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Our group of allies is increasing! Artists raise their voices against the total destruction of Balkan rivers – they want to see them protected, not dammed. Together with popular musicians, we have already organized two concerts for free rivers in the past, but now musicians and artists from different disciplines want to engage even more. Read our related news post on the occasion of World Music Day HERE Watch their musical postcards and testimonies for free rivers and against dams! |
Musical postcards from Balkan Rivers
Insane Insan at River Trebižat
We proudly present: BE LIKE WATER – a song composed for #ArtistsForBalkanRivers by the fabulous band Insane Insan! “They're trying to stop flow of time, trying to take away what's ours, but people they are rising up, waking to the call of nature” the lyrics go. The members of the band want to speak out against the invasion of hydropower in the Balkans and invite everyone to join the fight for free rivers. The video was recorded on one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most beautiful rivers: the Trebižat, which feeds the beautiful Kravice waterfalls. “It's time to take to the streets, to save our rivers! Like water you always find your way!”
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Divanhana at confluence of Buna and Neretva
What a great combination: music and rivers! Or rather: music FOR rivers! Divanhana perform for the Blue Heart of Europe at the breathtaking confluence of the rivers Buna and Neretva. Divanhana is a Bosnian sevdah band performing traditional music in new arrangements under the influence of jazz, pop and the 20th century classical music. Divanhana’s intention is to nourish traditional music from the Balkan region with a particular emphasis on Sevdalinka. Besides being mindful of the music heritage, the band joined our campaign because they also care for free-flowing rivers! |
Divanhana at River Bosna
More musical greetings from the lovely band Divanhana, this time with the song “Aj mene majka jednu ima” from the river Bosna in Ilidža. The famous Roman bridge above the beautiful river Bosna was actually built by the Ottomans in the first half of the 16th century with stones from the remains of the Roman settlement Aquae Sulphurae. Divanhana want to see rivers flow free! |
Aida Čorbadžić at the source of River Miljacke Aida Čorbadžić is a celebrated Bosnian opera soloist. In her contribution to "Artists for Balkan Rivers", she sends a musical postcard from the source of river Miljacke, performing the song “Kraj potoka bistre vode” (“Near a stream of clear water”). As a concerned citizen, Aida urges us all to preserve Balkan unique nature: "I hope we will think more about the future of our children. We should be an example to them and show how we must, above all, protect our common home – mother planet Earth. Rivers are attacked and can’t defend themselves: this is where we should all start and act - join us! " |
Testimonies for free rivers and against dams
Artists for Balkan Rivers - Compilation I Many artists are joining us! Rappers, singers, actors, writers, visual artists and many other performers. Maybe you read one of the Faruk Šehić great books, or you are chanting Lela and Laka's, Marija Šestić's, Vanja Solaković's (Činčila), or Dušan Vranić's songs and rapping Sassja's rimes; or maybe you watched Ermin Bravo performing at theatre stages or Mona Muratović acting in a film, Lala Raščić's performances, or you remember Dado Džihan from New Primitives music era. Maybe you are an opera lover who saw Aida Čorbadžić's great performances? You know what all of them have in common? Beside their great passion for arts, they are also nature lovers and call for Balkan rivers to remain free!
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Artists for Balkan Rivers - Compilation II “We must save rivers. If there are no rivers, there is no us. Get it?” Rivers are our wealth and fortune; they are the life lines of our planet! Listen to what Šejla Kamerić, Selman Selma, Cane - Partibreakers, Stereobanana, Gobac - Psihomodo Pop and artists from the Sarajevo Youth Theater think about the invasion of small hydro in the Balkans. Freedom to the rivers, freedom to the people! |
Rambo Amadeus for Balkan Rivers
Rambo Amadeus is a Serbian recording artist from Montenegro, composer and performer, living and working in Serbia. A self-titled "musician, poet, and media manipulator", he is a noted artist across the countries of former Yugoslavia and internationally. Not only is he know for his exceptional music and lyrics, but also for his dedication to raise ecological awareness. In 2018, he performed at the Concert for Balkan Rivers in Sarajevo. |
Jelena Milušić for Balkan Rivers
Expressive and bold, Jelena Milušić is a singer from Bosnia and Herzegovina who easily transforms her voice to the needs of various genres. Being fluent in Blues, Jazz, Rock to traditional Balkan and World music, she has performed in a wide variety of musical styles and settings. Now she is speaking out against the destruction of Balkan Rivers from hydropower development. “Let´s stand united and say no to hydro plants on our rivers!” she says.
