Jana - stepping out, stepping up

In an exclusive for White City, Jana Šušteršič tells Igor Ferluga why now is the right time for her to move on from Neverne Bebe.

by Igor Ferluga

It was one of those nice spring days with the sun shining brightly. I was meeting Jana Šušteršič the former front-woman from the band Neverne Bebe, to interview for this story. I was late. She was early. She called to see where I was and decided to wait a little longer. When I reached the caffe, I called her back as I scanned the tables at Dorian Gray to see which girl goes for her phone. Bingo.

Jana greets me upbeat and cheerful, but visibly tired. Dressed casually wearing dark sun glasses, she’s already ordered, sipping freshly-squeezed orange juice. Jana and this writer haven’t met previously, so for an interview subject, I wasn’t sure what to expect. She laughed at my complete ignorance about everything I was interviewing her about. Neverne Bebe is the most popular contemporary rock band in Serbia, but I didn’t know much about her or the band. She left the band in March, after 8 years together, which prompted the obvious question - why?

“I left the band because I got a scholarship to Berklee,” she says referring to the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston. It is one of the finest music schools anywhere. The competition for spaces is fierce, but Berklee aggressively courts talented students from around the world with lucrative scholarship programmes – many apply and few get accepted.  But for those with exceptional talent, the school school spares no expense to get them into their classrooms.

“It feels like it has been a year, or less, but then when one looks back at everything that has happened and all that we have been through….I joined the band at 17,” she says referring to her time with Neverne Bebe.

I ask her how she would describe her time with the band. Were the 8 years hard or easy, happy or stressful?

“When you go through so much and so long with the same people it can never be too easy. I had to mature really fast when I joined the band and had to take quite a bit upon myself when I became their singer - I gave it my best. The band was a very good one to join. I had a place to grow as an artist and people to learn with and from. Joining a band of quality made it easier, especially being so young. At 18 I held my first live concert with [Neverne Bebe] in front of thousands. Was it easy? No. Was it good, was it worth it? Yes, definitely.”

Jana left her studies to pursue a career with the band, after having enrolled to study piano at the music faculty at the University of Belgrade. “When I was given this opportunity - to attend Berklee on a full scholarship - I had to accept it,” she says unapologetically.

“Faith is a strange thing,” she adds. “I do not regret joining the band, but I do regret not having time for other things like the piano. It was these 8 years that allowed me to become a better vocalist and that helped me get here so I will always be grateful to the band for the opportunity and knowledge they gave me and I received through them.”

“Maybe had I tried earlier I would not have been ready, maybe all of this had to happen so I would get this chance. All I know is that I want to develop as a vocalist and as an artist.”

“It’s never easy to do something like this,” Jana says of her decision to leave the band. “We have been through so much together. I spent more time with them than with anyone else in the last 8 years. It was a great time in my life, but now that chapter is over and it’s time for a new one.”

“I have lived my life backwards a bit. First I had a career at 17 and now at 25 I am going to go back to school. I want to go to get a good education and see what happens next.”

As unbelievable as it may sound, Jana has never had any formal vocal training, not even singing lessons. I ask her if she’ll come back, maybe start her own band, or if she’d ever re-join Neverne Bebe. “I don’t know what the future holds for me and everything is possible,” she says. And even though she and the band have now gone separate ways, she maintains a loyal following.  ”People are sad I am leaving, but life goes on and this is not an opportunity to be wasted.”

She thinks much of the fans that have supported her during her years with the band. “When I joined the band I wasn’t sure if they would accept me, and over the years they did, they took me in and we attracted new listeners and followers. My biggest regret is not having a farewell concert for them,” she says, almost reminiscently.

Jana is pursuing different interests, interests outside of what she’s accustomed to where she is now. Interests in her life, and in her music. She wants to learn as many other instruments as she can. And while her fans might find it unusual, she believes her interests in various and different music is part of becoming a more rounded musician. “I want to learn to play the drums and bass,” says Jana, expressing her varied musical interests.

by Dusan Lopusina

A place to be for all you skiers and snowboarders who like goat cheese with your wine for the après-ski. Even if you, for whatever reason, are not that keen on French cuisine, the French Alps are always a soul-soothing place for winter sports lovers. Only during January, more than thousand of skiers from Serbia have visited French ski slopes. It was least to say interesting overhearing shouts in Serbo-Croatian-Montenegrin-whatever in a blizzard on 2,400m in Auron, a mid-sized ski center an hour’s ride away from Nice.

“This is much, much better and actually cheaper than Kopaonik, or other nearby resorts like Jahorina. I’ve never skied outside Balkans, so this is a totally new experience for me. The slopes are longer, train groomers work each night, and effectively you can ski much more on a daily basis, so you will not spend two hours per day in a line waiting for a ski lift, like on Kopaonik,” says Nenad (30), a snowboarder from Kruševac. He came to Auron with five friends from his hometown.

Auron’s 42 runs stretch on 135 km above the Tinée Valley and villages of Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée and Auron. To say that Auron-village is cozy would be a pleonasm for such a picture-postcard type of place. It is small, but pretty much alive during both day and night. Its main square features about 10 bars and restaurants, offering a wide choice of domestic wines, cheeses and different combinations of everything-dipped-in-hot cheese.

From its main square situated at an altitude of 1,600m, the gondola takes you 800 meters up, to Las Donnas Slope. For advanced skiers, Auron is a pretty decent resort – you can probably try out all runs in about two or three days of constant skiing. Côte d’Azur is not far, so there is lots of sun through the year.

“Good thing is that everybody skis really good, so you shouldn’t take too much care watching everybody else on the piste. I’ve learned a lot watching the locals and kids who come from Nice to ski during the weekend,” concludes Nenad.

