Bosnia and Herzegovina

Jewish music

Breathing new life into Ladino

Noam "Nani" Vazana's most recent album "Ke Haber" (What's New) is a beautiful dive into the rich cultural history of Sephardic Jews and the Ladino language. But there's a twist to what she does with the language: instead of just singing old songs, she creates and writes new material. By Richard Marcus
Ajvatovica, Europe's largest Muslim pilgrimage

Ajvatovica, the largest Muslim pilgrimage in Europe, dates back over 500 years. Legend has it that Ajvaz Dedo, an Anatolian dervish, prayed to God for water during a period of drought for 40 days and nights in front of a huge rock near the town of Prusac in what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the last day, he fell asleep, only to find when he awoke that the rock had split in two, releasing a stream of water. By Konstantin Novakovic
'The Game': The perilous trek of refugees from Bosnia to the EU
Dayton, Putin, the EU

Bosnia and Herzegovina's 30-year struggle

Separatists continue to threaten to destroy Bosnia & Herzegovina. A look back indicates the tiny western Balkan state is lacking democracy, the rule of law, prosperity and the prospect of being integrated into the EU soon. By Rudiger Rossig
'The Game': The perilous trek of refugees from Bosnia to the EU

With spring, migration on the Balkan route is on the rise again – and with it the misery, violence and illegal pushbacks at Croatia's external EU border. By Dirk Planert
Islam in Germany

Imam Idriz – "We need to allow controversial discussion"

Benjamin Idriz, imam of the mosque in Penzberg near Munich, is one of the most prominent representatives of Islam in Germany. He sees his role as building bridges to mainstream society without surrendering his own Muslim identity. In interview with Claudia Mende for Qantara.de, he argues that the mosque should be a place of open discussion where controversial opinions are possible
Afghan migrants huddle in makeshift camps in Bosnia
Afghan migrants huddle in makeshift camps in Bosnia

Hundreds of migrants – including small children, babies and elderly people – have camped out in northwest Bosnia. The majority of them are Afghans, prepared to brave the worsening weather and tough Croatian border police for a chance to head on towards Western Europe.
Muslim miners in Bosnia break their fast underground

Muslim men engaged in long hours of hard labour deep underground in a coal mine in Bosnia still find the strength to fast. Kemal Softic accompanied them down the mine
EU migration policy

Refugees face hopeless situation in Bosnia & Herzegovina

Tents, mud and cold: refugees contend with miserable conditions in Bosnia & Herzegovina. With the European Union demanding that Bosnia accommodate the asylum-seekers, its borders look set to remain tightly closed. Marina Strauss reports from Bihac
Interview with Melisa Erkurt on her book "Generation haram"

"Teachers must be taught not to become racists in class"

Melisa Erkurt came to Austria from Bosnia as a child with her parents. As a journalist, she now writes about education, which is also the subject of her latest book “Generation haram”, which focuses on education’s so-called losers. Interview by Schayan Riaz
The grim legacy of the Yugoslav Wars

Reflecting on Srebrenica – genocide denial concerns us all

Protecting the truth from deniers and serving justice for victims of the Srebrenica genocide is our best bet to prevent genocides from occurring again, writes Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic