politics
March 23, 2026
We Will Not Be a Passive Target
Despite the strategy of exhaustion, bureaucratic sabotage, mobbing, and blackmail, the motivation for resistance persists. Cultural workers increasingly recognize common problems and try to connect.
TL;DR
- Cultural freedom in Serbia is under pressure through bureaucracy, political influence, and institutional control.
- The Zajednica umetnosti i kulture (ZUK) has documented numerous cases of pressure, dismissals, and project blockages in the cultural sector.
- A roundtable discussion at CZKD brought together cultural workers from various cities to share experiences and plan joint actions.
- Pressures include bureaucratic obstructions, financial blockages, mobbing, and political interference, particularly affecting cultural workers in smaller towns.
- Independent cultural initiatives, like 'Klara i Rosa' in Subotica, operate with minimal institutional support and face obstacles in using public spaces and collaborating with schools.
- The play 'Romeo and Juliet' involving high school students from different linguistic backgrounds faced parental complaints and strained school collaboration.
- Proposed next steps include forming a legal team, international networking, and systematically documenting cases of repression.
- Cultural workers aim to show they will not be a passive target, emphasizing solidarity with other professional groups.
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