HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE BOSNIA?: LAIBACH AS CULTURAL AMBASSADORS IN THE POST-YUGOSLAV CONTEXT

This article follows chronologically the changes in the public perception of Laibach in Slovenia, Yugoslavia and the post-Yugoslav countries, Laibach's relation to the Slovenian state, and the group's status of informal (and occasionally formal) cultural ambassadors of Slovenia in the post-Yugoslav context. Because the state (in abstract terms) and Slovenian cultural identity play such an important role in Laibach's artistic output, their formal and informal representation of the Slovenian state and national identity are often misperceived by the media and cultural commentators. The aim of this article is to establish on which occasions and in which contexts Laibach have actually and formally represented Slovenia at international events.