- Title: Bosnian musicians keep Sephardic Jews' dwindling language alive
- Date: 5th November 2018
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) SINGER, ANIDA ISANOVIC, SAYING: "Our history is diverse, we lived and went through all sorts of stuff. A diverse cast of people passed through this country, left different things behind, various nations lived here, cultures, religions... So all of that as a whole is our tradition, all of that belongs to us." (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) LEADER OF CORONA VOCAL ENSEMBLE, TIJANA VIGNJEVIC, SAYING: "Even in places where Jews (predominantly) live today, Ladino is dying out. I think it is our duty as musicians to try and keep that tradition alive, to prevent it from disappearing."
- Embargoed: 19th November 2018 17:03
- Keywords: Sephardic Jews endangered language Ladino Balkans Bosnia-Herzegovina expulsion of Jews
- Location: SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
- City: SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
- Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Music
- Reuters ID: LVA003958B4MX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Sephardic Jews in Bosnia have kept their language alive ever since they were expelled from Spain in the late 15th century and found a home in Sarajevo, but today it is spoken by only a handful of the city's ageing Jews.
Yet Ladino, or Judeo-Spanish, is becoming an inspiration to musicians from across Bosnia's ethnic divide.
At Sarajevo's Jazz Festival, four performers played Sephardic songs including female a Capella choir The Corona, whose seven members come from Bosnia's different ethnic groups.
The Corona's leader and music teacher Tijana Vignjevic says musicians have a duty to preserve Ladino and prevent it from disappearing.
The Jewish community has played a significant role in Sarajevo's cultural and economic life for more than 400 years. Expelled after the Christian re-conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, Jews found sanctuary in the town, then part of the Ottoman Empire.
At the height of its influence, Sarajevo had eight synagogues, serving some 12,000 Jews. But most of them were killed during World War Two, when the city was occupied by Nazi Germany. Fewer than 1,250 remained. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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