Does anyone remember the closing ceremony of the oldest pastry shop in town? When the citizens of Podgorica/Titograd stood in front of "Korzo" and said goodbye to the era of homemade ice cream and kačamak champita. With touching speeches and applause, as if following a colleague into retirement, they watched as "Shtetni" put the key in the lock and another symbol of the city disappeared. If boza and burec had a religious affiliation, someone would say that a part of Islamized Podgorica has also disappeared.
And while in front of the closed pastry shop, nostalgic people invoked the spirit of Podgorica, few admitted that the city has long since ceased to resemble itself. She is less and less the "old lady" from Bož's holiday song, and more and more an urbanized version of Ruška Jakić. A made-up lady rewarded by following trends. And which, judging by pre-election promises, new fashion phases and facelifts are yet to follow.
Because it won't be long before the Podgorica containers will start to leak as soon as they are full, instead of littering the parks and streets. Ljubović will be a protected area and will defend, like the local Lovćen, the foundations of the ecological state from construction barbarians. The old town will finally be like Skadarlija, and the orchard that Belgrade failed to buy will cool again in Ribnica. Maybe the "neighbor" has died like a former mayor in the parliament, but at least there will be buses that are tracked via the app. The number of boulevards and underground garages will not be known, and where there is no foundation stone, we will draw murals on a free theme. We will ride the panoramic cable car and watch the grass turn green at the Budućnosti Stadium.
And in order to achieve that, the wannabe mayors have to make sacrifices in these mild pre-election days.
Due to his dreams of a metropolis, Doctor Nermin suffers from amnesia and promises to restore the city that the DPS villas have been destroying for decades. Just because of those dreams, the head of state takes a break from representing all citizens, insults journalists and interviews Luka in election videos. No one asks about Luka's blue and white heart, but everyone asks for his student index. Because of the campaign, the minister/professor has every desk in his office, and the Frontas promise asphalt and citizenship for every future voter. So that the faithful citizen does not sin at the polling station, Professor Zdravko and the holy fathers are here to explain which candidate is Aksios. For those who were not chosen by the heavens, it remains to approve a monument in the campaign with a commemorative photo next to the bier.
But when we come down to earth from pre-election videos - my dears, this is not good.
Because while containers with chips are being promised, the streets stink of dirt and Splinter's rat armies are conquering city neighborhoods. The old town lies in fatigue while buildings are growing around it, and the godfathers and comrades are preparing to finally take over the left bank of the Morača. The bike lanes have faded, but riders still travel through the city like the company of the ring to Mordor. When there are no holiday markets and prides, Trg slobode turns into a Sutomore promenade where teddy bears play and children's jeeps race. Afternoon corsage has long been a GTA, because the dawn is shared by the crowded Freedom Street, they drive undisturbed like Tito in May 1976.
There are no spider-vehicles or municipal policemen who can tame 90 thousand PG plates, so the whole city has become a parking lot where "I'll be there in five minutes" has turned into "let's go and leave him". Cars crowd the sidewalks like passengers on city buses and everyone dreams of the day when city parks will become green parking lots. Horses and cows have been grazing on them for a long time anyway, because children stop by only when they need to break out the benches and swings. Instead of trees, buildings grow on the edges of Gorica and Ljubovići, from which the newly minted elite listen to the remaining birds and see more than those under the hill.
And the president says that bad government happens when good people don't vote. You know from experience that a bad government collapses when disaffected people take to the streets. So remember what doctors, professors and students promise you today and ask them to fulfill at least something tomorrow.
They don't have to build underground garages right away, but they could drive the spider even past the election campaign. Until the leaky containers arrive, at least these old ones should be emptied regularly. Buildings can be built past Gorica and Ljubovići, and some sidewalks should be left for pedestrians. Or at least they can plant a tree for every vote won, as some have promised. Well, from some forests and from others a row of trees.
And if in a few years they don't like the way the city looks, the citizens of Podgorica/Titograd should not be nostalgic on the streets but rather defend what is left of Podgorica. Until the city or the city government returns to their winkl.
Bonus video:
