Podcasting from the Heart of Bosnia | Behind the Scenes of Postcards from Bosnia

Podcasting from the Heart of Bosnia | Behind the Scenes of Postcards from Bosnia.

This video is a bit different. I filmed it in real-time as I recorded the audio version of my podcast. No fancy edits, no script polish. Just me, sharing thoughts on life in a region where the past is always present.

“The Balkans produce more history than they can consume.”

In this episode, I reflect on that quote from my little studio in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It’s a phrase often repeated.

But who really said it? And what does it mean for those of us who live here?

If you’re curious about the Balkans, history, or what it’s like to live in a place shaped by so many layers of change, this one’s for you.

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Thanks for watching — more postcards coming soon.

Hello and welcome back to the
channel, and today I’m recording. An episode for my podcast called
Postcards from Bosnia, and I thought I’d bring you along with me. Normally when you listen to
audio podcasts, you have your headphones on or you have your
smart speaker working at home. You get a cup of coffee or a cup of
tea, you sit down and listen to it. Or maybe you listen while you’re walking
in the morning or in the gym or while you are ci cycling to work or to the shops. It doesn’t matter. You can consume audio podcasts almost
everywhere, but as an experiment. I thought today. Uh, I’ve got my script already on
my screen ready to go, that I would record the podcast in real time. And you can see how it happens and
maybe it might be something that. You might like to watch as well as
listen, I dunno how many people record their podcast or audio podcast with
a camera on really not sure at all. If you’ve seen it on YouTube or
anywhere else, please let me know in the comments before below as well as. Let me know whether you think
I should do more of these. So, um, without further ado this
is sitting in the studio with me. Why while I record the
latest episode of my podcast. Hello and welcome back to the podcast. It’s a very sunny weekend here. It’s 35 degrees outside at the moment. And yeah, it’s hot for
those that are coming. Hello and welcome back to
the podcast, where today it’s very sunny outside my studio. It’s 35 degrees at the moment. I’m David, and today I want to reflect
on a single sentence, a quote, one that over the years has come to define how
many people see this part of the world. The Balkans, and in particular
Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now the phrase goes that the Balkans
produces more history than it can consume. Now, like many other things here, the
story behind the quote is a bit fuzzy. Some say Winston Churchill said it. Others say probably not. I actually found out about
it when checking out Substack and came across Guy de Lonnie. GA is the BBC’s Balkan correspondent. He’s walked these streets. He sat in countless smokey Ka
Caranas, I’m sure and listened, really listened to people’s stories. Ga said This line is often attributed
to Churchill, but there’s no actual record of Churchill ever saying it. And when I looked into
it myself, he’s right. Nothing in Churchill’s
speeches or writings. Include that phrase. No official record. Anyway, but the funny thing is
it still feels like something Churchill might have said. It sounds grand, slightly cynical,
so it fits, but the truth is the authorship almost doesn’t matter
because the phrase captures something that is deeply and profoundly true. Here in the Balkans history
isn’t something you visit, it’s something you live in. You walk on Roman roads, you cross ottoman
bridges, and you pass Austro-Hungarian train stations, some with cracked
paint and others fully restored. You can sit down for coffee and hear
three different versions of the same event depending on who you’re sitting with. And that is so true, and
also it’s not always easy. And it’s not always comfortable. Sometimes it’s even
painful, but it’s real. I remember once, not long after I moved
here, sitting in a small coffee bar and hearing two men argue politely,
but with intensity about something that had happened over 30 years ago. Not world history, local history,
like who lived in that house before the war, which war? But of course that depends and
there are always stories to be told. Tamara and I went to a Slava for a
neighbour back in January and an old man, I’m not gonna give his family name here,
who’s lived in this village since birth, was talking about how his mother wasn’t
able to breastfeed him when he was a baby. Now he’s a Serb. He comes from a Serbian family. But he said I was saved because our Muslim
neighbor, his wife actually breastfed me. I was quite shocked that a story like that
would be told in open company here, but it was, and everybody discussed it, and I
just sat there totally fascinated by that. And also they talked about who lived
in what house, who did what, when did they leave, when did they come
back, and all the things that they got up to when they were children. Amazing stories, and that’s
what this quote gets at. The idea that there’s so much history
here, so many layers, stories, scars, and celebrations, that it almost
spills over sometimes it feels like the region quite, sometimes it feels
like the region can’t quite process it all that people carry history on
their backs, like a full rock sack. Some of it remembered with
pride, some with pain, and some just never spoken aloud. But here’s what I’ve come to
love about being here in Bosnian and Hertz of Governor and in
particular the that history. But here’s what I’ve come to love here
in Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular, history isn’t tucked away or forgotten. It’s woven into the way people speak
into their humor, their patience. They’re amazing resilience. It reminds me as an outsider who now calls
this place home to slow down and to listen better and to respect that not every
scar wants to be pointed out, and that sometimes sharing a meal or listening to
a sev song says more than facts can ever. To respect that, not every
scar wants to be pointed out. So whether Churchill said it or not,
displaced does produce more history. Than it can consume. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe the stories are meant to
overflow to remind us we are never the first to stand on these hills
and hopefully won’t be the last. So thanks for listening to this episode. If you’ve ever felt the weight or
the wonder of living where the past is always just under the surface,
I’d love to hear your stories. Drop me a message or leave. Comment wherever you read,
listen or see this podcast. And until next time, here’s a Sevdah
song, and until next time, here’s a Sevdah song about the city near where I live. Banja Luka, I love Sevdah music
and I hope that you’ll like it too. So stay curious, stay
kind, and keep exploring. Well, there it is. As you saw, I made a few stumbles,
but I went back and read it again. So those will be edited. So when you go to the podcast, the
link is in the description below, you’ll see the polished version. And also i’ll in that wonderful piece
of music about, uh, Al Luca, that ung. That theft song about Al Luca once
again, just a quick behind the scenes about how I record my podcast. Should I put more of these live
reads on this channel or not? Please let me know in the comments below. But if you want the full, polished,
produced, uh, episode, as I said. It’s in the, uh, description here. Thank you very much indeed. Stay safe as I said on the podcast
and I’ll catch you very soon. I’ll see you again soon.