Famous sevdalinka “Mujo Djogu po Mejdanu voda”, which was performed by numerous interpreters for decades in a variety of arrangements, was created based on a true love story that happened in Tuzla settlement of Mejdan in the 19th century.
Ajka and Mujo, or Mustafa Mulajasarevic, the main actors of this sevdalinka, are no longer alive. House was also destroyed and in its place Rifat Begtasagic (78), Ajka’s youngest grandson from her second marriage, built two new ones.
Rifat stated that Hadzi Smajil had only one daughter, Ajka, for whose affection and a moment of attention, when she grew up, fought many young men. The biggest rivals were merchant Mujo and mutevelija (person who takes care of the mosque) Bekto, and a bit hesitant girl, said Rifat, was trying to decide on which of them to choose for a husband for a long time.
“Mujo was Ajka’s first love. She was dating the one and the other. He was coming with a horse in front of the old house, here on Mejdan, thus the song was created, and in the meantime Bekto was also coming to see her. She decided and married Mujo, with whom he had a child, which died shortly after birth,” recalled Rifat.
In love with his wife, and out of fear that she might look at another guy, Mujo became extremely jealous. She was not allowed to go out to the street without escort.
“Even when she would go to her parents on Mejdan, Mujo was so jealous that she had to go accompanied by his two sisters, and his brothers went in front and behind them. They would follow her to the house and she was being held all the time. Bekto would then sat down with his friends next to the Jala River, which was all Ajka’s estate, and they would play saz (baglama) and sang to show them that he’s there,” said Rifat.
After the death of her first child and not wanting to put up with Mujo’s jealousy, Ajka returned to her parents’ home. They divorced and she soon accepted Bekto’s marriage proposal.
“It is said that Mujo, when she married my grandfather Bekto, disappeared from Tuzla. People say that he went to Istanbul and no one knew anything about him. Someone said that some people saw him before the World War II and that he climbed on a tree from which you could see the front yard and looked for Ajka. Since then, he disappeared without a trace and no one has never heard anything about him,” said Rifat.
In her parents’ house from which she once watched Mujo, Ajka lived happily married with Bekto, and gave birth to 17 children, until her death in 1942. Rifat said that he remembers eight of them, and although all eight have died long ago, the eldest grandson of Ajka and Bekto, 92-year-old Sakib Begtasagic is still alive, although seriously ill.
(Source: hayat.ba)