And don’t be surprised if you come across elderly French villagers on the runs who ski better than most skiers. Bearded experienced granddads with old-school, long Elan skis and what is considered modest equipment that proves that you don’t need fancy equipment and a new 200 Euro ski suit to be an expert skier.

by Karl Jorssen, Editor-In-Chief

Still recording and touring after more than 35 years in the industry, Čola answers a few quick questions for White City..

Musical influences?

Any kind of pop influence - Stevie Wonder, James Brown and, lately, Franz Ferdinand. Our band ambassadors started with soul music. Everything that’s good, is good.

What’s in your mp3 player right now?

Robbie Williams, and I’m listening to any Blues album. Also Lady Gaga.

How has Serbian / Yugoslavian music changed?

It used to be Ethno-Pop, then commercial. But I mix Ethno with Commercial, the producers like Pop. Ballads and Rock is what you must include. It’s [difficult] to make an album for everyone. Regional music goes in various directions. It’s distinctive, rich in Soul’.

How is it possible to maintain a music career for so long?

To be professional, it’s the most important thing. And to be normal, not artificial and [then] you’ll have a chance.

Interests, other than music?

Sports, politics – you must know what’s going on, the environment, I like nature.

How has the Internet and social media changed the way you promote your music?

It’s a big advantage. You become popular quickly in America, Australia, Canada. You can be everywhere at the same time.

by Dušan Lopušina

Going to the cinema seems like the least popular way to see a new film in Belgrade – last year’s statistics show that, on average, only three percent of the capital’s cinema capacities are used a day. However, there are still movies that are hard to find in a regular, illegal way – at numerous cardboard-table pirate DVDs dealers around the town, or through Internet downloads. These films, independent, low budget, or just out of the mainstream, are becoming more and more popular among Belgrade’s cinemagoers. While recent blockbusters are shown in almost empty cinema halls, the capital’s Free Zone film festival, which focuses on socially engaged, marginalized films and documentaries, has had sold out screenings for the last a couple of years. In the current kind of cultural and social climate, when the oldest and biggest city movie houses are being turned into cafés and betting places, Belgrade saw a new cinema space established last year, “Illegal Cinema.” And it is not operated by illegal DVDs dealers – it actually provides a legal way to see recent films for free.

Founded in June 2007 by the cultural organization TkH-Centre and Belgrade independent scene Druga scena, Illegal Cinema, is a place where marginalized and hard to find films are shown. Entrance is free of charge, and everybody is allowed to participate in suggesting or acquiring films for screening – under one condition – to speak about them and initiate discussion after the end of the film. In this way, Illegal Cinema wants to erase a strong border between editor and audience. TkH-Centre states that this cinema is an open, educational project, focused on sharing content different than those existing in mainstream art institutions, and thus influence local cultural.

In a limited space of some 30 seats, screenings are held of documentary, activist, queer, anarchist, forbidden and other underground films.

WAREHOUSE: FILMS & STORIES

Illegal Cinema is located in a new facility dedicated to Belgrade’s independent cultural scene, called Magacin (Warehouse), in the very heart of Belgrade. Screenings are scheduled every Sunday at 6 p.m. The cinema space is not big, but it is large enough for a new, underground movie house. Its premises were formerly used by the Nolit publishing company as a warehouse for books.

Besides films, Magacin is a place where you can see various exhibitions and attend debates on cultural issues. To get there, once on Kraljevića Marka street, which is near the Zeleni Venac green market, find number 4, in front of a graffiti-filled passage which will take you to the entrance.

This alternative center is not a mere squat. It is formally attached to the public institution Dom Omladine, and established on the idea to merge cultural NGOs and public space together.

Sergej Beuk, program editor of Magacin, explains, “Our goal is to provide space and logistics with initiatives that are valuable, but otherwise the lack of opportunity was apparent.” Announcing plans to expand, he adds Magacin’s capacity, that “For some time now there has been a huge demand for such a place, tailored exclusively for the avant-garde cultural scene.”

Most recently, Illegal Cinema hosted a screening of This Film is Not Yet Rated, a documentary in which the director Kirby Dick tries to trace members of the evasive Motion Pictures Association of America Independent Council, an influential regulatory body which censors and rates all produced video and film materials for broadcasting. Among the most striking titles was Execution of a Teenage Girl, a secretly filmed documentary about the public hanging of Atifa, 16-year old Iranian girl, prosecuted by the so called morality police, on charges of crimes against chastity.

“The idea of this kind of cinema shows that in Serbia there is a serious core audience who are interested in so-called ‘art’ movies. I think that we, besides the Internet and two or three Belgrade film festivals, don’t have a chance to be informed enough about what’s going on in current European and world film.” says Belgrade film director Mladen Đorđević, known for short horror flicks and a successful documentary on the Serbian porn-industry, called Made in Serbia. “The action of organizing more such festivals should be supported by the state, from an appropriate ministry, because such projects are not very profitable.”

A HIJACK FOR ART

More recent controversial screenings in Illegal Cinema have included Raspberry Reich, a hard-core gay porn disguised as a political critic (or vice versa). Besides not-so-well-known authors, and films by Serbian black wave directors such as Jovan Jovanović, Illegal Cinema has hosted screenings of documentaries about migration and human trafficking. Part of the program is dedicated to forbidden movies, the most prominent being Salò, by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. After this film was shown in Italy, Pasolini was killed. Illegal Cinema has also displayed the documentary Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die, in which the role of the pro-fascist political forces in Pasolini’s murder is clearly shown.

While underground movie houses are new to Belgrade, they are a widespread phenomenon in European capitals, such as Paris or London.

