A History of Two Halves (And How Women's Football Finally Won)

This is me. Christmas 1996.  Try telling this 9-year-old that in thirty years’ time, they won’t even follow their beloved West Ham United, let alone play football.  At nine, I was playing regularly, with the boys, and had posters from Match magazine plastered all over my claret-and-blue bedroom walls.  Then puberty hit and I wasn’t allowed to play with the boys anymore.  My school didn’t have a girls’ team and my options for playing for fun dwindled until I drifted away from football completely.  I’ve told this story many times before, but it’s worth telling again, if only because that 9-year-old probably wouldn’t believe what I witnessed on Sunday night either. And because, thanks to those girls and women who – unlike me – kept fighting for their right to play, the story of women’s football in this country has changed forever.

Let’s start at the beginning.  Well, not right at the beginning, because the roots of football as a game, and women’s role in it, are a little too complex and disputed for this blog to address in one post. (Perhaps another day?) Let’s start at the beginning of the “modern” game in England: 7 May 1881. The first recorded women’s football match.  England play Scotland (though there’s some controversy over the true nationality of the players) and Lily St Clair scores the first goal, making her the first ever recorded female goal-scorer.  Scotland win 2-0.

 

Following this, the popularity of the women’s game continued to grow during the 1880s and 1890s, with many teams – as with the men’s game – being formed from factory workers.  There were strong ties between women’s football and the suffrage movement too, with female footballers offering women a chance to disprove the argument - often wheeled out to oppose the idea of giving them the vote - that women were in some way physically inferior to men.

 

During World War I, with many men away fighting, women’s football really came to the fore.  This was the era of superstar winger Lily Parr, who played for Dick, Kerr’s Ladies (named after the Preston munitions factory they worked in) and scored over 900 goals during her 30-year career. By 1921, there were some 150 women’s teams, with games often drawing crowds of around 50,000 (more than many men’s matches).

But, of course, men couldn’t allow matters to continue this way.  When women returned to the domestic sphere after the war ended, some critics became more vocal in questioning the impact of football on women’s health, and, on 5 December 1921, the FA announced a ban on women playing at professional grounds, or, indeed, the grounds of any club affiliated to the FA, stating that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged."  The ban would remain in place for the next fifty years.

Yet women did not take it lying down.  On 10 December 1921, 30 teams formed the English Ladies Football Association (ELFA) and women continued to play throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s.  New clubs were set up and teams played at smaller grounds or on rugby pitches instead.

Throughout the 1960s, as women began to demand more rights in all areas of life, pressure mounted for the ban to be lifted.  However, the decade was nearly out before, on 1 November 1969, representatives from 44 clubs attended the first meeting of the Women’s Football Association (WFA).  At a meeting of the FA Council on 19 January 1970, the FA voted to rescind the ban, but it wasn’t until 24 June 1971 that, at the FA’s AGM, the amendment was finally implemented, allowing women to legitimately play again.

 

In the years that followed, there were many firsts.  Southampton won the first Women’s FA Cup in 1971.  The first official WFA England team played Scotland in 1972 (England won 3-2, for anyone who’s keeping score).  1984 saw the first UEFA competition for national representative women’s teams.  In 1991, a 24-club national league was founded and the same year introduced the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup.

 

Things were certainly looking up for the women’s game in England.  The WFA had been brought under the umbrella of the FA during the 1993-94 season and, in 1998, the legendary Hope Powell was made the first full-time coach of the women’s team.  The Women’s Euros came to England in 2005 and, although England failed to make it out of the group stage, fans flocked to the games in their replica shirts.  Four years later, the FA introduced central contracts, which meant women could begin to make a career out of football, though their salaries of £16,000 may seem laughable today.  The Women’s Super League (WSL) was launched in 2011, but wouldn’t turn fully professional until 2018.

 

Probably one of the most important moments though, for England’s women, was the appointment in September 2021 of Sarina Wiegman as head coach.  Wiegman had won the 2017 Euros with her native Netherlands (who had roundly beaten England 3-0 in the semi-final) and her success was set to continue: England have lost just seven of the 47 matches they have played since she took charge.

 

Roll on 2022, and the Covid-delayed 2021 Euros.  This was the tournament that rekindled my passion for football.  I hadn’t watched a match in years, but somehow, I got hooked again, and was rewarded with seeing England win in the final at Wembley.  European Champions.  Incredible.  The victory had a huge impact on the women’s game.  Salaries in the WSL went up and attendance at WSL games increased 267%.

Fast forward two years, and I’m watching in agony as England lose to Spain in the World Cup Final.  And now, onto 2025, and I’m watching in joy as England reach their third major final in a row – and win, again, becoming the first English football team to retain a title and win a trophy on foreign soil.  The manner in which they won may have received criticism from some quarters, but for me, it makes it all the more inspirational: the self-belief and resilience of this team means they may have been down at times, but they were never out.  The players are now household names, their successes celebrated in the mainstream media; women’s football is now televised as a matter of course.  Everything has changed.

My school has a permanent girls’ team now.  So do all the other schools in the area.  So do all the local grassroots clubs.  But there is still work to be done.  Girls are still less likely to kick a ball around at playtime (don’t even get me started on gendered footwear for schoolchildren), but the doors are at least open to them should they want to use them. Sometimes it’s a challenge to convince the kids to put down the Ronaldo book and pick up the Bronze one, but at least she’s on the shelf.

 

Chloe Kelly celebrates her winning goal
agains Italy. The supreme confidence of this
woman is truly refreshing.

For those humbugs grumbling about all this fuss over ‘just a game’, a note on the serious side.  Even if you’re not an elite sports star, we all know how beneficial regular exercise can be, for both your physical and mental health.  Yet, despite this, there are some shocking statistics around the participation of girls and women in sport.  61% of teenage girls feel judged when taking part in sport; 84% report losing interest after their period starts.  And it’s not just in the teenage years – it starts earlier too.  49% of girls aged 5 to 11 take part in a team sport, compared to 70% of boys.  I see the impact of this every day.  Girls are bombarded from the earliest age with the message that strength, fitness and competitiveness are not feminine traits.  It is both incredibly damaging and concerning.  (On a side note, the timing of all three of England’s finals taking place in the summer holidays has made it harder to capitalise on the success in the classroom in an effort to challenge stereotypes around sport.  As well as inspiring girls, creating allies amongst the boys is just as important and just as much of a battle.)

I don’t watch men’s football anymore but I follow the women avidly, and try to enjoy the England women’s success without too much bitterness.  I probably wouldn’t have ended up playing football professionally, but I would have liked the chance to find out.  However, I do celebrate that there is now a generation of girls who can find out; who have a team full of incredible role models to look up to; women who have shown the grit, determination, physicality and confidence that girls are so often encouraged not to display.  Long may it continue.

---

References and further reading:

https://www.thefa.com/womens-girls-football/heritage/kicking-down-barriers

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zjp8jsg

 

https://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/history-of-womens-football/

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/articles/zbdjvk7

 

https://www.englandfootball.com/england/womens-senior-team/Legacy/History

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66533140

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-33064421

 

https://womeninsport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SportStereotypes-and-Stolen-Dreams_exec-Summary.pdf

 

https://womeninsport.org/resource/reframing-sport-for-teenage-girls-tackling-teenage-disengagement/

 

https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/menstrual-cycle-impact-on-physical-activity

Horrible, funny and accurate: how Horrible Histories continues to inspire new generations of historians

This might seem an odd moment for this post.  There is no anniversary or special occasion to mark.  I was just suddenly struck one Sunday afternoon by my overwhelming gratitude and appreciation for a BBC children’s TV show by the name of Horrible Histories.

My childhood collection of HH books

I grew up on Terry Deary’s books, but was too old to be in the target audience for the TV show when it first arrived on our screens in April 2009.  I happened to stumble on it when I was doing a spot of research on the Magna Carta (yes, really), but it was when I became a primary school teacher ten years ago that I really began to see its value.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve wheeled out a Horrible Histories sketch in a history lesson.  As history lead at my school, when other staff ask for guidance on their planning, more often than not, I’ll point them in the direction of a Horrible Histories clip or song to hang the rest of the lesson on.

