dankrsta

Well Yugoslavia's government was always more tolerant compared to that of other communist countries. Yugoslavia wasn't even in Eastern Bloc, but was rather Non-Aligned trying to have good relations with both East and West in the midst of the Cold War. But still, it had a totalitarian regime. There was nothing that brutal and extreme like Siberia in Russia, but we had our own Goli Otok for political prisoners. The regime was much more rigid in the decades closer to WW2, but the grip was loosening as the time went by and people started being disillusioned. The film auteurs were the first (in popular art somewhere in the 60's and 70's) to challenge that idealistic communist point of view and some of the films were indeed banned. When Tito (Yugoslavian dictator) died in 1980. the idolatry was nearing the end and there was more breathing space. That's when all this punk and new wave boom was happening. But, there were bands that had trouble with the police because of their massages, Paraf for example when they were a punk band. Laibach's concerts were banned and their name was forbidden because it was the name of Ljubljana (the capital of Slovenia) during the Nazi occupation. Laibach was the most radical band in music, massages and image. They were toying with a fascist and other totalitarian imagery trying to show that it's all the same thing. Naturally, it was very disturbing for communists, especially when they see that they share many similar traits with their mortal enemies, the fascists.

VEGANGELICA

Thanks for the insights, dankstra. I like how music can unite people and raise awareness. I'd say the U.S. has also transitioned away from greater oppression to quite a lot of free speech, which is wonderful. The sign of a strong government is one that allows and even encourages criticism and handles it openly, rather than trying to squelch it.

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