As I reported a few days ago about Serbian turbofolk star and now reality show winner, Miloš Bojanić, the latest of the pathological lies typical of the backwardness of his Balkan rural mentality is that he defeated Ceca at the Poselo 202 song festival in 1995. In reality, Ceca defeated Bojanić by 4 votes, but details have never been a strong point with him, even if the Serbian press has splashed the truth across its pages.
Poselo 202 was the name of a folk music programme on Radio Belgrade in the 1980s and 1990s instrumental in promoting turbofolk and, eventually, Serbian nationalism. Every year in January Poselo 202 would organise a grand concert to pick its singer of the year. 15,000 Serbs would pour in to sing the hits of their favourite turbofolk stars and be intoxicated in the frenzy of locally-made celebrity, music and national pride. A scary example of this madness is when in 1992, while heavy fighting engulfed Vukovar, Rade Vučković, Zoran Kalezić and Čobi whipped the Serbian audience into nationalist delirium with their song 'U boj, u boj, u boj!' (To Battle, To Battle, To Battle)
In the interview at the end of the clip, though he gives praise to Arkan's men in fighting the Croatians, there seems to be a sense of sadness and regret in Vučković's voice, somewhat suggesting that he wrote the song more as a way to keep with the madness of the time than anything else. As has always been the case in Eastern Europe, a music career has always depended on political patronage.
Once the Balkan wars of the early 90s finished, so did Poselo's purpose and slowly withered away.
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