Mirad: A Boy From Bosnia

Preparing for Viewing

The following ideas will help students to follow the play more easily:

1. Look at a map of the area, showing Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Montenego, Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Italy. Point out Sarajevo. The town of Foca is in Bosnia.

2. Explain who the main characters are in Part One (Fazila Balic, Mirad’s aunt, and Djuka Balic, Mirad’s uncle) and in Part Two (Mirad Balic and Vevica Balic-Kovac, Mirad’s mother).

3. There are some words, places and people that may need explaining before viewing:

Serbo-Croatian is the official language of the former Yugoslavia.
Fluchtling is German for refugee.
The Kurds are a nomadic people living mostly in Turkey.
Nenad Pejic is a spokesman for Bosnians.
Tito was a former president of Yugoslavia.
Keraterm is an internment camp.
Heerhugowaard is a town in Holland.
Ustasji are extreme Croatian nationalists.
Milosevic is leader of Serbian Communists and now president of Serbia.
Arkan is the leader of a notorious military group called the ‘Tigers’.
Red Star Belgrade is a football team.
Drina is the river flowing through Foca.

References are made to Somalia and Cambodia.