Amer, the best accordion player during the war

Listen to testimony

For Amer, life held a promising future playing the accordion. As child he was already the best. Then, after the war, luck turned its back on him, yet he tells it without a trace of complaint, with a sense of resignation, sadly fatalistic.
“My name is Amer Hodjic. I am thirty years old.Too many memories come back to mind with this picture. The photo was taken during a rehearsal for a concert at the end of the year at the Academy of Music. Our friendship started well and for that reason I am granting you this interview. My life has changed in twelve years. I finished my studies in 1995 and I participated in a contest of popular music in Istanbul, where I finished fourth best accordion player in Europe. At that time I was sure I would compose and play music. Over time, I realized that I had to fight to build my own life t I think that everyone turns to his work, struggles to make money and especially forgets or tries to forget the past. It’s a positive thing to look into the future, but not to forget. An episode marked my existence after the war. Forever. A serious traffic accident of the kind that happens every day. My skull, both legs and chest were smashed. I remained in the hospital for six months. After the accident I could not continue at the Academy of Music because my fingers hurt so much and I could no longer play as before. I was lucky to find a job that is related to music and I work for television as an editor of music programs. So music remains at the centre of my life.”