Sarajevo calling: rebellion through punk in Bosnia
19 October 2024
When thinking about cities that shaped the history of punk music, Sarajevo might not be the first to come to mind. However, forty years ago, groups of young musicians, raised under the close watch of the Yugoslav Socialist Party but influenced by The Clash and Dead Kennedys – right under the nose of the secret police – changed all that.
"Before the '80s, Sarajevo wasn't like Zagreb, Belgrade, or Ljubljana, with fancy cafés where bands could perform – it was hard even to find records!" says Amir Misirlić, a music critic. While in Serbia and Croatia bands like Idoli and Haustor were giving birth to the "New wave" movement, mixing up British punk with a Balkan and Yugoslavian social background, Bosnia didn't have a similar underground scene.
But in 1980, the band Zabranjeno Pušenje started igniting crowds in Sarajevo's small, smoky music clubs, challenging both censorship and the moral police. They were the Bosnian response to British and American punk, mixing folk influences and references to the everyday life of the time with rusty riffs and irreverent lyrics.
Punk music also became Sarajevo's soundtrack during the siege in the 1990s. Boris Siber, a radio operator, recalls jamming enemy radio signals with the Sex Pistols. Meanwhile, the Sikter, a punk rock band formed by students that eventually became one of the most famous rock bands in Bosnia, was recording their live show "Radio Zid" under grenades and shelling.
 | Alessandro Cinciripini This big underground and rebellious cultural scene was born right in the "most Yugoslav" republic. Bosnia was – and is still – a multi-ethnic republic, where the Yugoslav socialist ideals were still quite popular, and were also considered as a defence to the rising nationalist fringes inside the country. But young people had enough of the stale Party doctrine, and started striving for a change with more freedom in both the public and artistic sphere. So, the new generations started criticising all the flaws of the Socialist regime, like nepotism, corruption, and the lack of opportunities for young people. |
Welcome to The European Correspondent
Europe lacks true European media: in Germany alone, there are more media devoted exclusively to football than news outlets specialising on Europe. The established players mainly focus on Brussels and European institutions. The European Correspondent aims to change that. We cover the whole of Europe and write for a community of citizens who want to look beyond their own national borders. Without European journalism, there is no European civil society.
〉Read our manifesto
〉The stories we would like to write for you
Become a donor!
The European Correspondent is fully funded by its readers. We can only produce the newsletter with your support - and work towards the bigger project: building true European media. Donate now!
With your help, we can create true European journalism. Thank you!
We are non-profit. Every donated € goes directly into The European Correspondent.