Mladi Behar is a Bosnian dance group and cultural center that strives to share Bosnian culture and help young Bosnian children born in the United States to embrace their heritage. It was created in 2000 by a group of Bosnians that wanted to make sure their children kept their cultural roots alive. After arriving in the US as refugees from Bosnia, the elders realized it would be easy to lose the language and traditions and having a dance group seemed like a good way to gather individuals from all parts of Bosnia, leaving politics and religion out of the conversation.
Irvaz Husić was one of the only members that had a background in Bosnian folk dances, and he became the instructor and taught the dances to Maya and other young Bosnians. One of their first performances was on March 8th, 2000,the same day as International Women’s Day, and they have been hosting Bosnian Heritage Day celebrations every year since. They also performed at prestigious festivals like the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle and at regional Bosnian festivals in Iowa, Utah, and Arizona. One of the most special performances was when they took the group to perform in Bosnia. Some of the members had never been to Bosnia before, and they were thrilled to see their homeland.
They chose the name Mladi Behar because it means Young Blossom and signifies a new start in a new country. They first started to get together in a group so the children would be able to be together with others from their same background, but it turned into a way for the Bosnian community to represent their culture to Americans. Dance was the easiest way to communicate this positivity and pride in Bosnian culture in the beginning to an audience that spoke English, and was a way to “show something other than the trauma and war that we came from.” Maya hopes that through this preservation of Bosnian traditions and sharing their roots with the new generations that the US will be a “salad bowl…not a melting pot,” and she is happy that Boise has welcomed that.
Mladi Behar also strives to teach the children the Bosnian language, a difficult task when there are no permanent, certified Bosnian teachers here. However, Maya hopes that eventually they might be able to support an internship to bring people from Bosnia here to teach Bosnian, but also learn English in the process. Further, they are working with the upcoming Idaho Museum of International Diaspora to eventually have a permanent Bosnian exhibit here in Boise.
You can find Mladi Behar on Facebook: Mladi Behar The Bosnian Herzegovinian Cultural Center of ldaho
We are thrilled to offer Global Gardens another CSA pick up location for the upcoming season. A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a summer-long subscription for a weekly bag full of fresh, spray-free, locally grown veggies grown by refugee farmers here in the Treasure Valley. By joining a Global Gardens CSA, you are supporting small-scale farmers, strengthening our local food system, and guaranteeing yourself some of the healthiest, tastiest produce around.
Read More
The season’s kick-off is a grand New Year’s Eve celebration. Ground zero is OVO Beach on Maldonado Bay. We walked to the celebration, our apartment being just six blocks from the bay. This proved opportune as traffic was at a standstill. People filled every available patch of street, sidewalk, and sand. Elbowing our way towards the shore, we were absorbed into the throng of revelers, holding champagne in one hand to toast in 2019, smartphone in the other to record their presence. As the crowd counted down, corks popped and digital shutters snapped. At the stroke of midnight fireworks began all around Maldonado Bay. It must have been quite the sight if seen high up from a penthouse balcony or far off from a boat. The entire bay was a backdrop for a panorama of sparkling aerial dancers. Our view, down on the sand, was a bit more intimate; we were inside the fury, underneath a canopy of loud explosions and sizzling color. When the light show stopped, the all-night party started. Revelers, who had come a great distance and at great expense and were not going to waste a precious moment of their summer holiday, stayed to party. Those of us who lived here and enjoyed this paradise every day nonchalantly relinquished the beaches, clubs, and restaurants to the tourists. Echoes and reflections from the fete escorted us home.
Read More
Global Lounge is at the forefront of thoughtful cultural preservation, education, integration and the promotion of cultural awareness by harnessing the power and beauty of diversity for individual and community development. ♥
