Ne volim te Alija

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"Не волим те Алија"
NevolimteAlijaStill.jpg
Still from official music video.
Song by Баја Мали Книнџа
from the album Живеће овај народ
English titleI Don't Like You, Alija
Released1993 (1993)
GenreNovokompovana
Length2:55
LabelNina Trejd
Producer(s)Жељко Грујић

"Ne volim te Alija" (Serbian Cyrillic: "Не волим те Алија", lit. "I Don't Like You, Alija") is the fifth track and opening to side B in the 1993 album Živeće ovaj narod, written and performed by Serb war singer Baja Mali Knindža. It quickly became very popular and ended up as one of his most recognizable songs. Both wartime concerts[1][2] and select modern performances still have the song in their setlists. The song has also been released on the live albums Sve za Srpstvo, Srpstvo nizašta and the bootleg CD Kralj mijenja kralja, car mijenja cara, as well as the compilations Koktel srpskih pevača and Moje najljepše, one naše !? Vaš Baja Mali. Journalist Risto Đogo also included the song in a skit mocking Bosnian television, which aired on both Republika Srpska television and Yugoslav television.[3]

In the present day, "Ne volim te Alija" would gain infamy in online circles due to the song criticizing Alija Izetbegović, the then-president of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Its legacy on the internet is one of controversy as it is either used as evidence to portray Serbs in a negative light or misinterpreted as gloating about war crimes,[4] much in the same way as the Koridor song, "Oj Alija, Aljo". This campaign worked as uploads of the song are either age-restricted or removed[5], with Nina Trejd's uploads of the song being removed for guideline violations.

Music and lyrics

"Nisam politički opredeljen i ni jedan narod ne mrzim. Ali, kad su mi zaklali ujka i ujnu, zarobili rođenog brata i poubijali prijatelje od bola sam uzviknuo: 'Ne volim te, Alija!' Pesme je posvećena samo njemu i krivo mi je što je pogrešno shvaćena"

— Baja Mali Knindža, in Biljana Đukić, Na narodnom talasu, Sabor Magazine (13 September 1993)

Baja claims that, contrary to popular belief, the song's aim was not to discriminate Bosnians nor demoralize soldiers. Written as a response to the loss of Baja's close family and friends, as well as the capture of his brother, "Ne volim te Alija" was meant to be a direct criticism of the president.

The song itself references a lot of battles and events in the war to mock Bosnian losses of territory, as well as Alija himself.

The line "sijetiš li se Prijedora i Sane,/i Kozarca što je s' desne strane" was made to mock Bosnia for losing the city Prijedor and village Kozarac in May/April 1992 and in general having the Sana area fall into Serb hands.[6] The lines "je l' ti žao Bosanskoga Broda" and "bole li te Brčko i Bijeljina" reference Operation Corridor 92, being a strategic victory for Serb forces, again mocks losses of territory. The end of the first verse, "drhte ruke oko Banja Luke", is a reference to the strategic importance of Banja Luka, the capital of Republika Srpska, and it being unreachable for Bosnian forces at the time.

In the chorus, Baja uses the word "Balija" to directly insult Alija. The term Balija has its origin in the 19th century being used as a derogatory word for Muslim farmers in regions of todays Bosnia and Hercegovina. In the 90's the term was predominantly used by Serbs and Croats to refer to Muslims in a derogatory way. Baja also says that Alija "destroyed a peaceful dream", painting him as the main culprit for the outbreak of civil war in Bosnia. The chorus ends with the line "nosila ti Drina sto mudžahedina svaki dan". The use of the word "mudžahedin" is both a way to refer to Bosnian soldiers in a derogatory way and to reference the ARBiH unit 5689 (known by its other name, el-Mujahid). The unit consisted of foreign fighters and was often used to showcase the might of the Bosnian Army.[7]

The line "kvragu dali i Maglaj i Jajce" is a reference to losing the "Maglaj finger"[8] from a Croat and Serb joint effort and Jajce falling to Serbian sources due to ammunition supply running out.[9] The mention of Goražde and Višegrad is a reference to the continuous siege of the towns.[10][11][12] "Gdje su zelene beretke u Zvorniku" is a reference to the Green Berets (who previously occupied Zvornik) being driven out by Serb forces.[13][14] Contrary to popular belief, "biće naše Novo Sarajevo" does not translate to "A new Sarajevo will be ours". Novo Sarajevo is a part of Sarajevo that has existed since the 60's, with the population of Serbs and Muslims being nearly 50-50 at the start of the war.