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Srđan Jevđević (Kultur Shock) for Balkan Rivers
Srdjan is the front man of famous Kultur Shock band, a Seattle-based gypsy punk band which specializes in mixing music like rock, metal and punk with traditional Balkan music. “Our politicians are criminals who are selling our country piece by piece. Let’s save our beautiful country and our beautiful rivers” he says in support of the Blue Heart of Europe |
Darko Rundek for Balkan Rivers Darko Rundek is a famous Croatian rock singer, songwriter, poet, and actor. His music career started as the front man of the rock band Haustor. Rundek has written and produced film music, occasionally appeared as an actor, and directed around 50 radio-plays and documentaries for radio Zagreb. He is currently performing with his new band Darko Rundek i EKIPA. He speaks out against the destruction of Balkan Rivers by hydropower projects and says: “It would be better if we consumed less electricity rather than destroying this magnificent planet Earth”
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Smirna Kulenović for Balkan Rivers
In her contribution to "Artists for Balkan Rivers", Smirna Kulenović raises awareness about the deadly fate so many rivers are facing in the wake of the dam tsunami. “This is the sound which slowly disappears. This is the image which dries out”. Smirna is a young BH anarchist-oriented interdisciplinary artist, activist and curator working in a wide range of media; from conceptual art, performance art, sound art, film and text - to guerilla activism and direct actions/interventions within the public space.
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Marko Feher for Balkan Rivers
“Let’s save our rivers so that they can save us!” urges Marko Feher in support of "Artists For Balkan Rivers". Marko is young, ambitious fashion designer, based in London but originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was awarded Perwoll New Generation 1st Place/ Best see designer timeless – wearable art category. His unique style has been recognized locally and internationally. |
Sead Šašivarević for Balkan Rivers
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Selma Alispahić for Balkan Rivers
Selma Alispahić is a famous BiH actress, winner of honorary award Actress of Europe 2018. She collaborated with internationally accomplished actors as well as with prominent directors. Apart of her status of the Principal Actress at the Sarajevo War Theatre, Selma was cast for internationally awarded short and feature films. „ Accumulation is the antithesis of a river. The essence of a river is to flow, while the essence of accumulation is stillness.” Selma quotes in support of #ArtistsForBalkanRivers
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M.O.R.T for Balkan Rivers From the Cetina river, the band M.O.R.T. calls on everyone to speak out against hydropower: “We are asking you to raise your voice. This concerns us all! Your voice counts”. M.O.R.T. is an uncompromising punk – blues band from Sinj, (Croatia) with intense sound and passionate live performances. Their uniqueness and authenticity are reflected in their growing popularity all over the Balkans. The band, never deviating from its own principles, has joined our campaign for the protection of Europe’s last free-flowing rivers.
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Zdravko Cvjetkovic for Balkan Rivers “Our rivers need help” this illustration by Zdravko Cvjetkovic reads. Zdravko is animator, illustrator (books and magazines, especially for children), book designer, caricaturist and concept artist from Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina. We thank him for his beautiful contribution to #ArtistsForBalkanRivers |
Enes Zlatar for Balkan Rivers “Water created all life on this planet. Let’s not mess with water!” Enes Zlatar advises in support of the Blue Heart of Europe. Enes is an artist from Sarajevo mostly known as front man of the legendary band Sikter. Furthermore, Enes is a composer, author, musician and documentarist, film producer and founder of SCCA/pro.ba from Sarajevo with a rich artistic background.
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Milutin Sretenovic for Balkan Rivers
“If we let the destruction happen, we’ll leave nothing to future generations, and that is the only thing we can leave them – healthy rivers and nature” warns Milutin Sretenovic as he speaks out for #BalkanRivers. Milutin is the lead vocal of the band Mostar Sevdah Reunion (BiH). His interpretation of Sevdah and Gypsy songs reveal the tremendous beauty and tragedy of the Balkan region at once. One of the best ways to feel Balkan in its depths without traveling in times of this pandemic is to listen to Sreta singing.
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TATA I KIRA for Balkan Rivers This will melt your heart! 5-year old Kira sings with her father Haris Abdagić (Tata i Kira) from the band BalkanEros Banditos in support of the Blue Heart of Europe. They wrote this song based on the poem of famous BH poet Nasiha Kapidžić-Hadžić especially as a contribution to the project Artists for Balkan Rivers. With fairy-tale descriptions of the great outdoors, Nasiha, Tata and Kira are introducing us to another, better and more beautiful world of magnificent nature.
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Elma Tataragić for Balkan Rivers
“The consequences are foreseeable and irreparable. That’s why I’m saying stop to hydropower plants!” urges Elma Tataragić to save Balkan Rivers. Elma Tataragić is a screenwriter, screenwriting professor from Bosnia and Herzegovina and selector of the Sarajevo Film Festival. Her films are internationally recognized and won numerous awards. |
Muhamed Kafedžić for Balkan Rivers
“By building those plants we will destroy the natural paths of rivers. Stop mini hydro plants!” Muhamed Kafedžić demands. Muhamed is a painter from Bosnia and Herzegovina whose work is influenced by and dedicated to Japanese art and history. His paintings are usually dominated by flatness and strong emphasis of drawing. He enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo twice, gaining BA in Art Education and Master Degree in Painting.