The earlier series of Horrible Histories purposefully didn’t make any attempt to tie-in with the English National Curriculum and instead focused on bringing the content of the books to life and making history fun for kids.  (A job at which it overwhelmingly succeeded.)  “Terry told us three key rules for Horrible Histories,” Richard Bradley, executive producer, told the Guardian in December 2018.  “It must be horrible, funny and accurate.”

 

Even though it doesn’t neatly tie-in with the curriculum, much of it is covered, from the Stone Age to World War II and beyond in British history, as well as the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, plus a smattering of additional world history.  Could it do more to depict the diversity of world history?  Undoubtedly; but so could our National Curriculum.  We as teachers (and subject leads) need to ensure that children are exposed to as varied a coverage as possible, as well as instilling in them the critical understanding that historical knowledge – and interpretation - can change over time.  Horrible Histories, with its irreverent approach to the past and emphasis on history’s most bizarre stories, wherever they may come from, is certainly mindful of this.  Yes, the show heavily features world leaders, principally British monarchs, but it also highlights the lives of ordinary people, especially children.  It’s social history, made relevant to today’s young people and expertly brought to life.  (It does occasionally get things wrong too, which I make sure to point out: look, guys – always question your sources!  A valuable lesson for any budding historian.)

 

Some historians love Horrible Histories; others denigrate it for dumbing down or oversimplifying history.  I would argue that those historians in the latter camp have never had to stand in front of a class full of primary aged children and keep them engaged.  Kids love poo because it’s hilarious (if you don’t still find poo funny as an adult, I’m deeply suspicious).  In fact, they love bodily functions in general; they love gruesome stuff, weird stuff, violent stuff (within reason) – and if you can get all that into a history lesson, they’ll remember it forever.  At a time when primary schools are judged on knowledge retention more than ever, that’s the golden ticket. I have taught Year 4 classes about the Romans many, many times and I can guarantee that the one thing they’ll all remember about the Romans by the time they get to Year 6, is that they wiped their bums with a sponge on a stick.

Education aside, Horrible Histories is incredibly funny too, by the way.  Yes, there are poo and vomit and fart jokes, but it’s also a pretty damn sophisticated sketch comedy show. The bulk of the cast of the first five series went on to create beloved BBC sitcom ‘Ghosts’, which gives you an idea of the calibre of the acting.  It is the only children’s show to win a British Comedy Award (along with a whole slew of other awards) and was presented with a BAFTA Special Award in November 2024, in recognition of its “extraordinary cultural and social impact and the joy, enrichment and hilarity it continues to bring to people of all ages since its inception fifteen years ago on CBBC.”

The parody songs are also works of genius, with brilliantly clever lyrics and catchy rhymes (Can you imagine it?  I’m the last Plantagenet being one of my absolute favourites).  In fact, I love the songs so much that I made a playlist of them, in chronological order, and gifted them to my historically-challenged (but HH-loving) friend, along with a booklet of background notes I hand drew.  Dedication, right?

I will admit to being biased towards the first five series, though I know it has its problematic elements.  Several of the sketches wouldn’t be made today – or certainly not with white actors – but the show has grown and changed and diversified.  It can challenge the status quo and often angers the right - which probably means it’s doing something right - from the refreshingly Empire-critical ‘British Things’ song, all the way back in 2009, to its British Black History episode in 2021.

 

I’m not suggesting that primary teachers should deliver history lessons entirely via the medium of Horrible Histories, but if you need a hook to start a lesson, a quick conclusion to consolidate learning, or to deliver a difficult concept in a more captivating way than standing at the front and droning on, go for it.  My core belief is that a well-planned and delivered history curriculum should, above all, leave children curious about the past.  If they’re hooked on history, they’ll go away and find out more, and surely that’s what we should be aiming for as educators?  The times I’ve been handed pages of notes researched at home about figures from history, or seen a child choose a history book as their reading book, or been told that history is their favourite subject – those are the times when I know I’ve done my job right.  And Horrible Histories will always play an important part in that.