Music video

Clip of official music video.

Baja, with his arms around a band of girls are in an office, with Baja starting to dance and the girls following along when the song is playing. When he sings "drhte ruko oko Banja Luke", he shows his hands and shakes them. The girls join Baja and sing the chorus with him. When he sings "kvragu dali i Maglaj i Jajce" he has his hands out, and head down. When he sings "oj Alija tvoju li ti sliku", his head is down with a tense expression, as if he is shouting it and when he follows up with "gdje su zelene beretke u Zvorniku," he raises his hands with a smirk. When he sings the line "zapjevaću dugo nisam pjevo, biće naše Novo Sarajevo", he backs up and his arms shoot in the air. When he finishes singing the song, he collapses, arms still around the girls. Throughout the video, wide shots and close-up shots of either Baja or any of the girls are changed in intervals.

Lyrics

Lyrics:

Oj Alija odnijela te voda, je l' ti žao Bosanskoga broda,
sjetiš li se Prijedora i Sane, i Kozarca što je s desne strane,
bole li te Brčko i Bijeljina, drhte ruke oko Banja Luke

Ne volim te Alija zato što si balija, srušio si miran san,
nosila ti Drina sto mudžahedina svaki dan

Oj Alija crno ti se piše, ne pomažu ni Arapi više,
zapamtićeš naše beztrzajce, kvragu dali i Maglaj i Jajce,
zapamtićeš Srpsku Republiku, oj Alija tvoju li ti sliku

Ne volim te Alija zato što si balija, srušio si miran san,
nosila ti Drina sto mudžahedina svaki dan

Pitaš li se kako li je sada, kod Goražda i kod Višegrada,
oj Alija tvoju li ti sliku gdje su zelene beretke u Zvorniku,
zapjevaću dugo nisam pjevo, biće naše Novo Sarajevo

Ne volim te Alija zato što si balija, srušio si miran san,
nosila ti Drina sto mudžahedina svaki dan

Lyrics (English):

[TBA]

References

  1. Elli Bar Ludwigsburg, Baja Mali Knindza, 23.09.1993. GornjaCrkvina. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  2. (Uzivo 1993) Baja mali Knindza. SrbijoMatiNasa. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  3. Најава програма Зелене ТВ. debeljaca1. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  4. Ne Volim Te Alija – Baja Mali Knindža. wartime yugoslavia. 10 September 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023.
  5. Baja Mali Knindza - Ne Volim Te Alija (Generacide Tape). Generacide. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  6. Сана и Приједор у одбрани Коридора. debeljaca1. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  7. Schindler, John R (1 January 2007). Unholy Terror: Bosnia, al-Qa’ida, and the Rise of Global Jihad. Zenith Press. ISBN 0760330034. pp.164-167
  8. "Muslims hit hard as Croats and Serbs unite: Bosnia's 'Maglaj finger' is cut off as Zepce falls to new allies". Independent.co.uk. 02 July 1993. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  9. Jajce falls to Serbian forces. UPI. 30 October 1992. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  10. Лице и наличије Горажда - ратна репортажа. debeljaca1. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  11. Schindler, John R (1 January 2007). Unholy Terror: Bosnia, al-Qa’ida, and the Rise of Global Jihad. Zenith Press. ISBN 0760330034. p.87
  12. Вишеград 1993 - ратна репортажа. debeljaca1. 9 December 2022.
  13. ГЛОЂАНСКО БРДО КОД ЗВОРНИКА 1992. zlocininadsrbima.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  14. Борбе у Подрињу - Зворник, Шековићи 1992. katera.news. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.