of making silk, it is then dyed to create rich coloured saree fabric

Maheshwari - Madhya Pradesh

Maheshwari sarees are similar to Chanderi sarees. They are from the town of Maheshwar.  Made with cotton and silk or a blend of both. Traditionally they are very simple in design and come in a variety of colours. 

Thank you for reading my article. Next week I'll feature another part of India and the sarees that originate from there. I hope you have a great week

- Amy Katrina

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