MINDBLOWING EVENING IN VUKOVAR

What a mindblowing trip to the city of Vukovar!
It is the city that was destroyed (annihilated!) in Croatia's war for independence. More on its history here. Too brutal for me to talk about.

I was invited to check out a 2nd annual Blackout Hip-Hop concert, so I went. As I was passing through the city, I was shocked. I was faced with blown up remains of the buildings (where nature slowly took over and almost engulfed the houses). I saw houses that had bullet and grenade holes like swiss cheese. Now that was only the visual attack on my consciousness...more?

I could not avoid feeling the eery remains of the war vibe that (still) filled the city. I felt like I could feel the pain that was soaked in the streets, buildings...and people walking around. They might not think about it any more, but there's no doubt that the pain and trauma of war and atrocities that happened there are present deep in their minds and hearts. From children who were born before, during or after the war, the pain is there, and will most definitely manifest later in life; to the people who took part in the war...the pain is there.

The most amazing thing was the concert. In my eyes, it brought love and joy into the heart of Vukovar (through music). Music has this tasty quality - to reach deep into our hearts and heal - by bringing joy and happiness, by temporarily putting our pain on pause, and by helping us find a way to soothe (or express) our emotions in a positive way.

Now this Croatian hip-hop was unlike much of what we hear in the States, still raw and positive (like it was designed to be back in the day). But it did something amazing: it brought MCs from all 3 countries (Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia) together on one stage..in the city that was destroyed by armies from the same 3 countries.

Now that's some real powerful sh$#! This country has a great potential to heal through music (especially the future generation) and embrace love. More to come...

SixthSense