Nadja Halilbegovich
Encyclopedia
Nadja Halilbegovich is an author, speaker and survivor of Bosnian War
and the Siege of Sarajevo
.
In 1993 four of her poems were featured in the book "Mom I Don't Want To Go The Basement." The title referenced all the time that the citizens of Sarajevo spent during the incessant bombings. At age 14, the first half of her diary was published in Bosnia as "Sarajevo's Childhood Wounded By War." In January 1995, National Dutch Television did a documentary of her life.
Near the end of the war, Halilbegovich escaped from Bosnia and became a refugee in the United States. Though she spoke little English when she arrived, she finished three years of high school in two years. Meanwhile, the sequel to her war diary was published in Bosnia. She was on hand to witness the finalizing of the Dayton Agreement
in Dayton, Ohio that brought an end to the hostilities in Bosnia.
in Indianapolis, Indiana. She majored in Vocal Performance and Theater. Halilbegovich became a popular speaker and peace activist, balancing her college schedule with speaking engagements at such events as the Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington D.C., the State of the World Forum in San Francisco and The Summit on Youth and Peace in Orlando with Desmond Tutu
.
in 1999 her story was told in the book "The Courage To Give" by Jackie Waldman. In 2000 she was featured alongside the Dalai Lama
and Mother Teresa
in the book "Architects of Peace" by Michael Collopy. In March, 2001 she was honored with the Woman of Distinction Award from Butler University. On graduating in 2002, she embarked on a 9-month speaking tour throughout the U.S. and Canada on behalf of Free The Children
.
On September 9, 2006 Halilbegovich was one of 112 speakers at the Dropping knowledge
Table of Free Voices. The speakers simultaneously answered 100 questions posed from around the world on the state of the world today. This nine-hour global streaming event was held in Berlin on the site of the first Nazi book burning. The textbook "Elements of Literature, Second Course", compares Halilbegovich's book, "My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary
" to "The Diary of a Young Girl
" by Anne Frank
.
". The book has won numerous awards and has been translated into French and Indonesian.
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
and the Siege of Sarajevo
Siege of Sarajevo
The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Serb forces of the Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996 during the Bosnian War.After Bosnia...
.
Childhood
Before the war, Halilbegovich sang and played guitar with Palcici, Sarajevo's internationally-known children's choir. The war broke out when she was 12. She was wounded by a bombshell during the first year of the war. Halilbegovich began sharing her diary entries and reading her poems on the National Radio and was hired to host her own show called "The Music Box" that broadcast about the war from the perspective of a 13 year old.In 1993 four of her poems were featured in the book "Mom I Don't Want To Go The Basement." The title referenced all the time that the citizens of Sarajevo spent during the incessant bombings. At age 14, the first half of her diary was published in Bosnia as "Sarajevo's Childhood Wounded By War." In January 1995, National Dutch Television did a documentary of her life.
Near the end of the war, Halilbegovich escaped from Bosnia and became a refugee in the United States. Though she spoke little English when she arrived, she finished three years of high school in two years. Meanwhile, the sequel to her war diary was published in Bosnia. She was on hand to witness the finalizing of the Dayton Agreement
Dayton Agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol or Dayton-Paris Agreement, is the peace agreement reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995, and formally signed in Paris on...
in Dayton, Ohio that brought an end to the hostilities in Bosnia.
Peace Activism
In 1997 Nadja received a scholarship from Butler UniversityButler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
in Indianapolis, Indiana. She majored in Vocal Performance and Theater. Halilbegovich became a popular speaker and peace activist, balancing her college schedule with speaking engagements at such events as the Global Young Leaders Conference in Washington D.C., the State of the World Forum in San Francisco and The Summit on Youth and Peace in Orlando with Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
.
in 1999 her story was told in the book "The Courage To Give" by Jackie Waldman. In 2000 she was featured alongside the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
and Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
in the book "Architects of Peace" by Michael Collopy. In March, 2001 she was honored with the Woman of Distinction Award from Butler University. On graduating in 2002, she embarked on a 9-month speaking tour throughout the U.S. and Canada on behalf of Free The Children
Free The Children
Free The Children is an international charity and youth movement founded in 1995 by children's rights advocate Craig Kielburger. The organization is largely youth-funded, based on the concept of "children helping children." It specializes in sustainable development in countries of Kenya, Ecuador,...
.
On September 9, 2006 Halilbegovich was one of 112 speakers at the Dropping knowledge
Dropping knowledge
Dropping Knowledge is a non-profit organization in the United States and Germany. In the US, Dropping Knowledge International is a project of the Tides Center, a non-profit fiscal sponsor and registered 5013. In Germany, Dropping Knowledge e.V. is an Eingetragener Verein...
Table of Free Voices. The speakers simultaneously answered 100 questions posed from around the world on the state of the world today. This nine-hour global streaming event was held in Berlin on the site of the first Nazi book burning. The textbook "Elements of Literature, Second Course", compares Halilbegovich's book, "My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary
My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary
My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary is the Bosnian War diary of speaker and peace activist Nadja Halilbegovich. The journal was written when Nadja was between ages 12 and 16 and documents the war and Siege of Sarajevo from 1992-1995...
" to "The Diary of a Young Girl
The Diary of a Young Girl
The Diary of a Young Girl is a book of the writings from the Dutch language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was apprehended in 1944 and Anne Frank ultimately died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen...
" by Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
.
Her Book
In 2002, both parts of her diary were published in the U.S. and Canada as "My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo DiaryMy Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary
My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarajevo Diary is the Bosnian War diary of speaker and peace activist Nadja Halilbegovich. The journal was written when Nadja was between ages 12 and 16 and documents the war and Siege of Sarajevo from 1992-1995...
". The book has won numerous awards and has been translated into French and Indonesian.