 

If you’re a primary school teacher, I say stick on Horrible Histories and let it do its job of creating curious young historians.  If you’re not a teacher, stick it on, learn a little and have a good old laugh at the same time.  You won’t regret it.

~

Two of my favourite sketches for answering key historical questions:

 

How did Britain change during the Stone Age?

How did World War One start?

The Power of the Musical Montage

This might appear like a departure from my usual subject matter, but if you’ve paid close attention to my earlier posts, you may have noticed that TV is a subject close to my heart.  It just so happens that music is also a subject close to my heart, so when the two come together, I get pretty excited.  Musical montages may seem like an easy way to tug on the heartstrings, but when they’re done well, they can cause an emotional response so strong that it inveigles itself into your subconscious, until you unexpectedly find yourself weeping whilst washing up, or struck by sudden searing chest pains on your daily commute or - on the flip side - feeling absurdly elated about renewing your car insurance, simply because that very same song happened to be playing on the radio or came up on a playlist.  In the spirit of these emotional earworms, I present to you here six of my favourite small screen musical montages.

Warning: may contain spoilers!

 

1.  'Brothers in Arms' by Dire Straits used in The West Wing (Season 2, Ep 22, “Two Cathedrals”)

 

Aaron Sorkin tells a tale of driving around LA when ‘Brothers in Arms’ came on the radio, inspiring him to write the climactic storm of Season 2 of The West Wing, simply so that the dialogue could move seamlessly into the opening of this song.  It worked.  Just the opening rumble of thunder gets the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.  “Two Cathedrals” is 45 minutes of the most sublime television ever written, during which Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet rants in Latin at God in Washington’s National Cathedral after the untimely death of his long-time secretary Mrs Landingham.  Amongst this comes the revelation that he has concealed his MS from the American public, leading to the cliffhanger of whether or not he will run for re-election.  A storm – metaphorical, literal and musical – is brewing over the White House.  The President, rain-soaked and coatless, makes his way to a press conference to face the question everyone wants answered, and, as he does so, his own brothers in arms fall in behind him, accompanied by the swelling chords and bluesy riffs of Mark Knopfler’s guitar.  If you’re not moved by this scene then, God Jed, I don’t even wanna know you.

2.   'Wonderful! Wonderful!' by Johnny Mathis used in The X Files (Season 4, Ep 2, “Home”)

 

Ok, so this one isn’t so much moving as it is chilling.  I still feel my heart speeding up accompanied by a creeping sense of dread every time I hear it.  In fact, this episode was so graphic that Johnny Mathis refused permission for his version to be used and the song on the soundtrack is actually sung by a Mathis impersonator.  Perhaps Mathis had a point – this is one of the most disturbing X Files episodes (and that’s saying a lot).  I won’t go into too much detail here (it’s too terrifying to type), but suffice to say, the episode features an incestuous family who try to murder anyone who gets too close to discovering their terrible secret.  ‘Wonderful! Wonderful!’ plays on the car radio as they drive to one of their victim’s houses, and continues to play as they bludgeon him and his wife to death.  Completely incongruous and totally effective – the music makes the scene 100% more nauseating.  10/10 for the chill factor.

3.  'I Can’t Decide' by The Scissor Sisters used in Doctor Who (Series 3, Ep 13, “The Last of the Time Lords”)

 

Although there have been other villains in Doctor Who who have danced to pop tunes (including the Master themself), it was John Simm’s Master who set the trend, back in 2007, when he burst onto the deck of the Valiant, lip-syncing to this banger whilst pushing a wizened David Tennant around in a wheelchair.  The first actor to play the Master in the new series (yes, with the exception of Derek Jacobi – I’ll get in there before the pedants do – since Jacobi only really consciously played the Master for a few minutes), Simm really brought the Master’s insanity into the twenty-first century, and somehow makes bopping along to the Scissor Sisters whilst toying with the Doctor’s life seem entirely fitting behaviour for the Time Lord’s camp arch nemesis.

