Our weekly digest of articles about emerging Europe published elsewhere this week, all of which caught our eye and all of which are well worth your time. Listing them here, however, does not necessarily mean that we agree with every word, nor do they necessarily reflect Emerging Europe’s editorial policy.
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Tito on film: How the myth of Yugoslavia was built on the silver screen
Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito was known for his love of film. When it came to building a nation, cinema was the perfect solution to cement national myths — and to take centre stage himself.
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Watching the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, I think of my Armenian ancestors fleeing their home
My family story is bound up in the displacement of Armenians from their ancestral lands. In the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, I hear echoes of that history, writes Anoosh Chakelian.
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Fear grows among Bosnia’s Muslims: ‘We will be the victims again’
The recent vandalism of a historic mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the latest in a series of disturbing developments evoking the worst fears in the country’s Muslim population.
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The story that captivated Almaty: Kazakh transgender inmate wins prison assault case, but fears reprisals
The ordeal is not over for a transgender convict in Kazakhstan whose attacker has been sentenced to prison and stripped of his rank after he was convicted of sexually assaulting her in an Almaty prison. Thirty-year-old Viktoria Berikqozhaeva now fears retaliation by her attacker’s sympathisers and former colleagues while she completes her own prison sentence.
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North Macedonia grapples with demographic challenge
Population decline is biggest test facing the Balkans, says president of NATO’s newest member.
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Kyrgyzstan: In an uprising low on heroes, defense volunteers shine
The appearance of the self-defence units is the second time this year that civil society has been forced to hold the line. Where the state repeatedly fails to live up to its obligations, volunteers step in.
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How to create more jobs and reduce poverty in Uzbekistan: Focus on the agri-food sector
In Uzbekistan, the agri-food sector, containing of agriculture, food and light industries (textile, garment, apparel, and leather industry), plays a vital role in the domestic economy. In 2019, it was the largest contributor to GDP (41 per cent) and producer of export revenue (19 per cent). Yet it could be doing much more to deliver on job generation.
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For criticising Serbia’s Covid-19 Response, doctors come under fire
On top of the long hours and risks facing frontline medical staff in Serbia, many are facing retaliation at work after speaking out against the state’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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How a Syrian ambassador’s friend made a million selling him an embassy
The Art Deco-style mansion at 47 Paris Street in Bucharest was never going to be cheap. It measures over a thousand square metres, sits in a prime neighbourhood favoured by diplomats, and was built by legendary Romanian engineer Emil Prager in 1933. But it still raised eyebrows among some in Romania’s capital when the white stone building shot up in value by a million euros in under a week in 2009.
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Communist-era skyscraper completed in Kraków after 45 years
A communist-era skyscraper that remained unfinished for decades, earning the nickname “Skeletor” for its notorious skeletal appearance, has finally been completed, becoming Kraków’s tallest building by roof height. Construction of what is now called the Unity Tower initially began in 1975, but the project was abandoned a few years later due to economic difficulties and political unrest.
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Snarky Facebook post sparks diplomatic incident between Russia and Serbia: What’s behind it?
A recent spat between Russia and Serbia on social media reveals a great deal about their relationship.
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Photo: ORF.at
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