Eighth Festival of Serbian Culture in Istria – In memoriam Danilo Kiš

8th Festival of Serbian Culture in Istria – In memoriam Danilo Kiš

At the invitation of the Serbian Cultural Centre in Istria, the team of the Art Press Caravan from Belgrade sailed towards Pula, where it dropped anchor in the calm sea harbour. Pula exudes the warmth of welcome for all wayfaring travellers, adventurers and explorers. The people who were appointed to meet us before Pula’s gates smelled of Pula, of the joy of welcome, of the crystalline seeds of sea salt that flow in their veins.

The Serbian Cultural Centre (SKUC) is set in the very heart of Pula, on Maksimijanova Street, near the famous Dante Forum and close to the Golden Gate of the Sergii. From this street there is a magnificent view of the old-time staircases of the old town, irresistibly recalling the scene from the Spanish Steps in Rome. We felt a breath of the eternal city in Pula’s lungs.

Founded in December 2014, this cultural centre is of inestimable importance, bearing in mind the fact that there is only one other Serbian cultural centre in the world, in Paris. From the city of light, rays of Serbian culture reached the Istrian coast. That newly kindled flame has burned for two years now with the same ardour, thanks to a handful of local warriors of “cultural” light who recognised it and fanned it.

These apostles of culture from Maksimijanova number 12, to the sounds of a fanfare, gave the sign that the 8th Festival of Serbian Culture had officially begun. When one reaches the eighth in a row, the Festival, by that fact, slowly grows into a tradition, and that thread takes the form of a horizontal figure eight, which signifies duration that does not cease, an echo of the infinite. The sign of the number 8 breathed a fresh breath of eternity into the back of this festival in Istria. The Festival began on 7 April and, all the way to 7 May, will proudly carry the relay of culture, which for a month will illuminate and tour Istria.

The importance of this distinctive manifesto of culture is also testified to by the presence of the Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Rijeka, Mr Momčilo Radivojević. On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, the consul addressed those present in the official part of the programme at the ceremonial opening at SKUC. On behalf of the host city, the Festival was supported by the deputy mayor of Pula, Mrs Elena Puh Belci, who in a fitting speech wished a warm welcome to all guests. The multiculturalism of this city was proven by the arrival of representatives of the Italian community of the city of Pula, who pointed to the importance of such events through the exchange of cultural and artistic ideas, opening the chance for some new forms of cooperation. The prefect of the Istria County, Mr Valter Flego, as a representative of a region significant in many respects, expressed his satisfaction that a festival spreading cultural values, and thereby bringing people closer together, had come to life in the area of Istria.

The opening was rounded off by a range of varied artists from Serbia and the region who performed in the continuation of the programme. As the Festival is dedicated to the memory of the great Serbian writer, painter and thinker Danilo Kiš, the academic painters of the ARTE group prepared an exhibition “In Honour of Kiš”. There followed an inspired reflection on the famous writer in the form of the text “Danilo Kiš, a man whom life pained” by the Serbian writer and member of the Art Press Caravan, Professor Sanja Domazet.

After her address, on that ceremonial evening Kiš’s spirit shimmered in the premises of SKUC. The publishing house “Arhipelag” donated Kiš’s collected works to the Serbian Cultural Centre, and through the dramatic portrayal “The Life and Work of Danilo Kiš” by Miodrag Jakšić and Gordana Vlajić, everything was wrapped in Danilo’s garb. The distinguished Serbian actor Milutin Mima Karadžić seasoned the Pula night by reciting, in his recognisable style, the poem “Proljeće” (Spring) by Vito Nikolić. The official part of the evening reached its finish with the appearance of Mr Miloš Bajić, president of the Club of Serbs of the Istria County, who greeted those present and officially opened the 8th Festival.

A surprise, after the opening of the Festival, was the performance by one of the best current rock’n’roll bands of Belgrade, the group “Maljčiki”. The Serbian Cultural Centre treated the people of Pula to a rock experience that lasted until the early morning hours. The Rock Café in Pula was filled to the last seat, and “Maljčiki” brought the atmosphere to a boil. The rock connoisseurs in which Pula abounds did not notice that day had dawned outside. The Belgrade rock band that night enchanted the rock-educated people of Pula (it is known that Pula was reputed to be a serious rock’n’roll centre of the former Yugoslavia). The Belgrade band held one more concert two evenings later, when they completely conquered Pula’s club rock scene. Everything crackled with the energy with which the Belgrade group irradiated the audience. We had the impression that, by the magic of music, time stood still on that rainy Pula night.