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Marko Tomaš for Balkan Rivers “Rivers can shape a person in many ways. It is important in a cultural way. When we speak of Mostar as a town of poets, I think Neretva is the main reason for the development of this poetic nerve” says Marko Tomaš as he sits in front of his beloved Neretva. Makro is a poet from Bosnia and Herzegovina who grew up by the river Neretva. He is not only read by passionate poetry lovers, but is often called a folk, pub punk poet. He has published ten books of poetry, ran the famed bookstore Utopia in Split, is one of the editors of the magazine Kolaps and one of the initiators of the music festival Beton in Mostar.
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Selma Spahić for Balkan Rivers "I don’t agree with the destruction of rivers and building of mini hydro plants in Balkan Rivers. Let’s raise our voice and protect our rivers” Selma Spahić, one of the most staged female theatre/movie directors from Bosnia & Herzegovina, urges. Selma s the artistic director of the International Theater Festival MESS Sarajevo. She has received numerous awards at festivals in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, and has participated in some of the most important European festivals in countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Poland.
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Orhan Oha Maslo for Balkan Rivers
“Let’s stand for a righteous system. Let’s stand for saving our rivers. Let’s be for when we sit in the sun like this, that we can go and swim in this beautiful river without having to stumble upon a concrete block!" says Orhan Oha Maslo, as he sits in front of the river Bunica. Oha is a musician, producer, founder and manager of Mostar Rock School in Bosnia & Herzegovina. His entire working life is connected to music, but also the desire to empower young people with the same interests and to build a system that invests in the urban musical and cultural development of young BiH generations.
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Nina Knežević for Balkan Rivers
Sloboda rijekama balkana – Freedom to Balkan Rivers! The artworks of a designer Aleksandra Nina Knežević are characterized by a pure and modern idea, they simply communicate in international visual language, and they are presented through playful typography and illustration. She has received numerous international recognitions and awards for her work, and her works have been published in many journals specializing in art and design. She made this beautiful illustration to show her support for the Blue Heart of Europe!
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Nina Knežević continued "The rivers of the Balkans are too valuable to destroy - we must keep the Blue Heart of Europe beating", says Aleksandra Nina Knežević as she shares another beautiful animated artwork in support of the still vibrant, but threatened Blue Heart of Europe - Balkan Rivers |
Nina Knežević continued “Water is life. It is a precondition for human, animal and plant life as well as an indispensable resource for the economy and tourism of our region. Water also plays a fundamental role in the climate regulation cycle. We need free rivers, lets stand up to protect it!” Aleksandra Nina Knežević says. Check out her third beautiful illustration for the Blue Heart of Europe. |
Selvedin Avdić for Balkan Rivers
“Our rivers can’t defend themselves. We must help them!” Selvedin Avdić calls on everyone. Selvedin is an author from Zenica/Bosnia & Herzegovina. His debut novel Seven Terrors (2010) was widely acclaimed beside other books including a short story collection called Tenants and other Phantoms. Apart from significant literature contributions, Avdić runs (and writes for) the Žurnal online magazine, rare example of quality journalism in BiH. Lots of Žurnal’s published articles are dedicated to a hydropower related crime in BiH.
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Dženad Džino for Balkan Rivers
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Dado Džihan for Balkan Rivers
“Take care of rivers”, Dado Džihan urges in his artistic video supporting the Blue Heart of Europe. Dado Džihan (Waves and Patterns) is a remarkable artist – composer, music producer and sound master from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is well known member of New Primitives, Zabranjeno Pušenje band, and Top lista nadrealista - an art movement of Sarajevo of the early 1980s. Dado lives in London, where, in addition to his own music projects, he also creates film music and collaborates with famous names in world cinema.
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Mevludin Sejmenović for Balkan Rivers Photographer and nature lover Mevludin Sejmenović from Sarajevo, BiH, offered these stunning river photos as a contribution to #ArtistsForBalkanRiver. Find his full album in this post. His statement: “I support the campaign! Why? Because we are all born by nature. But we are the only part of it capable of destroying it. We are born with eyes that rest in green colour. No child was born with eyes resting on concrete, desert and rubble. By destroying nature, we are destroying a part of ourselves without which we cannot live. We tear off the fingers of our left hand with our right hand. We have blocked large rivers. We had to. And we are forgetting that every big river is a daughter of small rivers and streams. If we destroy small rivers and streams, we will also destroy large rivers. If we save them, we will save Life! For as long as the rivers flow, so will Life.”
