Oakville, Ontario, Canada
One of my favourite pastimes is listening to Balkan and Bosnian music. During my first trip to Bosnia in 2006 I was listening to the radio on my mp3 player during the bus tour as it drove around Sarajevo and was amazed by the sounds I was hearing. It was so Persian, Turkish, and Bollywood in the heart of Europe.
My only knowledge of Bosnian music had been their entries on Eurovision but nothing like this. I bought a couple of CDs and returned in 2007 to explore more. This time my hotel had a music tv channel and by this time I was more familiar with the 'turbo folk' style of folk pop 'feel good' music that became popular in 'Yugoslavia' during the 90s war years.
There was song that completely stood out on the music channel. It was an emotional acoustic ballad, in traditional folk style. The song slowly opens in layers with folk hand drums, and a backing male vocal like the Muslim prayer call. You can not help but be moved by something so unique. Here is the original video on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-5qqSpZi1c
I wrote down the singers name 'Hanka Paldum' and started hearing more of her music on youtube after I returned. I found a website where I bought her hits CD also and became a fan.
Having a Bosnian diaspora in Europe I was aware she did tours in Germany and places where there was a community. By chance I found out from a friend she was coming to Canada for a tour and would be in a Toronto suburb. This was an opportunity I didnt want to miss even though I felt very awkward going myself as I wasnt sure my Bosnian friend could come.
I'd been to a Bosnian concert in 2009 for another artist Dino Merlin. Tickets are not sold online and you have to goto a local store to buy them in person. This time the concert was scheduled to be in Hamilton and you could only buy tickets from local Bosnian stores there, which is a 45 min drive each way. With her popularity and rare appearances in Canada I expected this to sell out quickly. They actually had to move the venue as it was so popular people were coming from as far away as Montreal and Ottawa for her one Toronto show.
On the night doors opened at 7pm and the show was set to start at 8pm. It was in a wedding banquet hall and people would be sitting in groups at round tables. That just made me more awkward going myself. I got there just after 7pm and it was already quite busy inside.
They had a table set up at the back like a grocery store. They were selling breads in bags of five, deli platters with cheese and salami, cakes, cookies. Not what I was expecting at a music show. I thought it would just be old people but it was mixed ages, couples, and some families with children, though mostly an older crowd.
The organizers curious about me when I made my reservation had arranged to have me seated on a table with other couples and singles but they were two old ladies so I preferred my table at the back with a clear view of the stage.
The opening act started at 8pm and seemed to go on forever with generic Balkan pop. I dont mind as I listen to this type in hotels but I came to hear Hanka. Eventually she made her appearance.
Her opening 'Ali Patmin Jos' was a good folk ballad to open. Her next 'Zelene Oci' was more a party song and got people dancing and singing along. They then got up and started forming a circle and dancing in a ring. I had never seen this in all my trips to Bosnia except once driving past a wedding.
The party atmosphere went on as she sang all her popular dance songs. They almost forgot all about her and were so involved in their circle dances. It was so bizarre.
During intermission a photo line formed. I expected this at the end but it was better that we would not have to wait after later. I joined the line and wandered what all the Bosnians were making of me, the lone foreigner.
I asked the guy taking the pictures if she spoke English. He said no but he would translate. She wanted to know where I was from and was curious. I said I live here but its simpler to explain my family is from Pakistan judging by my appearance. The guy translated for me that I like Bosnian music as its like Pakistani folk music sometimes. I would have liked to have chatted more but people were in line for photos.
Having met, spoken with, and had my photo taken with the 'Queen of Bosnia' it became more bizarre in the second act. She came down from the stage in the middle of the circle dance, and broke it up like the parting of the waves. She then sang more of her hits to all the cameras standing maybe a metre from me. She normally sings in large concert halls so this was unusual for her and more intimate for us in a small venue. But she know how to put on a good show.
This was such an unreal experience. Even the organizers knew who I was and were checking up on me if I was enjoying myself. This was certainly not what I was expecting as I was texting my two absent Yugoslav friends as to what was going on. They couldnt believe it either!
She closed on 'Mojoj Majci' my favourite song which I first heard in my Sarajevo hotel in 2007. It drew such an emotional reaction from the crown who sang the reprise together with her after long applause.
You can see the full show here - https://youtu.be/K6lf1joByOI
I plan to visit Bosnia again in Sept 2020.
Wendy Morrison
2020-09-16
What a fabulous experience Asif!