RANATOVI FAMILY SVETLANA CECA RANATOVI WAS BORN IN

RAŽNATOVIĆ FAMILY

SVETLANA CECA RAŽNATOVIĆ WAS BORN IN THE VILLAGE OF ZITORADJA ON JUNE 14, 1973. HER MOTHER WAS A TEACHER AND HER FATHER A MACHINIST, LATER A MAYOR AND A POLITICAL OFFICIAL. THEY SAY SHE WAS AN ADVANCED KID. SHE FIRST SING AT THE AGE OF FIVE AT A VILLAGE SHOW, WHERE SHE DELIGHTED EVERYONE WITH HER MATURE VOICE. SHE WAS A GOOD STUDENT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, TEACHERS SAID “ THERE WILL BE SOMETHING FROM THIS LITTLE ONE“, BUT BECAUSE OF HER CAREER, SHE DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL. AT 14, WHILE SINGING IN A RESTAURANT IN MONTENEGRO, SHE ACCIDENTALLY MET MIRKO KODIĆ, A COMPOSER AND ARRANGER, WHO SAID SHE HAD „THAT THING“ AND TOOK HER TO BELGRADE TO RECORD THE FIRST RECORD. EVERYTHING ELSE IS HISTORY.

CECA HAS SHOWN A PENCHANT FOR TROUBLESOME AND DANGEROUS TYPES, THE ONLY EXCEPTION BEING HER FIRST BOYFRIEND, FOOTBALLER VLADAN LUKIĆ. THE ROMANCE DID NOT LAST LONG. SHE SAYS THEY BROKE UP BECAUSE HE WAS CONSTANTLY GIVING IN AND PLEASING HER, AND SHE IS A GIRL WHO LIKES TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO WILL FIGHT HER. THERE WILL BE MANY CONTROVERSIAL GUYS BEFORE COMING OF AGE. AFTER VLADAN LUKIĆ, SHE WAS WITH VLADAN BOJOVIĆ, WHO WAS LIQUIDATED IN 1992. SOON WITH DEJAN MARJANOVIĆ-ŠABAN, WHO WAS KILLED IN 1996 OUTSIDE HIS HOME ON ZVEZDARA. SHE MANAGED TO REACH THE TOP AT THE AGE 18, BUT THEN SHE FELT A BITTER TASTE OF FAME AND FORTUNE. THEY ACCUSED HER, AMONG OTHER THINGS, OF SINGING ONLY TO MUSLIMS AND USING THE MONEY SHE EARNED TO BUY THEIR WEAPONS.

Ceca and Vladan Lukić Ceca and Vladan Bojović

ŽELJKO RAŽNATOVIĆ ARKAN WAS BORN ON APRIL 17, 1952 IN BREŽICE, BUT CONSIDERS BELGRADE HIS CITY. HIS FATHER VELJKO WAS A PILOT STATIONED IN SLOVENIA AT THE TIME OF ZELJKO“S BIRTH. WHEN HE WAS 12, HIS PARENTS DIVORCED, AND JUST TWO YEARS LATER, ZELJKO STARTED DEALING WITH PRETTY CRIME. HIS FATHER“S MILITARY DISCIPLINE FAILED TO DIVERT HIM.