The Film Club of SKUC was packed the following evening. The film artists Milan and Mima Karadžić presented themselves to Pula with the film Gorčilo, which by genre belongs to comedy. In the words of the mayor of Pula, comedy is sorely needed by the people of today. On that occasion he stressed that we have had enough of films depicting the greyness of life around us, and that comedies like the film Gorčilo are always welcome in Pula. The Serbian filmmakers, by showing their film at the 8th Festival of Serbian Culture in Istria, made up for the missed opportunity of not appearing at the prestigious Pula Film Festival held in July 2015.

The next few days of the Festival passed under the sign of the publishing house “Službeni glasnik”, which promoted Sanja Domazet’s travel book “Gradovi” (Cities) throughout Istria. First the Pula reading public felt the charms of Sanja’s travelogues. A conversation about cities could not bypass Pula, which in the book stands shoulder to shoulder with world giants such as New York, Barcelona and Istanbul.

Memories were evoked of the escapades of Danilo Kiš, who often came to Pula — or rather, kept returning to it. One of the reasons was a passionate love with an unknown woman from Pula, which “cost” him the loss of a contact lens on one of Pula’s beaches on romantic summer nights. Such love affairs at one time prevented Kiš from picking out excerpts from his opus at the literary evenings of the time. Without his lens he could not properly prepare the material from which the discussion was to be led. “The heart and mind were willing, but the eyes would not allow it,” people from Danilo’s circle would say jokingly, and so did he himself. The new situation forced him into improvisations, which gave a new tone and “colour” to the official literary gatherings, growing into a kind of literary bohemianism. These were quiet bohemias from which the poetry of life was spontaneously born. The definition of Pula from the perspective of the late Olja Ivanjicki was also mentioned: “Pula is the most beautiful love-suburb of Belgrade.” It fit perfectly with the romantic inspirations Kiš felt in this city. The interesting literary evening at Pula’s SKUC was also lively thanks to Gordana Milosavljević Stojanović, editor of the book “Gradovi”. The editor spoke knowledgeably about Sanja’s creative achievements and the cultural landmarks of the cities by which the writer of these poetic-travel essays was enchanted. The promotion was rounded off by Sanja’s experience of Pula, which fit into two sentences: “Pula is part of our poetic memory. Pula is a city of art, refinement and gallantry.”

The message of the book “Gradovi”, which reads “A book constantly takes us on a journey,” carried over into reality. Already the next day, thanks to this book, we were at a promotion in Rovinj. The community of Serbs in Rovinj warmly welcomed the team of the 8th Festival. The book was presented in Rovinj, with a reflection on the fact that each person’s important place is where inspiration begins. For many Belgraders and artists, that place has always been Rovinj. It has remained woven into Belgrade’s memory on a poetic level. Rovinj is the eternal longing of Belgraders. Cities are like people, they have personality traits. In that vertical, Rovinj is a city of love and freedom. In its horizontal, Rovinj is a city of wine and excellent restaurants. There, the previous time, we tasted “biska”, a herbal brandy in which the clarity of mistletoe dominates. With refreshed memories of this romantic city, we set off further where Sanja’s “Gradovi” carried us.

Thanks to a promotion scheduled outside the region, the Festival of Serbian Culture in Istria became international, for it reached Italy, venturing into Trieste. The association of Serbs in Trieste “Vuk Karadžić” organised a welcome for the participants of this important event, displaying traditional Serbian hospitality. The hospitality that has adorned our people for centuries was felt before and after the promotion of “Gradovi”, which was held in the church hall of the Serbian Orthodox church dedicated to Saint Spyridon. During the conversation about the book, the participants renewed their memory of the ancient proverb: “One need not live, but one must sail.” That is a necessity for people who spend their life on land. They yearn for seas, rivers, waters. Through travel they resurrect in the moment, abolishing stagnation, which is a form of death.

