ABSTRACT
Contemporary viewers of Music Television (MTV) have grown used to the multi-sensory space created by images fitting together in a dream-like or psychedelic manner. One short segment of one of the self-edited video tapes circulating in the Croatian community in Perth was of this type. A wellknown popular singer performs on the stage, the Croatian political leaders are seen in the foreground, with crowds holding signs and banners in the background. First we recognise the Croatian anthem, then an old man’s voice, untrained and shaky, joins in with the a capella singing; finally a crystal-clear baritone takes over, bursting into passionate song. Next come the official speeches interrupted by folk dancing, some popular Croatian music, speeches again, and an excerpt from Ivan Zajc’s opera, Nikola Šubić-Zrinjski, symbolising the centuries of the Croatian struggle for freedom, followed by more speeches, more music, and so on…we are watching a video tape of the celebration surrounding impending Croatian independence, in the wake of the first democratic elections (in 1990).