In Manchester, a group called Filmonik hosts a bring-your-own film night, which is a concept similar to that of Illegal Cinema’s. Screenings are held at a jazz club and are reserved for marginalized films only.

Paris is famous for its underground cinema, constructed in a series of interconnected caves of some 400 square meters under the famous Palais de Chaillot. The police found remnants of this cinema in 2004. It had been used by a group called La Mexicaine de la Perforation, which has hijacked public spaces for art. The mission of this group was to “reclaim and transform disused city spaces for the creation of zones of expression for free and independent art.” One such zone was created in Belgrade for the first time.

Other than Illegal Cinema, various alternative movements, mostly in privately owned spaces, such as galleries or cafes, occasionally organize less regular underground screenings in the Serbian capital.

Director Mladen Đorđević says that the idea of Illegal Cinema also shows that the energy of local film lovers hasn’t faded away.

“In a time when old films are easily accessible through the Internet, it looks like there is not enough enthusiasm to investigate and reach these film rarities. There should be more ‘illegal’ organizing of this kind, and these illegal cinemas should remind one of film-worshipping places, which are secretly organized in a time when ‘film religion’ is endangered.”

The fall 2010 Belgrade Fashion Week took place highlighting this season’s new collections. Continuing with the organizers’ tradition of multiple venues, Belgrade Fashion Week was held at Vila Kralja Petra, SKC, Usće Shopping Center and Belexpo – which has apparently become BFW’s home venue. Belgrade Fashion Week continues to highlight the latest designs of local designers such as Bata Spasojević, Darko Kostić and Vesna Matijević as well as foreign brands Bugatti, Replay and Miss Sixty, and others.

The theme adopted was Green, an environmentally-friendly theme. Once again, Nenad Radujević, the producer of the show, is pushing the fashion week envelope slightly ahead of what Serbia is habituated to. A nice touch in this regard, and rarely seen in Belgrade, is the use of recycled paper in BFW’s printed material. On an additional progressive note was the use of non-white models, something rarely seen in the region.

A noticeable change in previous productions is the scheduling of feature shows before the smaller ones. Previously the bigger designers had been the last show of the evening. This season however, the bigger names opened the shows which resulted, among other things, in attendees arriving earlier and creating an interest in subsequent shows of lesser-known designers.

With such new ideas and now regular presentations of both local and international designers, Belgrade Fashion Week continues to be one of the premier events on the Belgrade calendar.

by Dragana Borenović

The world financial crises sent chills throughout the global community— from top-notch financial institutions in the USA and the EU to banks and industries of emerging markets. Although each country presents a case in its own, one thing is for sure— no one is spared. Paul Krugman, a Nobel awarded economist explains the interconnectedness of the global market in the following way: “Why do we need international cooperation? Because we have a globalized financial system in which a crisis that began with a bubble in Florida condos and California McMansions has caused monetary catastrophe in Iceland. We’re all in this together, and need a shared solution.” Even though Mr. Krugman wrote these lines in his NY Times column more than a month ago at the moment the solution that he is talking about still seems to be far from tangible. Despite the equity injections that Britain, Russia and the USA have given to their falling economies, the stocks do keep tumbling, plunging down to the levels unseen in a long time.

The Wall Street shares dropped more than 5% on Wednesday, the 19^th of November 2008, reaching its lowest level in the past five years. Consumer prices are falling, enabling the Federal Reserve Bank to decrease interest rates and thus battle the economic slump, yet the reduction in consumer prices was also followed by a decline in energy prices. The price of the gas dropped for the third time this month. Carmakers are experiencing one of the biggest declines- GM reached its 66-year low, while Ford went down to a 26-year low. While the shaky condition of the car industry stands like the sword of Damocles over the heads of those who work for it, those employed in banks are not in an enviable situation either. Despite government action and the program of partial-nationalization, banks’ shares keep dropping. Citigroup shares came to their 13-year low, which led to 53,000 people being laid off.

How did it all start? In the abovementioned column Paul Krugman describes the basic mechanics of the process: “The details can be insanely complex, but the basics are fairly simple.” He describes the vicious circle of “de-leveraging”: “The bursting of the housing bubble has led to large losses for anyone who bought assets backed by mortgage payments; these losses have left many financial institutions with too much debt and too little capital to provide the credit the economy needs; troubled financial institutions have tried to meet their debts and increase their capital by selling assets, but this has driven asset prices down, reducing their capital even further.” The Global financial crisis is the first crisis on that scale since the Great Depression that started in 1929. Many economists consider the bankruptcy of the Lehman Brothers on Sunday, September 14th, as an event that accelerated the crisis and made it known to the wider populace. Yet, the first signs of the crisis have been acknowledged and reported in business magazines and journals long before September. The breakdown of the large financial institutions in the US, such as Lehman Brothers, led to a number of European bank failures, drops in stock indexes and significant decrease in values of stocks and commodities. Due to decreased liquidity, banks and financial institutions keep trying to regain their clients’ trust in order to get some of the money back in the game, yet their aggressive campaigns promoting higher interest rates on savings and various credit benefits can actually be counterproductive since they convey anxiety and panic rather than confidence and reliability.

