Presentation of „Novi Sad 2021“ Project was held at the EU Information Centre in Belgrade, and on that occasion the participants of the meeting were addressed by Nemanja Milenković, President of the Organizing Committee of Novi Sad 2021, Dalibor Rožić, a Member of the City Council for Culture of Novi Sad, and Miroslava Turković, Adviser in Ministry of Culture of Serbia in charge of European integration in the field of culture.
The presentation was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of cultural institutions and non-governmental organizations.
On this occasion, Nemanja Milenkovć introduced the candidacy concept „4 new bridges“ and said: „The concept of the candidacy has a strong European dimension. Four symbolic bridges and eight topics that are placed in the focus of the candidacy are important not only for Novi Sad, but also for the whole of Europe. Through new „bridges“, the city of Novi Sad will present but also strengthen its capacities and potentials. On the other hand, the candidacy for this prestigious title is a unique opportunity for our city to solve some of the important shortcomings and challenges.“
„Novi Sad is characterized by impressive cultural and architectural heritage, it is also a place of some of the oldest and most prominent institutions that are the foundation of the development of culture in our country in general, but it is also a city that cares for the modern cultural creativity. When working on the application we introduced substantial positive changes in the culture of our city. Primarily this refers to the adoption of the Cultural Development Strategy of the City of Novi Sad, dialogue with the independent cultural scene, but also other figures in the cultural life of the city and in general we have created an environment in which culture is gaining a central place in the socio-political life, „explained Dalibor Rožić.
Novi Sad has entered the finals of the competition for the European Capital of Culture 2021, while the outcome will be known on October 13th, when the final decision on the winner will be made in Brussels. If Novi Sad takes the title, it will be the first time that the city of a country outside the EU is declared the European Capital of Culture.
One of the main goals of the project Novi Sad 2021 is the integration of Serbia into the European cultural space and to strengthen cultural ties with European artists, cultural organizations and managers.
European Capital of Culture was established in order to highlight the richness and diversity of European cultures, strengthen cultural ties among Europeans, connect people from different European countries, meet other cultures, promote mutual understanding and strengthen the sense of Europeanness. Novi Sad 2021, as a platform for the development of creative potentials of Novi Sad, aims to motivate and inspire workers in culture, but also all citizens to reconsider the current value and to set new goals towards democratic cultural development of the city. The contemporary identity of Novi Sad, revitalization of cultural heritage, reconstruction of old and opening of new spaces for culture, development of international and inter-sectoral cooperation, fostering intercultural dialogue, decentralization of culture, developing cultural participation of citizens, are just some of the principles of cultural development to which the project Novi Sad 2021 stands for. More at: https://novisad2021.rs/.