IN MAY 1993, HE RETURNED TO BELGRADE AND, WITH „EARNED MONEY“, STARTED SEVERAL ILLEGAL BUSINESSES, HE WAS A FAN LEADER FOR THE RED STAR FOOTBALLL CLUB. HE TRAVELED TO ZAGREB WITH DELIJE ON MAY 13, 1990 TO ATTEND THE MATCH BETWEEN DINAAMO AND RED STAR. OUTRAGED BY THE BEHAVIOR OF ZAGREB FANS WHO SHOUTED „SERBS ON WILLOWS“ AND „KILL, KILL SERBS“ AT THE MATCH, ARKAN RETURNED TO BELGRADE AND ESTABLISHED THE SOCALLED SERBIAN VOLUNTEER GUARD TO PROTECT SERBS IN CROATIA AND BIH. AFTER THE WAR HE BECAME AN UNTOUCHABLE CRIMINAL, SO POWERFUL THAT HE WAS RARELY OPPOSED. HE“S GOT NINE CHILDREN FROM TWO MARRIAGES AND MANY EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIRS. HE ACKNOWLEDGED THE CHILDREN HE RECEIVED FROM THE CASUAL CONNECTIONS AND GAVE THEM HIS LAST NAME. WE PROBABLY KNOW MOST ABOUT THE CHILDREN HE HAD MARRIED TO CECA. VELJKO AND ANASTASIJA LIVE WITH THEIR MOTHER IN BELGRADE, AND THE SERBIAN MEDIA REGULARLY REPORT ON THEIR LIVES AND ACTIVITES.

• CECA AND ARKAN“S LOVE STORY BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE „YOU CAN ALL KILL EACH OTHER, I“LL MARRY HIM BECAUSE I ADORE HIM!“. THEY MET WHEN SHE, ALONG WITH OLIVER MANDIĆ AND DZEJ, PERFOMED FOR ARKAN“S GUARD. AS SOON AS SHE MET HIM, HER LEGS BUCKLED. SHE SAYS HE WAS THE MOST HANDSOME MAN SHE EVER MET. HE WAS ALLEGEDLY VERY ROUGH AND CLOSED OFF AT THE TIME, BUT HE BECAME MORE CHILDISH WITH CECA. • ARKAN WAS ALREADY IN HIS SECOND MARRIAGE AT THE TIME, WHICH HAD FAILED BECAUSE HE SAID HE COULD NO LONGER LIVE WITHOUT SVETLANA. • CECA“S PARENTS DID NOT SUPPORT THEIR RELATIONSHIP BUT HAD TO ACCEPT IT. • THEIR WEDDING IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN THE WEDDING OF A DECADE.

IN DECEMBER 1996, SHE GAVE BIRTH TO HER FIRST AND ARKAN“S EIGHTH CHILD. THEIR SECOND CHILD WAS BORN IN MAY 1998. ONLY 15 DAYS AFTER THE PROMOTION OF HER ALBUM „CECA 2000“ 50 METERS FROM HIS WIFE, ZELJKO ARKAN RAŽNATOVIĆ WAS SHOT. CECA THEN DISAPPEARED FROM THE SCENE AND DID NOT APPEAR FOR A YEAR. • SHORTLY AFTER RETUNING TO THE SCENE, CECA WAS ARRESTED FOR CONCEALING PARTICIPANTS IN DJINDJIĆ“S ASSASSINATION AND SPENT 4 MONTHS IN CUSTODY. FANS PROTESTED, AND SHE WENT ON HUNGER STRIKE. • SHE CONTINUED TO BE CONTROVERSIAL AFTER PRISON, BUT NOTHING WAS CONFIRMED. IT IS CERTAIN THAT SHE IS THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL, BUT ALSO THE MOST POPULAR SINGER IN OUR REGION.

VELJKO AND ANASTASIA • OF ALL THE RAŽNATOVIĆ CHILDREN, VELJKO AND ANASTASIA ARE THE MOST FAMOUS THANKS TO THEIR FAMOUS MOTHER. • VELJKO IS BOXING AND RECENTLY MARRIED A FORMER BASKETBALL PLAYER, BOGDANA RODIĆ, WITH WHOM HE IS CURRENTLY WAITING FOR A CHILD. • ANASTASIA HAS FOLLOWED IN HER MOTHER“S FOOTSTEPS AND IS CURRENTLY BUILDING HER OWN SINGING CAREER.

AUTHORS: • LJUBICA MILOSAVLJEVIĆ • NELA DRAŽIĆ • JOVANA TANASKOVIĆ • ANA KUZMANOVIĆ • ANASTASIJA DONČIĆ II-1