From economic miracle to economic disaster
This is a story about Novi Pazar, a town which in the last two decades has gone from booming regional centre to the edge of poverty.
Since the middle Ages, this city has been at the intersection of craft and trade routes to and from Turkey, Venice and Western Europe.
It did not, however, rise to fame until the 20th century, when it became the capital of jeans in the Balkans.
Novi Pazar became a symbol of entrepreneurship, a place that had successfully fought the trade sanctions and economic crisis of the 1990s.
Today, it is a city with serious political problems and teeters on the brink of an economic abyss.
This production looks at ways to revive the troubled economy of Novi Pazar, where residents see the root of the crisis and who can help resolve the challenges facing the town.
The show is a co-production of BIRN Serbia and RTS, the Serbian Public Broadcasting Company.
Produced in November 2010
Snapshots of ordinary life in South Serbia show the people of Bujanovac and Presevo, and give a brief look at the symbols of the region.
The South Serbia region, predominantly populated by ethnic Albanians, lies some 350 kilometres south of Serbia`s capital, Belgrade. In contemporary political language, the term “South Serbia” is understood to refer to the territory of three municipalities - Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.
A snapshot of South Serbia's business and industry
Resources and institutions of South Serbia
After Belgrade removed a memorial to ethnic Albanian fighters in Presevo, some locals called for political dialogue but others rejected cooperation with the government.