Your Urgent Assistance Needed

05 Sep Your Urgent Assistance Needed

KROKODILs RESIDENCY
for…
Writers/Authors
Playwrights/Screenwriters
Spoken Word Performers/Slam Poets/Singer-Songwriters
Translators
Researchers/Linguists/Historians/Philosophers
Essayists/Columnists/Cultural Journalists
Literary Creators in Jeopardy
Literary Creators in Exile

• 13 years of continuous operation of this vital and inclusive residential program: 

• 148 authors, storytellers, translators, historians, and other literary creators from 26 European countries
• 21 published works and translations
• 520 public events across 6 cities
• 200+ online campaigns
• 550+ traditional media announcements
• 500,000+ euro annual media value.

Dear Friends,

We are reaching out to request your support for KROKODILs RESIDENCY, a crucial and longstanding residential program that has nurtured creativity, cultural exchange, and solidarity for over 13 years. The program offers dedicated residencies for writers, authors, playwrights, translators, researchers, and others (all broadly defined as “literary creators”), welcoming individuals from various stable backgrounds as well as those in political jeopardy, war, or exile. It provides a safe, inspiring space for their artistic and scholarly pursuits.

KROKODILs RESIDENCY program provides the authors and other literary workers with a comfortable, well-equipped apartment in Belgrade and a monthly stipend.  This cozy, fully equipped flat features a living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and terrace, arranged for both comfort and focused creative engagement. The residency has an open character – the KROKODIL Association discusses and defines the desired guidelines for each person’s stay individually. During the residency, events such as readings, workshops, and other educational and promotional activities are organized in Belgrade and other cities across Serbia. There are also meetings with local publishers, translators, and students and their professors. One of our favorite formats is the “Breakfast with Publishers,” which we have been organizing for several years. This way, visiting authors have the opportunity to present their creative work and the culture of their country to the Serbian public, establish new contacts, and foster collaborations, both with local publishing houses and with local audiences. In addition, residents themselves have the chance to get to know the cultural and social life of Serbia and the region.

The program encompasses various residency categories, fostering an open and inclusive space where language is the primary tool of work. As the first and longest-standing residency program in Serbia and the Western Balkans/Southeast Europe, it is now facing closure due to the sale of the physical space of the residency – an apartment located in Palilula near Pionir Sports Hall.

We have decided to purchase the apartment to ensure the long-term sustainability of the program. A formal assessment of the property’s value has been conducted for price determination, and the valuation is 160,000 euros.

Founded in 2012, KROKODILs RESIDENCY is the first residency program in Serbia and the region dedicated primarily to writers, translators, and other literary creators. Over 13 years, it has hosted 148 leading figures from across Europe—including Austria, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Malta, Germany, the UK, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Norway, Ukraine, and more—and has organized over 520 programs such as readings, discussions, and workshops. Many of these collaborations have resulted in tangible outputs; about twenty books by resident authors have been translated and published in Serbia, underlining the program’s fruitful impact. It has also received over 550 traditional media announcements, helping amplify the voices of our residents and draw attention to their contributions.

Some of the biggest names in the Regional, WB and European literature, translation, academia, and journalism stayed in KROKODILs RESIDENCY, such as:

Lana Bastašić, Ana Schnabl, Natassa Sideri, Dorota Maslowska, Żanna Słoniowska, Sylvain Prudhomme, Marios Hatziprokopiou, Filia Kanelopoulou, Rob Doyle, Azem Deliu, Mercedes Cebrián, Emmanuel Adely, Aneta Benzar, Tomas Schtangl, Henriette Rostrup, Zoriana Huk, Mykola Riabchuk, Natalka Bilotserkivets, Nikola Madžirov, Srećko Horvat, Judith Keller, Jerko Bakotin, Lisandri Kola, Olivier Bonfond, Lea Lescure, Ingo Schultze, Karin Peschka, Arber Selmani, Lena Olmark, Teodora Dimova, Jan Sonnergaard, Mats Kolmisoppi, Slobodan Šnajder, Jasna Žmak, Jean-Lorin Sterian, Alen Mešković, Dijana Matković, Stepan Kučera, Stefan Bošković, Clemens Meyer, Henriette Rostrup, Sven Popović, Josef Moník, Kaspar Eric, Tania Dükers, Alexandra Lucas Coelho, Doroti Elmiger, Annica Wennstrom, Tanja Stupar Trifunović, Arber Selmani, Daša Drndić, Đorđe Žarković, Ana Holstrom Degerman, Anisur Rahman, Alek Popov, Emanuelle Pagano, Lars Einar Engström, Marianne Jungmeier, Marko Pogačar, Luljeta Lleshanaku, Lidija Praizović, Marcel Beyer, Corina Sabau, Hakan Lager, Emmanuel Adely, Emmanuelle Pagano, Ervina Halili, Faruk Šehić, Lamija Begagić, Mark Livin, Annica Wennström, Ingvar von Malmborg, Olja Stojanova, Sylvain Prudhomme, Lars Einar Engstrom, Lena Ollmark, Lidija Praizović, Marko Tomaš, Olja Stojanova, Tomas Havlik, Olle Bergman, Rumena Bužarovska, Shpetim Selmani, Arber Selmani, Tea Tulić, Tibor Hrs Pandur, Senka Marić, Dejan Koban, Davorin Lenko, Maja Ručević, Matilde Walter Clark, Betina Eger, Johen Šmit, Božo Repe, Inna Volosevych, Đorđe Žarković, Milena Radušić, Kozmin Perca, Edin Omerović, Andriy Lyubka, Iya Kiva, Tetyana Pyankova, Simon Stranger, Ognjen Spahić, Barbi Marković, Lejla Kalamujić, Marija Dejanović, Ennis Ćehić, Dhurata Hoti, Hana Korneti, Elan Grug Muse, Larysa Lebedivna, Kat Storace, Emyr Wallace Humphreys, Marie Van Effenterre, Elena Prendjova, Rebekka Zeinzinger, Valentina Marconi, Miguel Roan, Maša Dabić, Ekaterina Petrova, Iakovos Anyfantakis, Iztok Vrenčur, Julia Brovarna, Pol Guasch, Anna Lutsiuk, Hanna Tryfonova-Yanovska, Seran Demiral, Ben Andoni, and others.

