Boy George plays Bosnia (5291)

The BBC reports that former Culture Club leader Boy George has headlined an all-night music event in Banja Luka, Bosnia, the purpose of which was to bring together youths from all of the country's ethnic communities. Boy George has proved to be a popular commodity in the area, and his syndicated radio show is one of the most listened to on local station Oksigen (Oxygen) FM, said to be the only radio broadcaster in the country free of active propaganda. Capt. David Bailey of the NATO-led Stabilization Force, which runs the station, claims that the event attracted 3,500 youths from across Bosnia. Boy George, in a statement made before the show, said, "It sounds a bit naive in the U.K. to talk about dance music changing things, but there's something about it that really brings people together--that's why we were so happy to give them the show. The generation in Britain before acid house was uptight, homophobic, and unsophisticated. Now I get nobody giving me grief for being queer and happy, so that can work in Bosnia too."