4.   'It’s Raining Men' by The Weather Girls used in Queer as Folk (Series 1, Ep 8, “Punchline”)

 

Because that’s the thing about unrequited love – it’s fantastic!  It never has to change, it never has to grow up and it never has to die!  So says Vince Tyler as he sprints through the streets of Manchester, away from boring boyfriend Cameron to persuade his best mate and love of his life Stuart Alan Jones to join him up on the podium in a club, thus saving him from the lurking menace of the drug pusher who killed their friend earlier in the series.  This disco classic builds in flawless synchronicity with the scene, bursting into the jubilant chorus at the very instant the two friends leap up onto the podium, dancing wildly in a perfect moment of absolute freedom and euphoria.

5.  'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac used in Our Flag Means Death (Series 1, Ep 8, “We Gull Way Back”)

 

If I’m honest, there are several musical moments I could pick out from this show.  In fact, I could probably write a whole blog post just about the music in Our Flag Means Death.  The romantic comedy about 18^th century pirates was full of anachronisms, not least in its use of twentieth century pop and rock music, and, despite being a comedy, was one of the most profoundly moving shows I’ve ever watched.  In the end, I plumped for this scene, which should have won some kind of award for its painstaking editing, which managed to synch grappling hooks, drumming sailors and Frenchie's lute playing with the pulsing tempo of one of Fleetwood Mac’s greatest songs.  Forget the heartbreak that followed, all it took was an improvised foot touch and an intense held gaze, to the soundtrack of that iconic bassline, and we were all sold on the Stede Bonnet/Blackbeard romance.  You came back?  Never left.  Epic.

6.   'Dreams' by The Cranberries used in Derry Girls (Series 3, Ep 7, “The Agreement”)

 

Derry Girls was one of those rare television shows that both educated its audience (in this case about the Northern Irish Troubles) whilst still managing to be laugh-out-loud funny throughout.  A rare thing, but such is the genius of Lisa McGee.  Irish rock band The Cranberries featured heavily on the soundtrack, but the award-winning sequence that ends the final episode is undoubtedly the most exceptional use of their music.  The episode is set around the Good Friday Agreement and, as our characters all turn eighteen and begin to head off into the world, ‘Dreams’ plays over a montage of them in voting booths, interspersed with archive footage of the Troubles.  The final shot of them all leaving the polling station, lingering on Grandpa Joe and his little granddaughter jumping joyously out of the door, whilst Delores O’Riordan’s distinctive vocalisations fade out and a newsreader voiceover informs us that the agreement has been voted for, encapsulates an enduring hope for peace that never fails to move me to tears.

Thoughts?  To be honest, I could have included numerous other scenes from most of the television shows above, without even starting on different shows.  Feel free to comment below and let me know what TV musical montages you consider the most moving!

When does a protest become a revolution?

On 15 April, around 80 Serbian students arrived by bicycle in Strasbourg.  They had spent the previous 12 days cycling from Novi Sad in Serbia, a journey of more than 1300km, across 6 different countries, without a break.  Their message?  That corruption in Serbia needs to end - now.

These ongoing protests began back in November 2024, when a station roof in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second city, collapsed, killing 16.  The response to this tragedy was to question the transparency of investment in Serbia’s infrastructure, since it was not clear exactly who was to blame.  Students have now been organising protests in Serbia for several months, with perhaps as many as 325,000 gathering in Belgrade on 15 March, the largest anti-government protest in Serbia for decades.  Universities across the country have been shut down now for five months.

 

Crowds gather in Belgrade on 15 March 2025

Serbia has a complex relationship with protests.  It was popular protest that finally topped Slobodan Milošević in 2000, but Zoran Đinđić, who played a major role in that movement and subsequently became Prime Minister, was assassinated in 2003.  After a period of unrest, in 2012 Aleksandr Vučić began his rise to power, first as Prime Minister and then, since 2017, as President. His regime has become increasingly autocratic, with close ties to Russia (including support for the invasion of Ukraine) and China, despite also being a candidate join the EU since 2012.