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Zehrina Karić for Balkan Rivers “It is time to wake up, act and save our rivers.” Artist Zehrina Karić from BiH urges as she offers her painting inspired by the Una river as contribution to #ArtistsForBalkanRivers. She has won several awards and recognitions and in 2016 she received an award of the Municipality of Lukavac for outstanding contribution in the field of culture. Read her full statement here. |
Yola Yola for Balkan Rivers With the song “River Sava, I am mad” (Rijeko Savo ja sam lud), the Croatian band Yola Yola from Zagreb supports #SaveTheBlueHeartOfEurope. The punk rock band was formed in the early 90s and reunited in 2019. “The song River Sava I am mad is our attempt to relate the society with river and its waters. The song tries to present that healing of our society is in a close relation with healing of the river.” Full statement
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Mirsad Mujanović for Balkan Rivers
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Allistar Findall for Balkan Rivers Allistar Findall is a Visual Communications Artist and Designer from Sheffield/UK. He makes beautiful illustration, graphic design & art. Making the literal and everyday norm - weird and wonderful, he consistently focuses on colour that pops, simple-graphical shapes and often adding relatable humour. Allistar contributes to #ArtistsForBalkanRivers with this beautiful illustration for free-flowing Balkan Rivers. He also made this illustration about the fake EIA for the proposed Kalivac dam on the Vjosa for us. Since then, the EIA was officially cancelled by the Albanian Minister of Environment.
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Milan "Mile" Kekin for Balkan Rivers Milan "Mile" Kekin is a Croatian musician, lead songwriter, singer and a frontman of the rock band Hladno pivo, as well as a solo artist. "The ruling elites have infected us with a fatal combination of cynicism and apathy by forcing the mantra that nothing can be changed because they are all the same. It is time to get out of that roundabout," he says. Mile is actively involved in the green movement in Croatia and is well aware of the mass destruction of the rivers in the Balkans. He happily supports our campaign for their protection. |
Dobrosav Bob Živković for Balkan Rivers Legend says that behind every good illustration there is one name - Dobrosav Bob Živković. Bob is a well-known artist, known for his illustrations in Politikin Zabavnik, but also for his many vivid illustrations of science fiction and children's literature. Bob clearly expresses his attitude towards the mini-hydropower-plants invasion and the rapid destruction of rivers in the Balkans: through his illustrations he actively participates in the defense of the rivers at Stara Planina, Pirot and the rest of the Balkans. We are happy to have his attention and support in the campaign: WHO KILLS THE RIVER? HE KILLED A FISH, HE KILLED A FOREST, HE KILLED A BIRD, HE KILLED A MOUNTAIN. MINI HPPs ARE EVIL!
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Nebojša Atanacković for Balkan Rivers Serbian Photographer Nebojša Atanacković’s contribution to #ArtistsForBalkanRivers is a perfect place to escape into wild places while being stuck at home. "Adventure and enjoyment of nature do not mean exclusively distant and famous destinations. You need to first explore your own backyard, which offers so much of the unreal, you just need to search sometimes!" the photographer says. “We do not want mini hydropower plants on the rivers of the Balkans because it is ECOCIDE, the destruction of unprecedented nature, and the plundering of living resources for the otherwise poor and decimated rural population, which has been living in harmony with its surroundings for hundreds of years.” Find his full album in this post. |
Haris Pašović for Balkan Rivers It is enormous honour to have Haris Pašović supporting us, one of the leading theatre directors in South-East-Europe for more than three decades. He has directed a number of shows and participated in many festivals worldwide including Edinburgh International Festival; Festival d’Avignon; UK City of Culture; Napoli Teatro Festival Italia; National Arts Festival of South Africa; Singapore Arts Festival and so on. As an artist, Haris has already sent so many strong messages through his global artworks and social art initiatives, but we feel this one is special and very unique. Why artists play an important role in politics but also in preserving Nature, you can find out in Haris Pašović’s festival "Sarajevo Fest - Art and Politics"
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In September 2018, popular musicians Rambo Amadeus (Montenegro), Eda Zari (Albania), Tamara Obrovac (Croatia), Damir Imamovic (Bosnia-Herzegovina) raised their voices at the open-air Concert for Balkan Rivers in Sarajevo, hailed by hundreds of people.
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“Blessed be the free rivers" (“Lum Lumi i Lirë“!) This song aims to give a voice to the threatened rivers Vjosa and Valbona in Albania and create a deep echo of awareness in the public. Eda Zari, Elina Duni, Linda Rukaj, Rhani Krija, Vlashent Sata, Emiljan Dhimo, Shpat Deda, Gert Kapo, Henning Jung, Kleidi Eski, Sokol Çunga, Mikaela Minga collaborated to produced this amazing song and video. |
Under the slogan “Mos ma prek Vjosën! (Hands off Vjosa!)”, prominent Albanian musicians sang for the protection of the Vjosa river and against the planned dam projects in front of 4000 people in Tirana in October 2017. Photos Videos |