Even though the claim has been that the emerging markets can be spared from the blow as strong as the one that affected financial centers, one can clearly see that it did not bypass the periphery either. Naturally, the large dependence of the developing regions on foreign investments and loans cannot leave them unaffected. However, southeastern Europe for example may be less affected by the credit crunch and more by “risk repricing and growth shocks as capital markets are undeveloped, portfolio inflows are insignificant and foreign bank exposure to the region remains a small share of their total exposure.” In a new working paper which is not an official statement yet, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that southeast Europe may face a financial crisis as a result of fast credit growth, large current account deficits and a high percentage of foreign currency loans. The Fund indicates that credit quality needs to be supervised and improved strengthening the banks’ resilience to risk. Also, it pointed out that in southeastern Europe there has been a disbalance between consumption and construction. Injections of foreign money have boosted consumption, but have done comparatively little to increase the growth. “The bulk of capital inflows to southeast Europe have gone to financial intermediation, trade, transport, hotels and real estate, with manufacturing accounting for only one-third or less of the stock of foreign direct investment.” Some of the remedies that the IMF suggests to prevent the increasing instability of domestic currencies and financial institutions are: tightening monetary policies to contain growth in bank credit through raising reserves or broadening the reservable base, easing listing requirements and linking stock exchanges to European networks, as well as development of deeper and more liquid government and corporate bond markets in local currencies and with longer maturities.

In light of these statements by the IMF, the announcements that economic experts and politicians have publicly made about the situation in Serbia are worrying, to say the least. They present Serbia as a case in an isolated bubble, safe and sound from this global turmoil. The need to act decisively and with appropriate measures to prevent and alleviate the effects of the crisis is pressing and sugarcoated, sedative statements do nothing to achieve that. The openness and willingness of the local government and financial institutions to cooperate with the IMF is a must. The “chosen” and “blessed” status of Serbia in the state of the world affairs is yet another instance of unproductive and damaging mythologizing of the situation that should be left aside.

Founder’s Building at Royal Holloway, University of London

by Jelena Maksimović

Almost ten years into Serbia’s economic transition, its “brain drain” has not diminished. A Recent survey among students at Belgrade University, carried out this spring by students of the Faculty of Economy, shows that as much as 78 percent of students are thinking of leaving to go abroad after graduation. Without delving into the socio-economic factors or individual reasons, if you are one of those looking to continue your education elsewhere, this article might be a starting point for embarking on this journey.

International experience and knowledge of several languages frequently serve as something that singles out candidates who have recently graduated to potential employers. In the survey mentioned, students state lack of experience and limited social-mobility as the most important reasons for studying abroad.

Mind you, studying abroad is a really costly affair. In a country with a system of education inherited from Communism, where the State finances schooling all the way from primary school to college, the exorbitant sums needed for one to gain this international experience are off-putting to say the least. Luckily, there are those who refuse to back down in front of such an apparent obstacle, instead they dedicate their time, energy and resources to finding solutions.

As many institutions offer information and advice, going abroad to study is not such an insurmountable task as it may seem; hard work, determination and a bit of ingenuity can turn it into an achievable goal. If you are looking for funding, you need to adopt a strategic approach similar to the situation in which you are looking for a job. Long hours in front of a computer, doing web research, learning how to submit a successful application, talking to people who have already done so, amount to the bare minimum needed. All obvious sources, like popular sites with scholarships and programs announced at the school you are attending, should be checked. Yet, one should stay alert for all possibilities. According to a realistic view, your chances increase if you find something “off the beaten track,” something no one knows about.

Fresh Out of High School

Starting off with undergraduate studies, unless one has the funds for it, going abroad will prove to be quite the challenge for a 19-year old, as universities prefer to fund graduate studies. Nevertheless, several hundred students from Serbia start off their higher education internationally each year. Cultural centres of countries, which are interested in our students, provide basic information about specific requirements for enrolment into a university.

Young people speaking Italian, who wish to study in Italy, have to apply through the Italian Cultural Institute, which handles enrolment procedures. According to Spomenka Majidevac, in charge of the Serbian Education Department, around 300 Serbian students - both undergraduate and graduate - attend Italian universities. In 2007, 30 of them received scholarships from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their studies. Architecture and art are high on the list of interests, with international relations and business management right behind it.

As expected, the top destination for most students is the U.S.A., as 24 percent out of all international students in the world opt to continue their education at a U.S. university. In Serbia, all information about education systems, the application process and required tests are available at the International Academic Centre (IAC). Since 2004, the IAC has been assisting students interested in studying in the U.S. by providing guidance throughout the application process and conducting tests such as the TOEFL, SAT or GMAT. The Executive Director of the IAC, Elizabeth Chung, says that on the average 300 students visit the centre each month, out of which at least a third is seriously interested in studying in the U.S. The education institutions, recognized globally for their excellence, have rigorous selection criteria that are daunting at first for many applicants. During an advisory session, students are presented with a limited choice of universities which have direct departmental support for international students. Despite tough competition, the IAC can boast of acquiring over 1,3 million Dollars in funding for 29 people going to the USA to study this year (last year this figure was 1,7 million Dollars for 56 students). Around 50 percent of them are undergraduates. Chung is proud that there seems to be no limitation on the areas of study for prospective students. I was introduced to one such student, 25 year-old Boris Bogdanović, an opera singer whom the IAC helped in securing funding for a Master’s in music at the renowned Mannes College in New York.

A geographically closer option for undergraduates, yet still linked to the USA, is the American University in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria which offers financial aid to many applicants, most of whom continue their education in the U.S.A.

Exchange Your Way to the USA

The amount of at least $20,000 per year at an American university stops many before even trying, but you should consider that the domestic educational organization Belgrade Open School (BOS) administers applications for a one-year undergraduate exchange program in the USA.