Hence the students’ journey to Strasbourg, the second seat of the European Union.  They want to ensure that Serbia is not permitted to become a member of the EU until it sorts its corruption out.  “The country needs to deliver on EU reforms, in particular to take decisive steps towards media freedom, the fight against corruption and the electoral reform,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X on 25 March.

 

Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigned in January, possibly a sacrificial lamb for the ruling party, and on 6 April Vučić appointed Đuro Macut, a little-known medical professor, as Prime Minister. Critics fear that the politically-inexperienced Macut will be little more than a puppet for Vučić. Thus far, the appointment of a new government has made no perceptible difference.

 

Vučić appears defiant in the face of the protests, declaring at one point that, “You will have to kill me if you want to replace me.”  He is cracking down on protests – allegedly using a sound canon to break up the protest in March – and on press freedoms.  The NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said that the pressure exerted on independent outlets from ministers and state-backed media has reached levels not seen since the 1990s.  If it seems like you haven’t heard much about what is going on in Serbia, this may be why.

 

A counter rally in support of the government, its ranks swelled by Serb nationalists from neighbouring Kosovo and Bosnia, took place on 13 April and was attended by 55,000 people, which, though smaller than the anti-government protest, is no inconsiderable number.  Vučić addressed the crowd in typically bullish manner, claiming the student protesters had "inflicted huge evil on Serbia in the past five months."  He also stated that, "Certain foreign powers cannot bear to see a free, independent and sovereign Serbia”, without clarifying which "powers" he was referring to.

 

For their part, the students themselves are keen to keep nationalism out of their protests and focus only on domestic corruption. When nationalist symbols, including the controversial map of Kosovo with ‘No Surrender’ plastered across it (a reference to the Serb nationalist claim that Kosovo will always remain part of Serbia), student leaders were quick to stress that geopolitics had no part to play in their protests.

 

Serbia is clearly a troubled nation.  Its status as a pariah state in Europe has driven it towards Russia and away from the EU.  Despite being vilified for its part in the Yugoslav wars, Serbia has never apologised for its role.  Many Serbs remain angry at the west and NATO for its bombing during the Kosovo War, with bombed out buildings left untouched as reminders of what was done to the country.  If there is hope of banishing the ghosts of the past, it may lie with the younger generation, as has been the case throughout history when it comes to movements affecting radical change.

 

The protests remain ongoing.  This week, the protesters have called for a snap election, and though Vučić has vehemently opposed the idea, there are small signs that the tide may be turning.  Even Trump seems to think Vučić is toxic – it is rumoured that he denied the Serbian president a meeting on his visit to the USA last week.  And if POTUS thinks you’re doing something wrong, you really must be.

 

On 25 April, a group of students from Belgrade began a relay ultramarathon to Brussels that will cover almost 2000km.  They plan to arrive in Brussels on 12 May, when the European Parliament should be in session, in order to deliver letters about the political situation in Serbia.  One of the students taking part said the hope is that the letters will be read in Brussels so that “more attention will be given to the deep political and social crisis in Serbia.”  One can only hope that these young people will succeed in bringing the world’s notice to their country and help to bring about the end of the era of the rabid nationalist politician in the Balkans.

 

References and Further Reading

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/30/we-are-done-with-corruption-how-the-students-of-serbia-rose-up-against-the-system

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/15/tensions-mount-in-serbia-as-protesters-converge-on-belgrade

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/21/calls-serbia-investigation-claims-sound-cannon-targeted-protesters

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/23/press-freedom-in-serbia-is-facing-a-dangerous-turning-point-warn-editors

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-cyclists-students-strasbourg-Vučić-canopy/33386850.html

 

https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-Vučić-railway-canopy-protest-belgrade-students/33349372.html

 

https://balkaninsight.com/2025/04/16/serbian-students-bring-protest-cause-to-strasbourg-after-bicycle-marathon/

