The applause from our neighborhood seemed louder than the ones in big concert arenas; the power of music spread positive energy in difficult times

My name is Nihad Malićbegović, as a representative of the post-war Sarajevo alternative scene I played in different popular music bands. Today my son Benjamin and I form The Malichbegovich duo.

Before the pandemic, or rather back in the normal times when we all enjoyed our everyday lives, I was always involved in music. I played in different Sarajevo bands -  Knockout, Erogene Zone, Macbeth, Tifa. I also worked as a DJ, so I’ve always been in this world of music. I have passed on my love for music on to my son Benjamin.

Throughout my life and work, I have been introducing Benjamin to different music directions and beats. After some time, we came up with the idea of making a duo The Malichbegovich – a father and son son. We started playing in different clubs and on different events throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the audience accepted us very well. We give our best, and reciprocate to the audience with a lot of love and energy. We love what we do. However, due to the pandemic, duo The Malichbegovich was forced to take a break from work, at least in clubs and in places of large gatherings.

Nevertheless, our love for music inspired us and gave us the idea that during the curfew, at the time when fellow citizens applaud for the medical staff and other good people and frontline workers, we also give our contribution.

Every night at 20:00 we opened the windows of our apartment and entertained the most diverse audience ever, our neighbors from 7 to 77 years of age, with a symbolic live performance.

That was our contribution in these difficult times: to help others have fun and to share positive energy to our fellow citizens in Sarajevo neighborhood of Dobrinja. Our fellow citizens, our neighbors, accepted it very well and each time rewarded us with loud applause. That applause often seemed louder to me than the ones from the big concert arenas.

In this way we have tried, and hopefully succeeded, to help our fellow citizens forget - for at least a fraction of time and through the power of music - about all this evil that has befallen the whole world. We will continue to fight with music and to reach out to human souls, because music does give a dose of positive energy, which we all need in these difficult times. We hope that all this will soon be over and that we will all return to our normal lives, enjoy and respect each other and dance together.