There is no major undertaking in the world, from the creation of high-grade software to participation in world-class sport, in which some Serb, employed abroad temporarily or permanently, has not been involved. If all of Serbia’s knowledge, talent and spirit, which is currently scattered throughout the world, were gathered in one place, Serbia would be one of the leading powers in many fields.

Serbia is a small country, but it is a sporting world power! Serbs have won gold medals in a multitude of sports, and Serbia’s main export is world-class basketball players, tennis players, footballers, volleyball players, waterpolo players and handball players.

• Jelena Janković, Ana Ivanović and Novak Đoković, three world-class tennis players
• Vlade Divac, former Sacramento Kings basketball player, today chair of the Serbian Olympic Committee
• Željko Obradović, basketball trainer who has worked for major world clubs
• Milorad Čavić, the top Serbian swimmer and Michael Phelps’ greatest rival
• Nemanja Vidić, Manchester United footballer

Serbian film producers often leave international film festivals bearing awards, whether this be a Palm d’Or from Cannes or a Golden Bear from Berlin.

• Emir Kusturica, the best-known Serbian film director
• Miljen ‘Kreka’ Kljaković, globally respected production designer
• Mila Jovović, actress and model
• Goran Bregović, musician and film soundtrack composer

Read any of the plays by Dušan Kovačević and you will understand the spirit and richness of the Serbian language and also notice the phrases from his works that have entered everyday jargon. Or, even better, watch one his works in a Serbian theatre and witness several generations of talented Serbian actors live in action.

Many Serbian fine or applied artists can be seen exhibiting their works in art centres of the world.

• Marina Abramović, queen of performance art
• Vladimir Veličković and Ljuba Popović, fine artists who live and work in Paris

It seems that this is how it has been throughout history – from the second they have set foot in one of the great countries, talented Serbian scientists have begun to show their true brilliance, as Nikola Tesla once did.

• Miodrag Stojković, the first geneticist in the world to successfully clone human stem cells for the purposes of medical science
• Bogdan Maglić, nuclear physicist who lives in the United States
• Dejan Ilić, winner of an Academy Award for Technical Achievement for a James Bond film.

In Serbia there is also a large number of artists who are involved in less official arts, such as comic book authors, designers and conceptual artists, many of whom are also busy working around the world. Whether through the circumstances of war or of its own volition, the Serbian rock ’n’ roll generation found itself right at the centre of global art circles and, because of the rock ‘n’ roll, felt completely at home there. Because if rock ‘n’ roll were the deciding factor, Serbia could never be considered part of Eastern Europe (and not only for this reason). And Serbs have been known to win an MTV Award or two, as well.