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly18qd7x7do

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0qdyg8yn5yo

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/thousands-gather-pro-government-rally-serbia-2025-04-12/

 

https://intellinews.com/serbs-from-kosovo-march-to-belgrade-for-pro-government-rally-375863/?source=kosovo

https://a2news.com/english/rajoni-bota/ballkani/fare-fshihet-pas-pankartes-per-kosoven-ne-protestat-e-stude-i1137934

 

https://prishtinainsight.com/serbias-student-protests-and-kosovo-between-hope-and-concerns-mag/

 

https://balkaninsight.com/2025/04/30/exemplary-punishment-the-people-paying-the-price-for-supporting-serbias-protests/

 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/serbias-protesting-students-demand-snap-090746622.html

 

https://balkaninsight.com/2025/04/25/message-to-europe-serbian-student-protesters-begin-ultramarathon-to-brussels/

The Balkans: Europe's Forgotten Frontier (Review)

In this two-part BBC series (first shown in February 2025), reporter Katya Adler, who covered the conflicts of the 1990s, returns to the Balkans to see how the region has changed, nearly thirty years on from the end of the Bosnian War.  It’s a whistlestop two-hour tour - part travelogue, part social commentary - with archive footage dotted here and there, and a brief history of the region’s 20^th century.  Adler takes us on a fascinating, insightful journey through the former Yugoslav states of Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, as well as neighbouring Romania and Albania.

The main message that the series brings home is the way outside powers are currently competing for interest in the Balkans, from Chinese investment in infrastructure, to Islamic countries funding the building of new mosques, to Russian political and religious ties (in one disturbing segment, a Bosnian Serb motorcycle group fly Russian flags with Putin’s face on it). It appears that the rest of Europe is losing the battle for influence in the Balkans, hence the tagline of the ‘forgotten frontier’.

 

The theme of wounds not healed is also prominent throughout the two episodes.  Shots of pockmarked buildings, a visit to the Srebrenica memorial and interviews with Kosovar police about the Serb incursion into Kosovo in September 2023 all serve to show how raw the region still is.  There has been no real closure for many of the victims of the wars, which is undoubtedly linked to the fact that many Serbs still see themselves as the victims.  Interviews with Kosovar Serbs were eye-opening - especially the vitriol directed towards the British for their role in the Kosovo War - but most surprising was the implication that it remains a mainstream view amongst Serbs that Kosovo belongs to Serbia.

 

The thread running through all the segments on the former Yugoslav countries is the unspoken question: how many generations removed must we get before people can move on?  Adler interviews some 14-year-olds Bosnians (speaking excellent English, of course) who argue passionately against the segregated Muslim/Croat school they attend.  Does this signify hope for the future?  This documentary would seem to suggest not.  There is now whole generation of adults who were born after the wars ended and yet underlying concerns about tension in both Bosnia and Kosovo pervade.

 

Adler also visits Romania, where the appeal of the super-rich is drawing many of its people back again, despite corruption and criminality in some areas, and Albania, with its newly flourishing tourist industry, but large numbers of migrants leaving.  Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro don’t get a visit.  Slovenia, perhaps, is understandable, since with its virtually ethnically homogenous population and close ties to western Europe, it avoided the conflicts of its Yugoslav neighbours, seceding in 1991 with relatively little bloodshed.  However, I would certainly be interested in a further series, possibly examining the issues between North Macedonia and Greece, as well as Montenegro’s nationalist ties to Serbia.

 

This was a varied and comprehensive watch, as much as it is possible to truly examine such a complex region in just two hours. Like many documentaries of its type, it seeks to present a certain point of view, and interviews the right people to accomplish this.  Personally, I’ve not met that many vehement nationalists in any Balkan country, so it’s hard to know whether the voices heard here are those of the majority or the minority.  However, if you’re interested in the Balkans, this is a must-watch addition to the discourse on the region.  If you know nothing about these countries, it’s a great introduction to their history, culture and politics.  As Adler entreats us – let’s not forget about the Balkans.

 

The Balkan: Europe’s Forgotten Frontier is available on BBC iPlayer.