HATE POETRY WITH ZORAN KESIĆ AND DRAGAN ILIĆ AT THE XVIII KROKODIL FESTIVAL

26 Jun HATE POETRY WITH ZORAN KESIĆ AND DRAGAN ILIĆ AT THE XVIII KROKODIL FESTIVAL

On Saturday, July 4, at 2:45 PM, the Studio Stage of the KROKODIL Festival welcomes Hate Poetry—a program that proves humor is the most powerful shield against hatred and aggression. What happens when we read the most toxic comments, insults, and threats out loud in front of an audience? What might be painful in private becomes absurd, hilarious, and deeply liberating under the spotlight.

What exactly is Hate Poetry?

This original format was born in Berlin in 2012. The first event was informally organized by German-Turkish journalist Ebru Tašdemir and moderated by German-Croatian journalist and editor Doris Akrap. At the time, journalists of foreign descent, mostly of a left-wing political orientation, gathered at the Taz Café in Berlin to publicly read the racist, threatening, and insulting comments they received via social media or email. The result was empowering—turning someone’s anonymous hate into an object of public criticism, and even satire, disarms the attacker and empowers the target.

Following its great success in Germany, KROKODIL brought this format to Serbia, where it has been regularly organized over the years with the participation of our most prominent public figures. This time, in the role of the one reading “hate poetry” directed at his own work and personality, will be Zoran Kesić, while moderator Dragan Ilić will guide the conversation through this labyrinth of insults and threats.

Join us in exploring the phenomenon of digital aggression and the abuse of public space to terrorize those with differing views. Discover how we can combat a culture of hatred through humor, reason, and public exposure.

See you at KROKODIL!