Inela Nogić

Inela Nogić
Inela Nogić on the cover of the U2 single Miss Sarajevo
Born	1976 (age 47–48) Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nationality	Bosnian, Dutch
Known for	Miss Besieged Sarajevo, Siege of Sarajevo, U2 concert in Sarajevo
Children	2

Inela Nogić (born 1976) became world-famous during the Siege of Sarajevo when she won the 1993 Miss Besieged Sarajevo, which was held in a basement in an effort to avoid the barrage of sniper attacks from Serb militias. Inela Nogić and the other contestants held up a banner that read "Don't let them kill us". The pageant was documented by an amateur filmmaker, whose footage director Bill Carter then used in his documentary Miss Sarajevo. The documentary was broadcast internationally, provoking a viewer response that added to the international pressure to end the siege. Footage of the documentary was incorporated into the single "Miss Sarajevo" by the Irish band U2 together with Brian Eno and the Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti. Inela Nogić's picture also featured on the cover of the single, taken during the pageant.

After the war ended, Inela Nogić was invited to the 1997 concert given by U2 in Sarajevo and personally escorted by the band.

In a 2020 interview with Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant Inela Nogić accuses U2 of having gained financially from "Miss Sarajevo", while she or the other contestants never received any of the proceeds:

"It was very hypocritical," she says indignantly. "The band members filled their pockets over our back. Without permission, we have been in that video clip for 25 years. Wouldn't it have been decent to pay us for that?

As of 1994, she has been living in the Netherlands and is the mother of two.

References

https://www.volkskrant.nl/mensen/al-25-jaar-miss-sarajevo-betrokken-u2-vulde-zijn-zakken-over-onze-rug~b9f4e229/

See also

• Vedran Smailović, known as the "Cellist of Sarajevo"
• Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo
• Miss Sarajevo
• Koncert u Sarajevu