The first evening of the KROKODIL Festival in Novi Sad kicked off with the \u2018Debate on Europe\u2019. It was moderated by journalist Marina Fratucan and the participants were Aida \u0106orovi\u0107, Dragan Bursa\u0107 and Boris De\u017eulovi\u0107. \u2018I wish I could welcome you in a city that didn\u2019t have fascist graffiti\u2019, said Marina Fratucan at the beginning of the debate, adding that fascism on the walls was sadly not a new topic, just a revived one. \u2018A wall is the space through which fascism communicates with the public. It is simply a public space, and scribbling graffiti is nothing else but pissing on history, marking a territory\u201d, Boris De\u017eulovi\u0107 said. He added that in the 1970s and 1980s, graffiti was a subversive idea, which was now taken over by the right-wingers. \u2018Over the past ten years, we\u2019ve witnessed a full comeback of the 1990s, in a big way. All of the same people are here except for Slobodan Milo\u0161evi\u0107. This thing with the mural is a clear signal, and the government is saying, \u2018Yes, Ratko Mladi\u0107 is our hero, we\u2019ve committed genocide, we stand behind it, we\u2019ll do it again if we get the chance\u2019, said activist Aida \u0106orovi\u0107 commenting on the mural in Belgrade\u2019s Njego\u0161eva Street. \u2018The state systemically stands behind these people, these individuals. The individuals who draw the graffiti are simply the tools that do the job and that\u2019s it. Everything else is either the state or an entity, there is no doubt about it\u2019, observed Dragan Bursa\u0107, agreeing that the situation was not better in Bosnia and Herzegovina either. Boris De\u017eulovi\u0107 admitted that he couldn\u2019t be optimistic about what was happening, \u2018We can always do worse, our capacity and resources to do the worst are infinite\u2019. Dragan Bursa\u0107, however, believes that it will be better in 2044 if people started working with their children today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GIGANTOMACHY: Which is \u2018better\u2019: Belgrade Waterfront or Novi Sad Waterfront? In this popular KROKODIL format, historian Dubravka Stojanovi\u0107 and writer, art historian and civil activist, Novi Neboj\u0161a Milenkovi\u0107, exchanged views on the current urban planning issues. In a verbal duel where each side was given 3 minutes to respond before the bell rang, numerous contradictions between these two projects were exposed.
Milenkovi\u0107 emphasised the role of the citizens: \u2018The ruling political caste has killed what democracy, what elections, are all about. Winning the elections doesn\u2019t mean becoming the owner of a city. Citizens own their cities. It\u2019s just that they have forgotten they do\u2019. Dubravka\u2019s quip that \u2018investors are now the owners of the city\u2019 gave the theme a new framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the segment called \u2018At the Podium\u2019, Boris Buden gave a talk titled \u201cThe West at War: On the Self-Enclosure of the Liberal Mind\u2019. The philosopher, cultural theorist and publicist spoke about the conflict in Ukraine and how it related to the Balkan experience of conflict throughout history. Quoting August Cesarec, \u2018Because only a terrible cry over the meaninglessness accelerates the whisper of a new meaning\u2019, Buden stressed the need to protest loudly against the reality of a meaningless war. Because the potential for the situation to escalate is endless.
When it comes to what the West is today, Buden said that it\u2019s hard to tell. In the context of war, this is a conflict between two identity blocs, the West and the Russian world. But it is hard to define the West. If this is a conflict between two identities, Putin\u2019s opposition has the wrong perception because it interprets everything either through the West or through Putin. Since there is nothing in between, there is no developed critical thought and it is this very situation that makes it possible for him to rule for such a long time. Buden sees many inconsistencies in Putin\u2019s reasons for aggression: Denazification of Ukraine \u2013 where he had to start from Russia and the ultra-right position: \u2018I am all for denazification. Let\u2019s start from Putin himself\u201d; Demilitarisation \u2013 which is not realistic because it needs to include all three parties (the West, Ukraine and Russia): It\u2019s too late for it; NATO getting closer \u2013 not enough of a reason to start a war.
Buden pointed out that whether Russia won the war or not, it will not cease to exist as such. Which is important in the context of future international relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The charismatic philosopher\u2019s incredible talk gave us a lot of food for thought. Another interesting point was that in Bolshevik Russia, in 1918, women had the right to divorce, abortion was legalised, homosexuality was decriminalised, and transgender marriages were allowed. A hundred years later, we are where we are. But we have the Krokodil Festival, to make us think and wonder. A literary regional gathering that alleviates boredom and lethargy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report was prepared by KROKODIL journalists for a day Sanja Uro\u0161evi\u0107 and Milica \u0110or\u0111evi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project Journalist for a Day \u2013 Journalists against Racism is implemented as part of Reporting Diversity Network 2.0 funded by the European Union.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n