In 2022, with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, we made a decision to prioritize offering KROKODILs RESIDENCY as a safe haven for Ukrainian authors and cultural workers affected by the conflict. Over the subsequent three years, 15 Ukrainian writers (often with the members of their families), including some of the most prominent figures in their country’s contemporary literature and thought, participated in the program.

Recently, at the start of 2024, it temporarily became the home for the 14-member Palestinian family Al Najar, who, with our support, escaped from Gaza and settled in Serbia. As socially responsible individuals, the family has engaged actively in various activities with us, including the traditional International Women’s Day march.

KROKODILs RESIDENCY program plays a vital role in strengthening cultural ties across borders, promoting dialogue, and supporting writers, particularly those in exile or affected by conflicts and hardships. We are now seeking your support to sustain and expand this invaluable program, ensuring that talented individuals across Europe continue to have a stable platform to produce, share, and transform their ideas and stories.

HOW to HELP

Your small contribution will directly impact exceptional talents and foster a vibrant, diverse cultural landscape. We invite you to join us in supporting KROKODILs RESIDENCY and its mission to nurture creativity and defend freedom of expression.

Donations can be made in one of the following ways:

IN SERBIAN DINARS:
Account No.: 170-0030039599021-59
Udruženje KROKODIL, Karađorđeva 43, 11000 Beograd

IN EUROS:
IBAN: RS35170003003959900122
SWIFT: BACXRSBG
Udruzenje KROKODIL, Karađorđeva 43/2, 11000 Belgrade, UniCredit Bank Serbia A.D.

IN USD:
IBAN: RS35170003003959900995
SWIFT: BACXRSBG
Udruzenje KROKODIL, Karađorđeva 43/2, 11000 Belgrade, UniCredit Bank Serbia A.D.

PayPal:
office@krokodil.rs

During the past 13 years KROKODILs RESIDENCY has been supported by various organisations, Embassies, Cultural Institutes and organisations such as:

Polish Institut in Belgrade, Austrian Cultural Forum, Goethe-Institut Belgrad, Institut Français de Serbie, Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Belgrade, Embassy of Sweden in Belgrade, Swedish Institute, Embassy of Belgium in Belgrade, Embassy of Switzerland, Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade, NORLA, ERSTE Foundation, ERSTE Bank, European Cultural Foundation, Heinrich Böll Stiftung Belgrade, Traduki, European Comission via Creative Europe and Europe for Citizens Program and others.

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About the KROKODIL Association 

The KROKODIL Association is among the few independent, non-partisan civil society organizations in Serbia working in the fields of culture and literature. It also actively advocates for responsible behavior by government institutions, civil society, and media, promoting democratic values and civic activism. As a think-and-do tank, KROKODIL aims to uphold the rule of law and strengthen Serbia’s path toward the European Union, emphasizing programs that promote human rights, freedoms, and civic engagement in its geopolitical context.

KROKODIL Festival 

Since its establishment in 2009, KROKODIL has organized the annual KROKODIL Literary Festival. Originally conceived as a regional event dedicated to dialogue, reconciliation, and rebuilding connections—especially in the overlapping regions of the Western Balkans and Southeast Europe—the festival has evolved into one of the most distinctive and popular cultural events in the region. It explores pressing cultural, political, and social issues of contemporary relevance.

Over its 17 editions, the festival has combined various formats such as readings, sofa interviews, panel discussions, workshops, press conferences, films, and other audiovisual content. It has hosted hundreds of distinguished writers, artists, and public figures from numerous countries, including Bernhard Schlink, Margaret Atwood, Irvine Welsh, Hanif Kureishi, László Krasznahorkai, Erlend Loe, Georgi Gospodinov, Dubravka Ugrešić, Sara Stridsberg, Arnon Grunberg, Hassan Blasim, Mathias Enard, Aleksandar Hemon, Mira Furlan, Boris Buden, Ivan Krastev, Ariana Harwicz, Rumena Bužarovska, and many others.

The festival has cultivated a large, loyal, and engaged public audience, with more than:

• 65,000+ visitors
• 2,500+ participants
• 115+ programs
• 25+ events in other European cities
• An annual regional media reach exceeding 350,000, with a media value of over 500,000 euros