We all remember C coffee and its packaging, where after using it, we usually kept some other ingredient. The unforgettable are also Pionir hard candies, Taš detergent, Kinder Lada cup, Eurokrem Takovo, and the old glass bottle of Coca-Cola. Packages of these products, but also those that marked everyday life in Yugoslavia, with items such as a phone with dials, old photographs, newspapers and appliances, are part of the ‘The Life of Ordinary People in the Kingdom and Socialist Yugoslavia’ exhibition, which will be held on 8 June, within the ‘Fortress of Peace’ programme platform launched by the ‘Novi Sad 2021 – European Capital of Culture’. This collection of Zoran Janković will be opened in the fallout shelter in Alekse Šantića Street no. 27 from 6 p.m. until midnight.
Monument of Peace by Yoko Ono in Novi Sad
The key event that will mark June in Novi Sad is definitely setting the ‘One Day…’ monument of peace designed by Yoko Ono, world famous artist and peace activist. The new symbol of Novi Sad is made on the basis of the model of traditional Serbian war ship, the so-called ‘šajka’. The Petrovaradin Fortress was chosen symbolically, as the the biggest defensive military fortification in Europe, built in the 18th century.
This is one of the key programmes within the ‘Fortress of Peace’ platform, which is being implemented in cooperation with the EXIT Foundation, and co-financed by the ‘Novi Sad 2021’ Foundation and NIS Company, on the occasion of 100 years of signing the Treaty of Versailles and ending of World War I. The monument that will be revealed on 28 June, will be a new cultural and tourist attraction of the city, and it will contribute to the promotion of Novi Sad at the international scene.
The ‘NEO’ is also part of the ‘Fortress of Peace’
In that manner, ‘The Soldier’s Tale’ theatre play will be performed by Zijah Sokolović and extraordinary musicians from Slovenia, Sweden and USA in Studio M on 8 June at 8 p.m. This 1918s work by Igor Stravinsky, which was written according to the Russian folk tale, but in French, is based on the feelings of a soldier after returning home – how he deals with things he experienced. The play is among first examples of interdisciplinary theatres, which combines music and acting. ‘The Soldier’s Tale’ is just one of the programmes that are being implemented within the ‘NEO’ Festival of Classical Music and the ‘Fortress of Peace’ programme platform. Another one, which will thrill the fans of sevdalinka, is the ‘Sevdah’ concert. This genre will be presented to the citizens of Novi Sad in a different way, by prominent musicians from the ex-Yugoslavia region: Mustafa Šantić, Jelena Jakovljević, Mate Bekavac, Boško Jović and Ivan Vanja Radoja. The concert will be held in the Synagogue on 9 June at 8 p.m. Tickets for both events are available in the Gigstix ticket offices. The main characteristic of the ‘NEO’ festival is classical music in the non-classic way. Therefore, we will have the opportunity to hear the oldest spiritual music of Christian Europe, the Gregorian corals, in the performance of the ‘Kaliomene’ ensemble in the Name of Mary Church on 11 June at 8 p.m. Three days later, we will have a chance to hear the chamber music concert in the open, in Salaš 137 on 14 June at 8 p.m..
Sixth and Seventh Art in Token of Peace
Why is Shakespeare still the most performed playwright? Why is he considered the most demanding task for actors? Why are the messages of his work timeless? We will find out in the ‘My Shakespeare’ theatre play that will be peformed in Čortanovci in Vila Stanković on 28 June at 8 p.m. Nikita Milivojević’s ‘My Shakespeare’ includes some of the most important actors from all parts of the former Yugoslavia, who will present Shakespeare to the audience in a unique way. In that manner, the 5th Shakespeare Festival that is being held in Čortanovci every June, became part of the ‘Fortress of Peace’ programme platform, which promotes peace.
The seventh art will raise questions on consequences of wars during the 90s, within the ‘Fortress of Peace’ programme platform. The jubilee 5th 21114 Film Festival of Novo Kulturno Naselje, which will be held in the open, in Bata Brkić Street on 14, 15 and 16 June, will include current films from the region with the topic of what the war conflicts left behind.
1999-2019: 20 Years Later
The task of the ‘Fortress of Peace’ platform is also to raise the issue of communion through the ‘78 Days of Closeness to Fear – 20 Years Since the Bombing’ interactive theatre performance, which will be held in the Svilara Cultural Station on 30 June at 7 p.m. The play is inspired by the memories and narratives of the citizens of Novi Sad from the period of NATO bombing and it consists of the materials collected by the citizens (memories, photographs, audio-visual sources, newspapers, etc.) The topic of the play, which will involve the audience in the dialogue, is the closeness within the community that arises in specific circumstances and questions why we need an extreme to be ‘human’, and why the links established in this period are not maintained – when danger is gone, everything goes back to normal.
The ‘Twenty Years After the End of the NATO Bombing’ forum that will be held in the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad on 10 June at 12 a.m., will raise questions on the consequences of the NATO bombing. The aim of the forum is to, as objective as possible, answer the question of the real consequences of aggression, but also to present today’s political and cultural ‘map of the world’, i.e. what our obligation in 2019 is in order to preserve peace.
You can find the full programme here.