In addition to holding a B.A. Degree in World Literature, Ivan Velisavljević (26) is currently a student of dramaturgy on the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. Two years ago, he spent a year in the U.S. at Ithaca College as a part of his undergraduate exchange program. A self-confessed Americanophile, Ivan was interested in meeting people and expanding his experience, which would help him in his writing and film work. “At first the procedure seems really complicated – documents, essays, motivation letters. You feel pressured to come up with a lie that is going to sound nice, along the lines of ‘I want to make a world a better place.’ Yet, I am convinced that even the people judging your application perceive this as quite transparent, ultimately dishonest, which is why I wrote about what I really wanted to do completely sincerely.” Even though the quality of education is one of the main reasons Serbian students give for going abroad, Ivan is not impressed with it, stating that his criteria are much higher. “I had a course in short-story writing with final-year students and it was impossible to find someone among them who knows about the Bible, Shakespeare and post-modernism all at the same time.” Still, he says that he gained a lot – met a lot of people with different life stories and experiences, started looking at things from a different perspectives, learnt about the practical side of the film industry, which shattered a lot of illusions he had held previously, which he welcomes with a relief. “Here you learn a lot of things, but you have no idea what to do with it, after graduating, in the U.S. knowledge has value in use, even theoretical knowledge,” Ivan concludes, assured that he will continue his education abroad.

Funded by New York’s Open Society Institute (OSI), the undergraduate exchange program has been one of the most successful projects. Last year, out of 25 applicants 9 students were able to attend a U.S. university.

More Opportunities for Graduates

Jelena Babić, Education Advisor at the Belgrade Open School (BOS), says that its main funder is very pleased with the quality of candidates from Serbia. Belgrade Open School also helps Serbian students receive full scholarships for Master’s programs in social sciences and humanities at prestigious British universities such as Oxford, Cambridge and University College London. These scholarships are very competitive, as there are only about 100 scholarships given away worldwide – last year 19 people from Serbia applied to Cambridge, out of which three are starting their studies this fall.

Another possibility is graduate programs at the Central European University in Budapest. Established in the beginning of 1990’s in order to help post-Communist countries in transition, Central European University (CEU) established itself academically as a formidable teaching and research institution. As its diverse student body comes from an area spreading from the former Yugoslavia to Central Asia, CEU offers a whole range of scholarships for which interested students can directly apply. Moreover, CEU is quite conveniently located in Budapest, a 6-hour drive from Belgrade, boasting a broad culture and nightlife, similar to any other European capital, while still being close to home.

Politics and Benefits

Symptomatically, most scholarships are offered for social sciences, specifically in areas significant for the future development of public service. Aside from good grades, which are a basic requirement, social engagement in NGOs, political parties or journalism is needed in equal measure.

Chevening scholarships, for which those interested can apply each fall at the British Council, are awarded to people who would “play a main role in the future of their country” with commitment to return and implement what they have learned. Rather than academic excellence, an ideal Chevening scholar should possess entrepreneurial spirit, experience in project management and strong orientation towards working in the public sector in Serbia. Scholarship recipients have all expenses covered at the Master’s program of their choice, if their application proves successful.

In a similar vein are scholarships for Master and Ph.D. programs in Germany, offered bi-annually by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS). This organization supports young activists, coming either from political parties or NGOs, who are studying in Serbia, with a monthly stipend. If your graduate studies in Germany, such political engagement is not crucial, but can be regarded as a plus on your application. Over 100 students applied for these scholarships and 10 of them were granted in fields ranging from the fine arts, law and philosophy to technical sciences. Katarina Pešić, in charge of the scholarship program at KAS, claims that the quality of candidates is obvious, the only thing lacking are students who can follow lectures in German. With this in mind, KAS is financing a 6-month intensive language course in Manheim for chosen applicants who at least have a basic level of German.

Something To Lose, Something To Gain

All those interviewed from various organizations praise the general quality of Serbian candidates, but are unable to say for how long foreign universities, foundations and organizations would continue to finance their studies abroad. It is implicitly stated that some of this aid will dry out as soon as Serbia stabilizes itself politically and economically. The first step in European integration, regarding education, would be the joining of the popular Erasmus Exchange Program. However, that would mean that Serbian students would lose the opportunity to participate in the Erasmus Mundus program, which is offering full scholarships for over fifty Master’s programs to “third country nationals” (students who are not from the EU or EU candidate countries). In 2007/08, five students from Serbia received this scholarship.

This October, Snežana Mijailović, a 28 year-old Spanish language professor and translator will add to this number, as she is starting an interdisciplinary Master’s program, ambitiously entitled Crossways in European Humanities. This program will take her to three different countries – Portugal, France and Spain, where she hopes to perfect each of these three European languages. When talking about the motivation for applying, Snežana mentions an interesting detail about the lack of funding for studying in Serbia. “I wanted to do a Master’s and I applied abroad, because it is possible to find funding, whereby here if one wants to do it, they have to work along with it, which makes studying much more difficult.” Similar to the other students interviewed, Snežana is straightforward about her motivation - she wants to expand her views and live in another culture, in her case three different cultures, more than struggle for world peace or lead her country straight to the E.U.

It should to be mentioned that these young people, whose stories you read, are not science wiz-kids or brilliant athletes. They were convinced of their qualities, determined about where they wanted to go and most importantly confident enough to explain why they should be the ones who deserve to.

Coming Home?

Not even a simple piece about educational opportunities can end without a reference to everyday politics – Serbian institutions are mostly disinterested in bringing people back from their studies abroad, let alone help them with going to study, so that one day they would apply their knowledge and skills in their home country. In a casual conversation, Elizabeth Chung from International Academic Centre mentions in jest that she hopes that someone from the Ministry of Education would someday answer her e-mails, as having young people studying abroad should be a strategic preoccupation of any country. Meanwhile, she keeps a long list of friends on Facebook – all young people whom her centre has helped to go to U.S.A. She is of the opinion that most of them will return to Serbia. “Nobody really immigrates to college. The real brain drain starts in the job market. People I know, studying in the U.S.A., want to come back and live in apartments with their husbands or wives and children, not with their parents.”

