Bosnian Community Celebrates

Over 200 Bosnian-Americans packed the Martin Luther King Center on Saturday evening, March 2 to commemorate and celebrate Bosnia’s Independence Day. The evening’s festivities included Bosnian food, music, and dancing with a singing contest as the highlight of the evening. Each contestant sang several songs, mostly folk songs ranging from love songs to ancient historic ballads. Traditional Bosnian singing is technically and emotionally demanding. Songs are often elaborately ornamented, displaying both Arab and Balkan musical influences. The evening’s best performers sang with great emotion, sometimes bringing the crowd to their feet cheering and shouting praise. All the singers were backed up by keyboardist Deni Duganhodzic, a resident of Rochester who regularly performs for Bosnian communities throughout the mid-west and mid-Atlantic regions.

This event was a fund-raiser for the local Bosnian cable access program aired on the Erie’s Community Access Television. The second Bosnian television show to start in the United States, Erie’s program was launched two years ago with some initial support from the International Institute. Now the program is entirely supported by the local Bosnian community. Every Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. there is one hour of general family programming on arts, culture, international and national news in Bosnian. Every Thursday from 9 to 10 p.m. the program features Bosnian pop music videos which are targeted to youth. The programs are a lifeline to those who have trouble speaking English and a support to those who want to keep the Bosnian language alive in their families. Nijaz Berberovic is the program’s founder and producer and helped arrange the Bosnian celebration at the MLK Center. He organized the singing contest, hoping it would heighten awareness among Erie’s Bosnian youth and help transmit cultural history. His wife, Mensura Berberovic, an accomplished singer, states, "Our young people don’t know about Bosnian music if they have grown up in the United States. Folk songs teach you about who you are and where you come from."

Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence from the former Yugoslavia in March of 1992. Because of the region’s war and genocide many Bosnians have relocated to Erie.

If you'd like more information about this ensemble contact Museum Folk Art Coordinator, Kelly Armor