Main content

Kassandra: The peacekeeping telenovela in Bosnia

In 1997, the Latin American telenovela Kassandra was hugely popular worldwide, including in war-torn Bosnia. When it was broadcast, it helped keep the peace there.

In the early 1990s, the soap opera or telenovela craze was sweeping the world. One of the most popular was Kassandra made in Venezuela, about a girl switched at birth and raised in a travelling circus.

The show was broadcast all over the world, including Bosnia. In 1997, ravaged by war, people found escape in the make-believe world of Kassandra.

When supporters of Washington-backed president Billiana Plav拧i膰 took over a local TV station and turned the show off, there was outrage. The United States State Department was so worried that the loss of Kassandra could hurt Plav拧i膰's popularity and even undermine her government, they hatched a plan to get it back on the air.

Johnny I鈥橝nson speaks to the star of Kassandra, Coraima Torres, along with Tony Paez who distributed the show across the world.

(Photo: Coraima Torres and Osvaldo R铆os. Credit: Circulo Rojo)

Available now

9 minutes

Last on

Thu 28 Sep 2023 02:50GMT
大象传媒 World Service

More episodes

Previous

Concorde's first flight

Next

The Lampedusa shipwreck tragedy

See all episodes from Witness History

Broadcasts

  • Wed 27 Sep 2023 07:50GMT
    大象传媒 World Service
  • Wed 27 Sep 2023 11:50GMT
    大象传媒 World Service
  • Wed 27 Sep 2023 17:50GMT
    大象传媒 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
  • Wed 27 Sep 2023 21:50GMT
    大象传媒 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
  • Thu 28 Sep 2023 02:50GMT
    大象传媒 World Service

Podcast