Regardless of the perception of most of those interested in studying abroad, where the promise of actually starting this journey seems distant or improbable at first, it appears that it presents a far easier task. Creating an environment in which they would come home afterwards is much more difficult.

General Info, Starting Points of Research

Infostud

http://znanje.infostud.com/

The Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe

http://www.stabilitypact.org/wt1/BHCscholarships.asp

Stipendije info Croatia

www.stipendije.info

Belgrade Open School

www.bos.org.yu

USA

www.iacbg.org

UK

http://www.britishcouncil.org/serbia.htm

The Chevening Scholarship

http://ukinserbia.fco.gov.uk/en/working-with-serbia/chevening-serbia/

Germany

Information about studying in Germany, available scholarships and requirements

http://www.belgrad.diplo.de/Vertretung/belgrad/sr/06/Studieren__in__Deutschland/Studieren__in__Deutschland.html

Kondrad Adenaur Stiftung

http://www.kas.de/proj/home/pub/45/1/year-2008/dokument_id-11106/index.html

France

The French Cultural Centre of Serbia

http://www.ccf.org.yu/srp/05c.htm

Italy

The Italian Cultural Institute

http://www.iicbelgrado.esteri.it/IIC_Belgrado/Menu/Opportunit%C3%A0/Borse_di_studio/

Erazmus Mundus

http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/mundus/projects/index_en.html

by Igor Ferluga

Why would someone change the night life and lights of New York, or the strip bars of Paris for Belgrade? Why would someone return from the EU or the US to live in Belgrade? Why have so many Serbs with the perk of a dual nationality returned?

When the average salary in the EU or the US is much higher than the one in Serbia?

When there are so many obvious benefits, like better education, better medical care, sushi flavored funions, political stability? Or is this just an illusion? Is Serbia the new land of opportunity?

A recent study published on payscale.com shows that the salaries abroad are farther up, with programmers on top the chart, as illustrated below, reaching 88,910 per year.

Well, there are the salaries in the US

According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in the EU the average salary of non-qualified property professionals aged 26 to 30 is 44,900 , a young chartered surveyor earn on average 59,200 €.

In Serbia according to Economy.co.yu, these are the numbers, “Average net salary in Serbia in June 2008 were 45,608 dinars,“ at the current exchange rate into Euros that is 608 €, hell lets round it to four, which per year comes out to a whoping 7,297 €, per year.

But lets forget about the money, and focus on all the other great things there are available abroad and we still lack here. No? Well we will get back to it, but lets stick with the original question, why would people return. Well there are several reasons and some are rather unexpected. Over the last few years, let us say maybe five, things have been changing, sure they have been changing before that, as well, as a fact, things have never been just right or calm around here, but I am talking about the last five years. Gas has gone up, so has the food, as a matter of fact the prices of everything have gone up. But those are not all the changes another thing that has happened, if not changed is, as mentioned before, that allot of people who had left Serbia, (Yugoslavia back then) have, and are returning to live in Belgrade rather then stay in abroad.

One of my bosses, or editors (I am not sure which yet, he’s probably both) said: “Economy was growing 7 per cent a year in GDP (there is even a term ‘Balkan tiger’ for Serbia in economics, the investment climate is getting better. What I personally think here – instead of questioning yourself about whether to go back or not – ask your money.”

I did ask my money, and your money too, and well, its lonely, and it misses more of its friends, friends it had while I was overseas, that is, if you don’t hold a job in a different country, and just live in Serbia. And as I said above I stick to it, the pays in Serbia are crap, and so are the conditions. Yes conditions have improved and the GDP is growing, but the people are still living badly, and we are still considered a lower middle class country, as to the classification made by the World Bank on the basis of income.

And that tiger the ‘Balkan Tiger’ is moving at a drag my friends. The credit, and loan rates in Serbia are ridicules, sometimes going over 50 per cent. The salaries, once again, are low, and yet again I mention there are not that many jobs to get.

There are several programs undertaken by the Ministry of Diaspora. The Ministry of Diaspora, which is in charge of helping, assisting, and watching over Serbian citizens that live outside of Serbia, says that their main priority is to see the return of young successful students and citizens to Serbia, as well as maybe bringing Serbian descendants of second or third generation to see Serbia.

Programs like one which happened, 14 August 2008, when 50 students from abroad came to participate in a choreography and traditional dance, which lasted about a week.   Another program like ‘Serbia under Construction’, which includes building a new building for the ministry, (how this helps return people, I don’t know). A few more programs, that are are planned to kick in any time now are also planed. Many other event, like the third international student film camp ’Interaction Zlatibor’ which happened on, 19 August 2008 is just one more of the several projects the ministry is carying out and planning to do, in order to see the graetes return of people from abroad.

According to a Ministry of Diaspora poll of 2002: 414,839 citizens of Serbia reside just in Germany. The German poll of Vizdaben, however mentions 591,500 Serbian passports registered in Germany alone. Unofficially the US can boast almost half of Serbia living in it, and (also unofficially) over 4 million Serbs live outside Serbia.

New York and Chicago alone are packed with literarily millions of Serbs. According to Strategic Marketing poll in July 2007, 53 per cent of Serbians in other countries are seeking to return. Officially the Ministry of Diaspora had nothing to say on the number of people returning, or pretty much anything else. Their PR was polite, but refused to give any official comment, and warned me that what I got, I got on her good will.

Unofficially I found out that the research has not been undertaken, and that there are only estimates and no official number. Still according to one person at the ministry, about 30 per cent of people that left have returned. This clearly shows that Serbians have the will to return, and where there is a will there is a way. The Ministry of Diaspora seems to be struggling to cope with the workload it has, and is definitely short on man power. So a real number as to the amount of young or old or anyone returning, seems not to be available.

