Steven Wagner - Stevan Vagner, Podrum COLLEGIUM MELODIUM, World music museum in BELGRADE and Great ZARE with V.I.S * SECOND HANDS *, present Kaleš bre Angjo (Macedonian: Калеш бре Анѓо) a Macedonian patriotic folk song dating from the times of the Ottoman Empire. It has been performed and recorded by many popular folk singers from the Republic of Macedonia, the former Yugoslavia and the whole Balkan region. Pop, Rock, Jazz, and even Classical cover versions also exist (incl. versions by Danica Obrenić Esma Redžepova, Goran Bregović, Toše Proeski, Azra, Laza Ristovski from Bijelo Dugme and many others). The lyrics are in Macedonian language with some archaisms and Turkish loanwords.
It is a story about an Ottoman Turkish man playing and singing a serenade with tambura to a young olive skinned (kalesh) Macedonian girl named Angja (Анѓа). He is asking her to become his wife and he promises her rich and easy life with lots of gold (жолтици, žoltici) and pearls (бисери, biseri) only if she would change her nationality and religion and become an anama (Анама да бидиш, Anama da bidiš), in Turkish: Hanim, to be his obedient Ottoman Turkish and muslim wife in his harem
At the end of the song the girl is proudly refusing his offers saying that she would never become an anama (анама не бивам, anama ne bivam). She would never sacrifice her freedom, nationality and faith for the gifts he offers.
