To sing Croatian hymn in Serbia – freedom of expression, entertainment, provocation, or ruthless action?
The young people of Novi Sad have launched this topic, and in the video we bring their views.
“It was that I was interested in one Croatian song, more precisely the anthem, and I sang it from some kind of fun, curiosity, enthusiasm (…) And it went in unwanted direction, I turned out to be some kind of black warrior, NDH supporter, Ustasha.”
After Stefan had said that he was singing the Croatian hymn in Serbia, his colleagues reacted in different ways.
“I also listen to many Croatian songs. I’m listening to the “Novi fosili” band, but I think as they listen to ours, so I listen to their performers because they really sing very well. But I haven’t decided again to sing the anthem, because, when you start singing someone’s anthem or singing our hymn in Croatia or here, it’s considered as a provocation.”
The act of singing the Croatian anthem, Stefan’s friend Nikola interpreted as a provocation, since members of his family were killed in the war.
“For me this is a provocation because I lost somebody there in Croatia and here is someone who doesn’t know whom I lost and how they were murdered and he started singing the Croatian anthem to me. So how can I interpret it? And I know very well what they did to me in 1992, because there were Serbs in Croatia. I was born in 1996.”
Stefan explained that he had no intention of hurting anyone.
“That song just fascinated me. Not because I wanted to appreciate the Croatian nation or culture, it was simply that song awoke some energy in me.”
Some of the group showed that they understand why Nikola considered that act as a provocation, while others said that such act would be seen completely different if the anthem was sung by someone else.
“We take it very hard and we do not know why. We did not feel that hatred, we were not born then and we can not talk about it, but we just heard that. Such a feeling prevails in this area and we simply accepted it and we do not know why.”
“If some guy, two meters tall, bald with tattoos and all pumped up was singing Croatian anthem – 90% of people wouldn’t approach him, at least not alone. Only if there would be large group of people gathered, then they might ask him something.”
See the whole story in the video.