But, how many well, that is not the important question. The important question is why? Plus it is clear that (at least to me) the exact information on how many people are returning is just unavailable at the moment. The most common reply given when asked as to why they chose to return was, “I came back for the pussy.”… No, I’m just kidding, but that line did come up, and we will return to it later.

One of the big reasons people claimed was, the friendships they have, and make in Belgrade. The people themselves, and their mentality was high on the list as well. Food was mentioned by almost every male I asked and a few females as well. Some have called Belgrade the most beautiful city in the world, something I found strange hearing, but they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Many prefer Belgrade because of the relaxed mood, the laid back people, the unique atmosphere only available in Belgrade. Maybe they are referring to the fact that nowhere else in the world are all the cafes and bars packed on a Wednesday at 11:00 am. This would go hand in hand with many other answers, people claimed, they love Serbia because there is no stress in the country. They all mention family and roots, and everyone mentions the fact they love this place.

Rade Vukasinovic is a French/Serbian somewhere in his late twenties. He’s employed as a manager of a construction company who seems to prefer life in Belgrade, “This is the best place for me, the life here is great, there are great places, great friends, great food, everything is great.”

Now, it time to return to that line from three, well four paragraphs ago. A large number of people, (and by large I mean most of a ‘couple dozens’ I interviewed) have bluntly and openly admitted they returned for the women. And Serbia does have fucking gorgeous women. A question that goes hand in hand with why they preferred Belgrade, is of course what they miss from the foreign or other things they might prefer.

Gregor Ferluga, a 30 year old French/Serbian translator and freelancer, who also is starting a private company Weisenturn Consulting told me, “What I miss the most are the small things, like if I get sick I know that in EU I can trust the doctor to be professional no matter what his wife did to him that day. Its hard to explain, what I miss about living in a first world country, is that its not Serbia. There is no bad Rakija trip out there. There are a lot more of civil rights and equality, its more advanced, we are still dragging our asses here.”

Many others have mentioned the same, the lack of security, the bad educational system, the questionable hospitals, the aggressive drivers, the nationalists, the junkies around every corner, the angry police, and the break down of moral fiber. All of these were mentioned, but people are returning.

Another big question for people returning was what changes they had noticed. Svetlana Radovanovic, a cosmetician by profession in her twenties, and a French/Serbian citizen gladly admitted she noticed many changes since her return, “People seem to have more hope,” she said, “life is better, and even if it’s slow going, things seem to have developed. Moreover everything seems to be on the right track again,” she concludes.

Another French/Serbian, Rade, mentioned above also commented on the improvements he has seen over the time he has returned, “The infrastructure has improved greatly,” he says right away, “the roads are much better,” and this seems to make him particularly happy.

“There is a lot of work going on, a lot of construction, a huge amount of urbanization, the whole city is sprawling, everything just looks better,” he tells me.

When asked why he prefers Belgrade he answered honestly, “This is my land, my roots, my people. My heart is here and so are my origins.” Then with a smile he adds, “The people, the nightlife, the way of living. Belgrade is a city that is very alive,” he says.

And things have changed, many things have changed. In the last few years the process of privatization has attracted a great number of investors into the country, which along with other factors have favorably changed the business climate in Serbia. The inflation has been brought down from nearly 150 per cent in 2000 to single digit rate in 2004. In 2003 Serbia attracted about 1.3 billion Euro of FDI and about 900 million in 2004. Indicating increased confidence of investors.

Today, with an enlarged EU and with the coming creation of the South-East Europe Free Trade Area, investors will have a great possibility to, by establishing businesses in Serbia, reach a market of 50 million people in South East Europe. In addition, Serbia is the only country outside CIS that has a Free Trade Agreement with the 150 million people Russian market.

These are just some of the reasons why Serbia is seen as the logical place to invest. So off to break your piggy bank, and get a piece of Serbia, while the getting is still good. When asked about the advantages or disadvantages about finding and getting employment with the dual citizenship there are a very few disagreements.

“It is definitely easier to get a job with two nationalities,” Svetlanan says right away, “There are dozens of foreign companies looking especially for people with dual nationalities.” she adds.

“I see no difference,” Rade disagrees, “I don’t get my jobs based on that, plus I am on vacation right now.” he replies happily.

Gregor admitted, “Working in Serbia can be a nightmare, first I could not get a job, because I did not have enough connections, sure the passport helps, if you have a good connection to go with it. Once you get a job, or start your own business things don’t get better either. People are down and depressed. They seem to prefer to do a shitty job for 200 € per month, rather than try to make a better life. And this is just the tip of the ice berg, getting partners, and investors, is a whole new nightmare to itself.”

While it might make it slightly easier for one to find work in Serbia with a foreign passport, the salaries are usually still a far cry from a good American or Dutch salary, and there are just not that many jobs floating around. Plus the advantage the passport might give in the end is minimal since it is know in Serbia that its not what you are, or what you know, but who you are, and who you know that matters. And many people that return count on this as well. On the people they know.

“Even if I have the opportunity to get many perks in Europe, like social security, and help from the government, I have family in Serbia. I have a net, and a place to live, and always someway to get my hands on little money. But mostly it’s the security of not being all alone, having family and friends to help if I need them,” Gregor says.

And, it is true, even if a European citizen has a lot more help coming his way and, things such as well fare and social security when you go bankrupt in EU or the US daddy can’t save you. While here it is still a different story. Many people have confessed they returned because of reasons related to this, this security of having family, and a place that is your own no matter what. Not to mention the whole ‘who you know thing’.

