'Voice/Vote', Altogether Band, Serbia, 1996 (Excerpt)

Band-aid-style song, written and performed by singers and musicians from 20 Serbian bands, as well as 10 actors (including special guest Rade Serbedzija), as an active contribution to widespread citizens' protests in Serbia, lasted 77 days in a row in 1996 and 1997, after president Slobodan Milosevic's attempt of electoral fraud in order to deny local elections' results in more than 50 Serbian cities and to deny electoral victory of democratic opposition united in Coalition Altogether.

Title of the song in Serbian is "Glas" - it's a homonym, meaning "human voice" and/or "electoral vote".

This is an excerpt of the song's video, shot at the very protest marches down the streets of Belgrade, capital of Serbia. At the time, video was being shown by several independent local TV stations, and also by MTV and several news networks around the world, which contributed to attracting attention of international community to the Milosevic's oppression on Serbian citizens.

The song remained rare case of not just mere verbal or written support to the protesters, but collective active public engagement of one industry in those protests, despite of subsequent consequences, which included i.e. official embargo of involved bands and actors on the programmes of state-owned TV & radio stations, different types of regime pressure on artists, even one criminal case at military court.

Each of songwriters and performers contributed pro bono to the project.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Coalition
• Altogether
• Band
• Voice/Vote
• Koalicija
• Zajedno
• Bend
• Glas