During the past celebratory days, a jubilee was celebrated! Matica Montenegrin celebrated 30 years of its existence and activity, during which it strove for the cultural, scientific, educational and political progress of Montenegro. Its mission to strengthen the national consciousness of a small, brave and daring people is actually a story about responding to challenges that, unfortunately, mostly arose and are arising as a result of wrong decisions by the authorities and institutional negligence in Montenegro in relation to external influences and internal problems. Matica Montenegrin, with its overall engagement, pointed out in a systematic and constructive way that the troubles for our country and its unity are constantly repeated according to old propaganda and that until now the deniers of Montenegrin identity, destroyers of civil harmony and promoters of hate speech have never been held accountable for their actions. It should also be noted that there was no silence about (un)intentional institutional, personnel and management failures after May 21, 2006!
Even in the very date of the founding Assembly of Matica Montenegrin, there is symbolism of interculturality and millennial permanence, because May 22 commemorates the holy Prince Vladimir Dukljanski. The cult of this saint has had a regional and multi-confessional character throughout the centuries, while the beginnings of our national identity are linked to his personality and the period in which he lived. Intercultural competence can be recognized in the program guidelines of Matica Montenegrin, as well as in each of its 1.200 planned activities so far. The Council of Europe defined intercultural competence as an overall activity during which diversity is respected, reacts appropriately in interaction with advocates of opposite points of view, but also how to effectively promote one's authenticity that does not deny one's multiple cultural belonging.
During 1993, when Matica Montenegrin was founded, there were identity tensions in our public discourse that are irresistibly similar to today's, while some institutional developments were very worrying. How much Montenegro has not moved away from some topics is best confirmed by the event that took place in Cetinje during the holding of a scientific meeting in the Government House on Petar II Petrović Njegoš. The assembled academicians of SANU and CANU, bishop Amfilohi Radović, were sung the song that will become our national anthem and they were shouted: "Treason, betrayal. This is not Serbia". Discontinuing the international symposium on Njegoš expressed civil displeasure over "the sale of Montenegrin values, including Njegoš to Serbia". In the same year, the second round of presidential elections was held, the second in a row since the introduction of multi-party system in Montenegro, but the re-elected president Momir Bulatović, in front of Njegoše Biljarda, experienced discomfort from a group of young men who hit his official vehicle and shouted: "Traitor, murderer , thieves, bastards of Slobodan Milošević, you betrayed Montenegro". Even then, Montenegro was a meeting place for those who left their homelands because of the war. According to the records of the Red Cross and the reports of the Commissariat for Refugees of the Government of Montenegro from 1993, there were as many as 64.244 refugees in Montenegro from the territory of the former SFRY who were affected by the civil war!
Possibly the most significant event from the year when Matica Montenegrin was founded was the initiation of the reconstruction of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church in Cetinje during Lučindan. This religious act cannot be interpreted outside of the then and present social dynamics or the principle according to which national, ideological and value identification continues to take place in our society. The concept of religiosity, not only among citizens of the Orthodox faith, but also among members of other confessions in Montenegro, is not sufficient by itself and is often presented by religious teachers as part of a broader collective definition. Therefore, it should not be surprising if religious affiliation in certain or all cases has a political connotation. When members of a certain religious community are suggested how they should decide according to internal (e.g. how to vote in elections) or external processes, i.e. what attitude they should take towards events in the environment, then it is no longer possible to talk about only the religious, but also and how it works on a political subject. Matica Montenegrin was among the first to detect this clerical matrix and clearly pointed out its perniciousness. Even more, the devastation of the cultural and historical heritage, the confusion caused by the unscrupulous and non-transparent affirmation of national councils, the postponement of the legal regulation of the status of religious communities, the indecisive affirmation of the Montenegrin language, the absence of coordinated activities to protect national and state identity, as well as the institutionalization of relations with emigration are only some of the topics whose urgency was pointed out by Matica Montenegrin.
What should be paid tribute to this organization of intellectuals is its constant willingness to participate in solving more demanding and important social issues. Unlike status-privileged public employees of all professions, university professors and academics who were almost always silent observers of disastrous events, Matica Montenegrin always tried to take an appropriate position! That's why it's not surprising that the Matica Assembly's open call to all interested institutions and intellectuals to join forces in the drafting of a strategic document that would project a new vision of rounding off the Montenegrin identity, as well as the socio-economic development of the country. Against this backdrop is the necessity of designing coordinated activities to meet the Population Census of Montenegro!
Hebrew word emeth means "truth", but if the first of the three consonants is crossed out (in Hebrew the initial sound of the word emeth reproduces with one consonant) that make up that word, will remain method and it means "dead". If we ignore Hebrew grammar, we immediately notice that our spelling actually lacks the first vowel. Since we know that vowels vibrate freely with the vocal cords, and that thanks to them syllables are formed, there is a clear insinuation for the ending of this text. Our institutions will become dead if they do not "flicker" with free and open work and do not start creating harmony in our society. The most important thing is that they finally speak up, that is, stop hiding the truth!
Bonus video:
