14 Oct SPACES OF FREEDOM AT CONRAD FESTIVAL – Showcasing Contemporary Literary Creativity from Southeast Europe –
“Spaces of Freedom: Showcasing Contemporary Literary Creativity from Southeast Europe” is a festival-type program conceived and realized by the Belgrade based KROKODIL Association. It aims to provide a relevant presentation of the contemporary literary scene from this corner of the European continent. Four contemporary authors, expressing themselves in both prose and poetry, will be presented through readings and short onstage interviews. The program will also feature two dynamic panel discussions tackling some of the most pressing topics concerning the region.
EVENTS
Wednesday 22 October 2025, 20:30, Ogniwo Cooperative, Krakow
EVENING LITERARY AND MUSICAL REVUE
With: Rumena Bužarovska, Radmila Petrović, Tanja Stupar Trifunović, Faruk Šehić
Mini-concert: Ana Ćurčin
Presented by Mima Simić
During the dynamic and lively evening program, four authors: Rumena Bužarovska from North Macedonia, Radmila Petrović from Serbia, Faruk Šehić from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ivana Bodrožić from Croatia, will be presented through the combination of live readings in original languages supported by translations in both Polish and English, and short onstage interviews. The break in the middle of the program is reserved for a mini concert by Ana Ćurčin, a singer-songwriter from Serbia, who merges music, text, and video into new performance forms, creating her distinctive and authentic style. The program is presented by Mima Simić, herself an accomplished author and translator, who also happens to be a regular, idiosyncratic and well-loved presenter of KROKODIL Festival in Belgrade, Serbia.
Wednesday 22 October 2025, 17:oo, Pałac Potockich, Krakow
UNLEARNING HISTORY PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Panel Discussion #1: De-Exotisation of The Balkans
Moderated by Milena Berić
Language: English
For a long time, the Balkans has been stereotyped as a boiling pot of hatred, mutual mistrust, and the exaggeration of minor differences. But is this characterization accurate? Or does it only tell part of the story? Milena Berić will explore what the Balkans truly are—a shared cultural space in flux—through a 45-minute conversation with distinguished authors who live, work, and create within its often ambiguous boundaries.
Panel Discussion #2: Do You Speak “Common”?
Moderated by Vladimir Arsenijević
Language: English
After the violent disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, the shared language —Serbo-Croatian—also fractured into four distinct linguistic variants, each with its own political implications. Today, linguists and politicians in the region often hold sharply opposing views on whether we speak one language with multiple variants or separate tongues altogether. While experts argue that these are simply different versions of the same language, nationalists and advocates of linguistic separation promote division and even apartheid, using language as a tool to redraw borders and reinforce identities. One thing is certain: there is very little that can be translated there, as the differences and similarities extend beyond words alone. In this panel, Vladimir Arsenijević will attempt to untangle this complex situation, exploring how it impacts everyday communication as well as reading, writing, and speaking across the region.
The program is co-funded by the European Union.