We can work it out

Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Pakistan, Nedim Makarevic, talks about his music video tribute to APS victims.

ISLAMABAD: As the attention from the Army Public School attack fizzled out, Nedim Makarevic, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Pakistan launched a music video to keep the issue alive. As passionate as he was about the release, the initiative did not receive the attention it deserves in Pakistan, says the ambassador.

Having visited the Army Public School after the attack, Makarevic went on to launch a music video to pay tribute to the victims of the Peshawar Attack as an extension of his efforts to keep the issue alive in a heartfelt manner, he said.



He sung and recorded the cover of The Beatles classic, We can work it out and shot a music video to go with it as a part of the Be fair be just project. While speaking about the song selection, the ambassador says that the lyrics by Paul McCartney were exactly what he wanted to communicate. The words were not aggressive and at the same time, sent out the message he wished to impart. “Be fair, be just… let’s sort it out” — that is the message that should go out to the whole world,” he asserts. “Just a few statements from the government are not good enough,” he adds.



The music video starts with a fusion of instruments such as the tabla and rubab adding the Pakistani touch to the classic. As an entire band assembles, Makarevic sings the song and plays the guitar. The video then moves from band composition to insertions of sorrowful stills from the incident, aggregating emotions while the positive lyrics and soft tunes depict courageous vibes.

The video was officially launched earlier this month at a hotel in Islamabad. While the invitation extended to a large gathering of government officials, diplomats, media, academia and members of the civil society, the low turn-out at the event was disappointing. The same expected guest list was present in full-swing at a National Day that very evening.

“I was extremely disappointed to see the attendance of people” says the ambassador. “Pakistan should not expect the world to respect it, if it cannot respect itself,” he remarks.

Adding to that, he says that the music video received  more shares and likes in Bosnia as compared to Pakistan. “The response in Bosnia was much more than that in Pakistan. There were 4,000 views on YouTube and a genuine outburst of emotion and support from the people. While in Pakistan there were 800 views on DailyMotion. “There’s a problem here, it’s actually a shame,” he says.

In his message at the end of the video, the ambassador says it was unfortunate that the world did not pay adequate respect to the Peshawar massacre victims as they did to those killed in Paris. All those victims were Muslims and we shouldn’t have the perspective that certain lives are more valuable than others. So be fair, be just.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2015.

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