Days of Serbian Culture: Difference between revisions

The Days of Serbian Culture (Croatian: Dani srpske kulture; Serbian: Дани српске културе, romanized: Dani srpske kulture) is an annual cultural event organized by the SKD Prosvjeta, the central independent cultural and scientific institution dedicated to promoting the culture of Serbs in Croatia.^[1] Established in 2006, the event serves as a platform for cultural exchange and cooperation between Serbian and Croatian cultural communities.^[2] Since 2018 it has expanded beyond Zagreb to include other cities across Croatia.^[3] The program includes film screenings, theatre performances, and other artistic events.^[2]

History

The 2022 Days of Serbian Culture in Zagreb and seven other Croatian cities focused on “Zagreb–Belgrade Connections”, highlighting artists who lived or worked across both cities over the past century.^[4] The program included the exhibition Tabula rasa showcasing works by Sava Šumanović, Neša Paripović and others.^[4]

The 2024 Days of Serbian Culture in Zagreb began with the official opening of the Serbian Cultural Center on a historic site returned to the Serb community.^[5] The event featured the exhibition Barbarogenij nadrealizma and focused on the work of Dušan Kovačević.^[5] Organizers emphasized the center’s role in fostering cultural exchange between Serbs and Croats, as well as broader cooperation with European artists.^[5]

2025 controversy

During the 2025 edition of the Days of Serbian Culture in Split, a folk performance was violently disrupted when a group of around fifty masked men stormed the venue, threatening performers and audience members.^[6][7] The event in Split overlapped with the opening of the new building of the new building of the Croatian National Theatre, Zagreb.^[8][9] The attackers reportedly shouted the slogan “Za dom spremni”, a salute associated with the World War II Ustasha regime of the Independent State of Croatia.^[6]

The incident was widely condemned by Croatian officials. President of Croatia Zoran Milanović called it a criminal act and urged prosecution of those responsible, while Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also denounced the attack and rejected accusations that his government tolerates right wing extremism.^[6][10] The opposition Social Democratic Party of Croatia described the event as a disgrace for Croatia and blamed the ruling Croatian Democratic Union for fostering an environment of intolerance.^[6] The Independent Union of Science and Higher Education called for the dismissal of Interior Minister Davor Božinović, criticizing his statement that the Torcida football fan group did not need to notify authorities before holding a protest in Split, arguing that his position was illegal, discriminatory, and undermined equality before the law.^[11] Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonči Glavina dismissed his special advisor Marko Žaja after Žaja, president of the Homeland Movement’s Split-Dalmatia branch, publicly supported the masked individuals who disrupted the event.^[12] The festival in Split was continued next day at the Alliance française building.^[13]

Shortly after the attack on the Days of Serbian Culture event in Split, a smaller gathering of several dozen masked men took place in front of the Serbian Cultural Center in Zagreb, where the same cultural manifestation was being held presenting artistic endowment of Dejan Medaković.^[14][15] The group, dressed mostly in black and wearing masks, sang nationalist songs including Croatia, an Independent State.^[14] They dispersed shortly after police arrived, and some individuals were identified and questioned before being released.^[14] Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stated that the choice of Dejan Medaković as the subject of the Zagreb exhibition was not appropriate given the sensitive timing in November.^[16] Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević strongly condemned the celebration of the colaborationist Independent State of Croatia and the threatening behavior of masked individuals emphasizing that Zagreb and Croatia are founded on the Constitution and the rule of law.^[17]

As part of the series of tensions following the Days of Serbian Culture events in Split and Zagreb, a right wing protesters gathered occurred in Rijeka outside the Centar Zamet during the Balkan Karate Championship, where the Serbian national team was participating, and around ten minors were present.^[18] The Croatian Ombudsperson for Children, Helenca Pirnat Dragičević, expressed concern about the rise of intolerance, hostility, and hate narratives affecting children, urging calm and the promotion of a tolerant and inclusive environment.^[18]

Following the incidents in Split, Zagreb and Rijeka tensions continued in Vukovar over the planned opening of the photography exhibition Serbian Women related to World War I in Serbia, organized by the Serbian Cultural Center Vukovar, the Joint Council of Municipalities and the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Vukovar.^[19] The exhibition was scheduled to open on 11 November 2025.^[19]

Vukovar Mayor Marijan Pavliček of Croatian Sovereignists party requested that the exhibition be postponed, citing the city’s annual commemoration of the 1991 Battle of Vukovar and describing November as a particularly sensitive period for local residents.^[19] The Joint Council of Municipalities stated that it had not received an official request to postpone the exhibition and invited the mayor to communicate through official channels, stressing that the exhibition carries an anti-war message.^[19] Croatian Minister of Culture and Media Nina Obuljen Koržinek supported this view, calling the timing of the exhibition “inappropriate” given the atmosphere of remembrance”.^[19] The Serbian Ministry of Culture condemned the postponement initiative, describing it as part of a “burden of revisionism” and claiming that expressions of Serbian culture were being systematically suppressed in Croatia.^[20]

References