But returning back to those problems, there are frustrations with life and work as well. John or Jovan M. (depending where he is at) a 32 year old Serbian/American who works privately for an urbanization company confessed his frustration, “Serbia is a land of opportunity right now, in a certain sense. It is an emerging market, and there is a lot of money to be made, but there are problems as well. People are hard to deal with, there is a shield of arrogance, and sometimes ignorance that can destroy even the sweetest business deal. The level of un-professionalism is epic, and many people just seem hardly willing to work.”

It would seem that people of all walks and professions are coming back in hoards, according to some blogs there are thousands of thousands of young Serbs with different nationalities, that have grown in the foreign are thirsting to come back home.

Which brings me to a point, or a conclusion (not the conclusion, just a conclusion), it would seem that many people that return, are mostly interested in having a good time, relaxing, being with their people, friend and family. The most missed things are the uniqueness of Belgrade, and damn is it a unique city. There are some things you can only see in Belgrade and no where else.

There are a lot of home sick, and many who just want to know what is Serbia really like, has it changed, what has changed?

There are some who are interested in maybe bettering, investing in, or reconstructing the country.  The secretary of the Ministries of Diaspora Bojan Đurić said during, the ‘Working migration on the territories of the Southeast’ conference, held on 26 and 27, June 2008, organized by a non government group ‘Group 484’ that, “Serbians out of Serbia have invested over 3 millions dollars per year in the country, and are always doing all they can to help Serbia.”

Others just have expressed distaste for the life stile that is lead in some of the countries they have lived in, before retuning. There are many reasons people could not take life across the sea, or border. A point which deserves exploring.

“I have tried to explain to people that life outside is not that great, but no one seems to believe me. There a man has to work hard, and a lot more to get what he has imagined himself to have that MTV lifestyle, plus just because you do work hard that is still no guarantee that you will make a better life for yourself,” says a very disgruntled Miomir M.

Dušan Milošević who lived in Toronto for several years also said, “People must understand that it is not as great abroad as everyone says. People outside Serbia also have problems and you have to live there to see how it is,” he said. “I was better off making progress in Serbia than abroad,” Milošević said.

Conversations with several more people saw a pattern emerge. Most people who returned from the foreign that claimed they did this, because of the dislike for the culture on the other side have failed to adapt. But the ones that have adapted, have prospered and returned with riches, and experience to their home. Of course there were also the few who have returned because of security and just from being curious or home sick.

As more and more people return it is clear that we are heading in the right direction, but god damn it, we are moving at the speed of an asthmatic ant (or tiger) with some heavy shopping. Nevertheless, it is something. Hopefully something can be done that the young people of Serbia stop dreaming of running away, but start dreaming of a good life here in Serbia.

To conclude this brave but futile search for a very elusive answer, here is what I learned. People are returning, for a massive amount or reasons, all different, yet all similar, and it seems they will keep coming back if things keep on improving. Serbia still has a long way to go, and everybody knows this, things are expensive, the inflation is ridicules, (despite what the government claims) the pays are worst than slavery, the educational system is in shambles and the country need cash as bad as a crack head needs his next hit.

by Karl Jorssen,  Editor-In-Chief

The 23^rd Belgrade Marathon was held 18 April. The scenic 42 kilometer course traditionally starts at the beginning of Bul. Kralja Aleksandra and takes runners through Vracar then over to New Belgrade and Zemun, finishing at Terezije. At 20 degrees, it was ideal running temperature.

In total this year’s marathon had 1,500 runners, which includes runners for the 21 kilometer half-marathon that covered some of the same route. The main race featured runners from over 25 countries that participated in the scenic and challenging course. The timing of the Belgrade marathon usually means strong winds, and this year was no different with winds of over 20 kph, the final 5 kms featuring both a headwind and about a four per cent grade to the finish line.

The race was won by Kenyan Johnstone Kibet Maiyo in a time of 2:16:23 in a race which saw Kenyan runners capture the top ten spots. The winner who travelled to Europe just to compete in the Belgrade Marathon actually competes without sponsorship. “I have no sponsors,” said Kibet Maiyo, who said that his coach takes care of his travel expenses. He also made mention of the conditions; “Too windy,” and had some nice words about the venue; “Belgrade is a very good place, a very good country,” when interviewed by White City.

Kenyan runners also came in second and third with Kibet Sammy Kipkorir finishing with a time of 2:18:15 and Lopio Paul Lomol who had a time of 2:18:19. Hellen Mugo, also from Kenya took the top spot in the women’s category with a time of 2:41:19 ahead of Belarusian Volha Rezkaya (2:53,57) while Kranj, Neža Mravlje (2:59,30) from Slovenia finished third.

by Karl Jorssen,  Editor-In-Chief

Belgrade Fashion Week was held 19 – 15 April with most of the shows taking place at Expocentar, now re-named Belexpocentar. Belgrade Fashion Week actually had a name change too, named Amstel Fashion Week after their primary sponsor who, presumably, paid a significant fee to have their brand front-and-centre.

As with previous Belgrade Fashion Weeks, this season featured a mix of both domestic and international designs, with a heavy component of the national creations. These included Vesna Matijevic, Ksenija Markovic, Irena Grahovac, Dejan Despotovic and Bata Spasojevic among others.

This season’s edition of Belgrade Fashion Week, while offering a show participants have come to expect from one of the premier events on the Belgrade calendar, was a slightly scaled down affair. Probably due to the economy, but the competing Jacobs Fashion Selection which ran at the same time may also have affected attendance somewhat.

The actual content of the show was as good as it always is and Clicks Modeling Agency has proven time and again that they have the capacity to put out a great product, but one would hope that in future the two shows won’t be scheduled at the same time so that everyone can participate in Belgrade Fashion Week, still the best show in town.