The Sufi and the Grand Vizier: The assassination of Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge, and about the man for whom the bridge is named for. In this post, I will like to change gears somewhat and focus on his assassination in 1579, or at least some background information on the context of the killing. We begin in Sarajevo. When [...]

Ramblings

I read this headline on Balkan Insight, “When Plastic is Not Fantastic.” and immediately thought it was an article about Jelena Karleusa. It’s not. And speaking of plastic, am I the only person to see a physical resembalance between Ceca’s father, and multiple Daytime Emmy winner, Justin Deas?

How one woman survived the Rwandan Genocide, testified against her tormentor, and changed legal history: Part II

     Part II: “Never ask me ever again what a Tutsi women tastes like.” The following is a retelling of the experiences of one survivor of the Rwandan genocide, “Witness JJ” as first published in Elizabeth Neuffer’s “The Key to my Neighbor’s House.” Supplemental texts include: “Leave None to Tell the Story” by HRW, [...]

Janine Di Giovanni in Sarajevo

While I work on Part II of Witness JJ’s story, two new pieces from Janine Di Giovanni. The first, “The Book of the Dead” tells of her recent visit to Sarajevo. The second “Finding Nusrat” is about reuniting with a Roma orphan she originally met during the war. The articles are two of the most profound [...]

How one woman survived the Rwandan Genocide, testified against her tormentor, and changed legal history

Part I: “God, did not put my name on the list of genocide victims that day.” The following is a retelling of the experiences of one survivor of the Rwandan genocide, “Witness JJ” as first published in Elizabeth Neuffer’s “The Key to my Neighbor’s House.” Supplemental texts include: “Leave None to Tell the Story” by [...]