I arrived at the Bosnian Cultural Center, located in the heart of Sarajevo’s Old Town, about 30 minutes before MIrsad’s first and only rally of the campaign in Sarajevo. What a lovely setting in this old historic structure located in the site of what was originally the Great Sephardic Temple, Sarajevo’s largest synagogue. The grand auditorium opens its arms to you as you walk through the doors. A sparse crowd dotted the some 800 seats. However that would all change. While chatting with members of the campaign team upfront, one tapped me on the shoulder and pointed behind me. What had been a sparse crowd was now a sea of faces, filling the auditorium to its capacity. Elders, middle-aged and young alike had come to hear MIrsad’s message of change and his wish to instill a vision of hope that together that change will be possible. As he has at other rallies throughout the campaign, MIrsad didn’t hesitate to stray away from the norm. A young student from Tuzla, a renowned classical guitarist who has won numerous international awards, played with passion. Then Josip Pejakovic, one of Bosnia’s best known actors, and a Serbian, took the stage and introduced Mirsad. For the next 40 minutes or so MIrsad spoke to a captivated audience. No, I didn’t understand a word he was saying, but I didn’t need to. There was a universal language being spoken on the faces of those who were riveted to his every word. One of pain, suffering, anguish and hope for a brighter future. That told me all I needed to know. Then, keeping with his “unconventional approach”, he took questions from the audience and then brought his campaign team to the front of the auditorium and had them introduce themselves and share their stories of why they had joined “the movement.” Mirsad then closed the rally and a sea of people flooded to the front of the auditorium to greet him, hug him, have their pictures taken with him and thank him. As I stood watching and trying to soak up the moment, a young man by my side asked if I was part of the campaign. I said no as I explained he was my former boss, a dear friend and I had been documenting his story and was afforded the opportunity to come to Bosnia to experience it all in person. He asked me to describe Mirsad in one word. I told him I didn’t know if there was one word that could encapsulate all that he is. So I used the one I use most often, remarkable. I then asked if he was a volunteer with the campaign. He answered no. He said he had just learned of MIrsad and his message of change only two short weeks ago and came out to show his support. I also was taken aback by being revered by someone I had never met just because I knew the man who might change the course of his life and others. So, I asked young Emil Pasic, 26, if I could speak with him. I share part of that conversation…..
Mirsad Hadžikadić očarao je stotine posjetilaca na svom skupu predsjedničke kampanje u Sarajevu
Stigao sam u Bosanski kulturni centar, smješten u srcu Starog grada Sarajeva, oko pola sata prije prvog i jedinog skupa kampanje u Sarajevu. Kakvo divno okruženje u ovoj staroj historijskoj građevini koja je na početku bila Veliki sefardski hram, najveća sarajevska sinagoga. Veliki auditorij prima vas u svoj zagrljaj dok prolazite kroz vrata. Rijetki posjetioci prošarali su 800 sjedišta. Međutim, sve to se ubrzo promijenilo. Dok sam razgovarao s članovima tima za kampanju u prednjem dijelu sale, jedan od njih me potapšao po ramenu i pokazao iza mene. Sala rijetko prošarana posjetiocima pretvorila se u rijeku lica koja su punila auditorijum do punog kapaciteta. Stariji, sredovječni i mladi ljudi došli su čuti Mirsadovu poruku o promjenama i njegovoj želji da donese viziju nade da je moguće te promjene donijeti zajedno. Kao i na ostalim skupovima tokom kampanje, Mirsad se nije ustručavao da odstupi od norme. Mladi student iz Tuzle, poznati klasični gitarista koji je osvojio brojne međunarodne nagrade, svirao je sa strašću. Zatim je Josip Pejaković, jedan od najpoznatijih bosanskohercegovačkih glumaca, i Srbin, stupio na pozornicu i predstavio Mirsada. Sljedećih 40-tak minuta Mirsad je govorio očaranoj publici. Nisam razumio ni riječ koju je rekao, ali nisam ni morao. Lica publike koja su upijala svaku njegovu riječ govorila su univerzalnim jezikom. Jezik boli, patnje, tjeskobe i nade za svjetliju budućnost. To mi je reklo sve što treba da znam. Zatim je, držeći se svog „nekonvencionalnog pristupa“, odgovarao na pitanja publike, a onda je izveo svoj tim za kampanju kako bi se oni predstavili i ispričali zašto su se pridružili „pokretu“. Mirsad je zatim zatvorio skup i rijeka ljudi je prišla da ga pozdravi, zagrli, fotografiše se sa njim i zahvali mu. Dok sam stajao promatrajući i pokušavajući da upijem taj trenutak, jedan mladić pored mene pitao me da li sam dio kampanje. Rekao sam da nisam nego da je Mirsad moj bivši šef i drag prijatelj i da sam ja dokumentovao njegovu priču i tako dobio priliku da dođem u Bosnu kako bih sve to lično doživio. Zamolio me je da jednom riječju opišem Mirsada. Rekao sam mu da ne znam postoji li jedna riječ koja bi mogla da obuhvati sve što on predstavlja. Tako da sam upotrijebio onu koju najčešće koristim: izvanredan. Pitao sam ga je li i on volontira za kampanju. Odgovorio je da ne volontira, nego je tek prije dvije sedmice saznao za Mirsada i njegovu poruku o promjeni, pa je došao da pokaže svoju podršku. Bio sam zatečen što mi je poštovanje pokazao neko koga nikad prije nisam sreo, samo zato što sam poznavao čovjeka koji bi mogao promijeniti tok njegovog života i života drugih. Zato sam pitao mladog Emila Pašića (26) mogu li razgovarati s njim. Dijelim dio tog razgovora…
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