naomi's blog about art (and other stuff)

Bosnian President Dr. Haris Silajdžić

Ok, so this is the worst photo I have ever posted, but I thought it was cool that I managed to snap this pic. The Bosnian President was at the Hyatt Hotel last night in downtown St. Louis, along with the head Imam of Bosnia, the Ambassador to Bosnia, Mayor Slay of St. Louis (interview coming on CultureSurfer soon), St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, along with close to 2,000 Bosnians & probably about 10 Americans (2 of which were Jeff and me-lol). What was the to-do? The Bosnian Congress of North America meeting in St. Louis, home to the largest Bosnian community outside of Bosnia. You should have seen the lineup of security at the back of the room.

No, I did not get an interview with the Bosnian president, but maybe the next time he comes since he seems to come to St. Louis about once/year. Although it may be the next president as they rotate every few years to make sure there is representation from the various part of Bosnia.

It was a LATE evening because the dignitaries were a tad verbose, but the dancing & music were fantastic. The photo below is of a Bosnian dance group, Behar, from Detroit, whom I interviewed. We also filmed and interviewed internationally-known American "sevdah" singer Mary Sherhart.

All interviews and footage will be coming online on http://culturesurfer.com/ over the next few weeks. I am exhausted from being out so late but running off to film a Filipino children's choir this afternoon. No rest for the weary!