Divanhana: “We sing about the history of Bosnia-Herzegovina”

Nadia Čatić (vocals), Neven Tunjić (piano), Nedžad Mušović (harmonica), Azur Imamović (bass guitar), Riet Čamdžić (drums) and Irfan Tahirović (drums) were studying together at the Music Academy in Sarajevo when they decided to form the band Divanhana in 2009.

It doesn’t take long for them to be heard, as the music artists combine traditional Balkan music with elements of jazz, pop and 20th century classical music. They never lose sight of the sevdah, which originated in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Today Divanhana is not only on tour within the countries of the former Yugoslavia, but throughout Europe. Now they are back on tour with their new album. Zukva is the melodious name, named after a type of apple that is native only to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Like their music, this fruit symbolizes the cultural heritage of their homeland, which they would like to present to the world.

In an interview with Balkanblogger, band member Neven Tunjić explains the meaning of “Divanhana” and how Sevdah contributes to understanding the history of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Sevdah has been forgotten for some time. Why did you decide to sing it anyway? After all, it was no longer modern. It could have been easier with pop or rock.

Sevdah has always existed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and always will. When we started to deal with this old and traditional music style, it was actually less heard and had lost popularity. It must be said that not only the Sevdalinka (i.e. Sevdah song) had faded into the background, but also many other Bosnian traditions due to the Balkan war in the 1990s. So this generation first had to find its way back into everyday life in order to be able to devote itself to culture again. In other words, Sevdah was already present in society, it just had to be brought back to life, just like the post-war generation.

How would you describe Sevdah to someone who has never heard of it?
Sevdah is a traditional music style from Bosnia-Herzegovina that developed in the 15th century during the Ottoman period. These are songs that sing about various topics, such as love, the beauty of women and cities, traditions or customs of the country. Initially, oriental instruments such as the saz were used. Later, during the Austro-Hungarian period, the harmonica was added and the style adapted. They are a historically valuable testimony to the country. So we sing about the history of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

What does the name of the band “Divanhana” mean?

The word divanhana is a combination of two old Turkish terms. Divan comes from the word “divaniti“, which means to sit together and han means room. In Ottoman Bosnia-Herzegovina, divanhana was the equivalent of our living room today. It was the place where people met after work and exchanged ideas. This is also the place where Sevdah originated.

When we started playing music, we always met in a room where we exchanged ideas. So the name of the band explains our story of how we came together.

Was it difficult to build up a fan base at the beginning?

Oh yes! In the beginning, we weren’t noticed at all because society supported the traditional Sevdah singers, like Safet Isovic or Himzo Polovina. When the singers died, the sevdah died for them too. So we encountered a lot of prejudice, because we were too young for them. But we believed in ourselves and worked hard. We quickly managed to overcome all the prejudices. After just one year, we had a fan base and from then on everything went much more smoothly and upwards.

Your videos are traditional and modern. Is your aim to further develop the Sevdah?

We’re not really traditional at all, we’re adapting to the present. That is also well received. We now have many invitations from abroad, especially from the diaspora. Which is amazing: There are a lot of young people in the audience. They are mostly Germans with Bosnian roots who want to get to know something of their parents’ country, including the traditional music. It is so nice to carry the spirit of the Sevdah out into the world!

Does Sevdah connect?

Art is there to connect people with each other. Music has such power and so does the Sevdah.