The entrance to Trieste was impressive. Everything recalled the longing described above. We disembarked at a huge square from which the view merges with the boundless blue of the sea. The breadth of the Piazza d’Italia gave a feeling of relaxation, the embrace of a long-awaited reunion with which Trieste enfolded us. The borders of the spacious square are the magnificent palaces that frame it, and its entrance and exit is the sea harbour. Passing over the Ponte Rosso bridge, we saw the famous statue dedicated to the Irish writer James Joyce, who lived in Trieste for about ten years, experiencing it as his own. His soul remained in this city.

From the bridge we came to the square of the same name, which was synonymous with the ritual shopping “parties” of all Yugoslavs. Ponte Rosso was the ribbon marking the crossing of the finish line, a kind of shopping initiation for Yugoslavs. With clothing and footwear “recovered”, they returned to Yugoslavia from a “coffee” in Trieste on the same day, as they would slangily name and certify a visit to the shopping capital from the 1960s to the end of the 1980s of the 20th century. Ponte Rosso was a symbol of the Balkan flirtation with the Western world of fashion. Now it is not what it once was, but the roguish eulogies of our people have remained in memory. They were passed from generation to generation by oral urban tradition. The anecdotes and adventures of our people vibrate in the air that caresses this square. It conceals the Belgrade and Serbian street intelligence that was the ornament of an era. From that milieu arose some new modern street outlaws. These rebels with style and a refined sense of life, in which the given word was valued, in time became a kind of academic of “ŽANU” (the Life Academy of Sciences and Arts). That is the slang name for an invisible, unofficial, yet tangible and really present institution of the street school of life. The scientists of real life of this prestigious street institution dispersed without being awarded official diplomas. The wave of the oncoming accelerated modern life wave engulfed them. One part of them left this world, and another part of these “academics of the street” was overrun by time. When the sand of time runs out, the odd drop of eternity trickles through, and the academic citizens of that era slowly pass into well-deserved legend. Somehow, one by one. After them, some new characters surfaced without a life code, for whom the spoken word holds no value. They are the offshoots of consumer culture, dragons for whom profit is the only mantra.

We were gladdened by the fact that the Ponte Rosso square is today dominated by a Serbian Orthodox church — the Church of Saint Spyridon. It is built of white marble with blue domes, from whose mosaics gold radiates. The seed of eternity is the equation for this noble metal that does not lose its value under the pressure of the tooth of time. The gleam of the gilded mosaics captivates every being that comes near this imposing shrine. It is the guardian of Serbian identity in Trieste, and at the same time a gathering place both of spiritual life and of all significant cultural and artistic events. For the 12,000 Serbs in Trieste, the Church of Saint Spyridon is the centre of all social happenings, which include the promotion of the book “Gradovi” within the 8th Festival of Serbian Culture in Istria, which by this act broke through borders and acquired an international character.

Rijeka as the last stop and the continuation of the Festival

The varied artistic troupe from Serbia had not yet been released by the impressions from Trieste when they found themselves in Rijeka. Once again “Gradovi” took them to a city by the sea. The host was Rijeka. Someone from the Art Press Caravan said: “Books too are journeys.” That this is so in reality, we became convinced on the four-day tour of the book “Gradovi”. The travelogues made friends of us with four sea cities.

The painters’ colony — the ARTE group — inspired by the figure and work of Danilo Kiš, donated to the SKUC gallery all the works created during the colony within the Festival.

The last days of April are reserved for the promotion of Jasminka Petrović’s book “Leto kad sam naučila da letim” (The Summer When I Learned to Fly). The venue is PULA CIRCOLO “MONTE LIBRIĆ” within the programme “Author from Afar”.

The days of the festival programme continue with a review of contemporary Serbian film. The premiere screening of the film PANAMA, with which the review opens, and the screenings of the films: AMANET, ENKLAVA, BIĆEMO PRVACI SVETA and NIČIJE DETE. PULA KINO VALLI is the scene of this fantastic film review.

The Festival enters May with an exhibition of icons by Goran Stefanović, which at the same time presents an icon-painting workshop. SKUC PULA, with this exhibition that lasts until 7 May, rounds off a full month of festival life and announces its conclusion for this year.

That is not the end, but only a one-year respite until the start of the 9th Festival of Serbian Culture in Istria. The team of the 8th Festival presented, all across Istria, Serbian culture and its high reaches through film, literature, painting and music. The artistic traces of the contemporary Serbian cultural scene were visibly imprinted on the soil of Pula, Fažana and the Brijuni, and went as far as Peroj, Rovinj and Trieste.