Vidiovo is a new media project of Networks that raises crucial questions and explores different stories. They announced their work with the first video in which they thematised traffic jams that occur every Friday in Sarajevo.
Mr. Hadrovic, can you tell us more about the Vidiovo project?
We started vidiovo with a genuine conviction to change as many of the long-established facets of journalism and media that exist in Bosnia and Herzegovina, albeit with an understanding that it would be easier said than done. BiH, as many other countries facing a post-socialist reality, struggles with ideas and definitions of what media freedom, transparency and accountability might mean. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the established rung of publications, outlets and newsrooms that are either blatantly sponsored by corporate or political interests or are qualitatively hindered by a traditional work process. This precludes them from innovating in a changing media environment and, more importantly, are not as readily able to respond to the changing habits of consumers.
So our ethos from the get-go was one of consummate professionalism and fearless innovation (we are currently working on several secret projects that will launch very soon and expand vidiovo in all sorts of directions). This is only the beginning of what we hope will be a thrilling journey for us to help Bosnians, Croatians and Serbians discover stories in new, unfiltered and exciting ways.
According to statistics, there are 126.786 registered cars in Canton Sarajevo and the infrastructure dates from 1986! Your very first video raised several questions about the problem of infrastructure in CS. What are two main burning issues in CS?
I can’t personally speak to the details of where Sarajevo is lacking in terms of the technical aspects of its infrastructure, but I know that when I drive in the city, its thoroughfares are completely filled up as there are very few alternatives to get from one end of the city to the other. You have a total of two, maybe two-and-a-half ways to get from the west of the city to the east, and that’s problematic. What’s interesting is that an extensive plan for Sarajevo’s urban development was penned more than thirty years ago, under mayor Emerik Blum’s administration, which he had envisioned as a solution to the city’s many urban issues. We might do a piece on the city during his years and the visionary ideas he had planned for it – and how that compares to today and what lies ahead.
How do you plan to change the understanding of the media as a catalyst for greater social change? Is it possible in BiH, a country where status quo is a social trait and a must?
I think media (especially new media in the many forms it exists today) has this transcendent ability to change and influence movements anywhere, so I don’t see why BiH should be an exception. The very warm and positive response we’ve received so far from our audience and other industry colleagues points towards a bright and hopeful future ahead of transformation and social upheaval in the most positive sense of the word.
Today, new Law on traffic safety came into force. What questions will this Law raise? (Will public respond negatively or positively? Will there be any positive change in Canton Sarajevo?)
Our aim precisely is to inspire conversations and constructive discourse around the widest variety of topics, and the new traffic law is no different. Ultimately, we hope that as we grow, our role as facilitators of social dialog might help elected officials look at issues differently when there is direct and verifiable public discussion around a topic – and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram provide that in the best possible way.
