By: Ekrem Dupanović, [email protected]
On my way back home from Rovinj and Days of Communication, I made a detour in Zagreb. A friend with whom I sat for a cup of coffee drew my attention to a new book by Miljenko Jergović, Sarajevo, plan grada (Sarajevo, City Plan), and suggested that I should definitely read it. I went to the bookstore and bought the book, itching to sit down and start reading it. Three days later, as I hit page 70, I laid it to rest – forever. I realized that Miljenko Jergović doesn’t like Sarajevo and I didn’t want him to rub it off on me. Spitting on Sarajevo represents washing of own conscience and remedying the nostalgia for the lost city. That’s how it goes. It’s a recipe by Emir Kusturica. First, you fire a couple of toxic arrows pointing at Sarajevo, then you get a couple of fierce responses, and the matter is finished. You become a dissident, you start spreading the story how you were banished, how you can’t return anymore, which, of course, is not true. Kuštrica would trade the entire Drvengrad for one day on Gorica, but no one is preventing him. If he were to suddenly appear in Sarajevo, no one would notice him. Maybe just a few would turn their heads and mutter: “Isn’t that that jerk Kusturica?” Even for Ivo Andrić Sarajevo scoundrels ran behind him, asking: “Hey, Nobel winner. Writing something?” This recipe is now being applied by Jergović. In addition to all that he wrote in the book Sarajevo, plan grada, now he has started to preach about whether Sarajevo has done enough for the late Jadranka Stojaković, and if it was done on time. He’s trying to provoke some reaction that will give him the right to say tomorrow that he, as a Croat, was actually banished from Sarajevo. See – now he’s got me doing it. Well, in order not to play into his hand, here I will put a full stop on the story.
At the concert of Vadem Rudenko, I met a dear friend, Damjan Damjanović, director of the Slovenian Philharmonic. We immediately scheduled a lunch today. We spent most of the day together talking about art and the problems that art encounters in the region. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has significantly reduced funding for culture this year, which is, of course, reflected in the Slovenian Philharmonic. Therefore, Damjan started the procedure for the establishment of the Foundation of the Slovenian Philharmonic to secure the resources needed for the program. We concluded that it’s not just a problem in Slovenia, but also in the whole region and that the institutions of culture and art have to connect in order to find additional funding models for their activities. That’s what I wrote about yesterday in the diary, unaware that I would see Damjan today and talk to him for hours. We devoted some of our time to Uroš Lajović, chief conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic. I evoked memories of my collaboration with Uroš and Damjan talked about current projects and the energy that Uroš invests to ensure that all things in the orchestra fall into line.
I invited Damjan to tell us about the Foundation and his experiences at the Art&Business Conference on 19 and 20 October in Zagreb, which he gladly accepted and immediately gave a few good suggestions.
In the second part of the day we were joined by Samir Lokvančić, newly appointed director of the Sarajevo Philharmonic and boy did we have material for conversation. Samir is at the beginning of a long and difficult road of recovery and development of the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra. It was nice to hear how much Damjan is ready to include the Slovenian Philharmonic in the project. If it’s up to Damjan, event that which now seems impossible, will be done if there is a vision and the will to realize this vision.
Dijana Vetturelli reached out from Zagreb. She read in the yesterday’s diary that we will organize the A&B Conference in Zagreb and said that she and her husband Viktor decided that through their agency Vetturelli they will sponsor the event. I believe that Diana and Viktor are top experts on sponsorship in the region and any support they can give to this project would be very significant for us. They mainly deal with sponsorship in sport, but for a year now I’ve been trying to steer them towards culture and art a bit. The message Dijana sent to me today is a good indication that this just might happen soon.
Bane Brkljač sent a great column.
I’m punching phone numbers and lobbying with some friends to participate in the program of Bihać Creative Republic. The program is slowly filling up. It will be a good event on 4 June at the Museum of the First Session of AVNOJ.
Sarajevo, 11. May, 2016
