Miss Sarajevo

Miss Sarajevo:  The story (and history) behind the song      "Miss Sarajevo" is the only single from the 1995 album Original Soundtracks 1 by U2 and Brian Eno. It is an album of songs based mostly on non-existent films; however, there are four tracks in the album that are based on real films; “Miss Sarajevo” is one of them. The film Miss Sarajevo is a documentary by Bill Carter about that beauty pageant held in the midst of war-torn Sarajevo. During the siege of Sarajevo, there was a constant struggle to maintain faith and hope. Artists in the city organized plays, screened films, held poetry recitals... away from the constant danger of mortar shells and sniper's bullets. It was all an attempt to show that life will triumph over death. One of the greatest symbols of this surreal resistence was the Miss Sarajevo Under Siege pageant. Inela Nogic accepted her crown by explaining this was her way of fighting. She instantly became a legend. In a CNN interview Inela Nogic was asked what she would do with  her year as Miss Sarajevo. She answered:"I have no plans, I could be dead tomorrow."      Inela Nogic's story and  Carter's documentary inspired U2's song Miss Sarajevo, which soon became famous around the world.  The song protests the war in Bosnia, criticizing the international community for its inability to stop the war or help those affected by  it. This video combines clips from Bill Carter's documentary with footage from the first performance of the song at the 1995 "Pavarotti and Friends" concert in Modena. Clips from the documentary contain striking imagery, such as a shot of beauty pageant contestants holding up a banner with the words "DON'T LET THEM KILL US".