The presentation of the improved artistic and programming concept with the developed visual identity of the project "Budva 2028 - European Capital of Culture, candidate city" was held on Thursday evening under the slogan "VRH: the path of the hero" organized by the Municipality of Budva and the Tourism Organization of the Municipality of Budva at the Citadel in Budva.
The European Capital of Culture is a project of the European Commission that was launched with the aim of celebrating the common values of all European nations through art and culture. Budva entered the finals of the fight for the European Capital of Culture in 2028.
The President of the Budva Municipal Assembly, Nikola Jovanović, addressed high dignitaries from the cultural, economic and political life of Montenegro, as well as representatives of embassies, the media and guests from the country and abroad, with words of welcome.
"The intention of the local administration and the Municipality of Budva is to put culture at the center of its overall future development and further strategic planning, because we believe that Budva, as an ancient city that is over 2,5 millennia old, should now experience its new era. To understand culture not only as an individual event: a concert, exhibition or performance that we may or may not go to, but to experience it in its full capacity where culture is a way of life. Then we can feel the benefits, not only culturally and economically, but also overall: the development of our society as a whole. We are optimistic that Budva will become the European Capital of Culture in 2028, we believe that the panel of experts will decide in that direction, and we look forward to the decision that will follow at the end of September this year," said Jovanović.
The Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Goran Đurović, expressed the hope that Budva will achieve this historic success together with Boka.
"I believe that Budva has great chances and that is why I am here to support this event. Budva has the great support of the Government of Montenegro and we are ready to do everything necessary for Budva to win this important title", said Đurović.
During the presentation, the draft of the program book was presented and the visual identity of the project was improved, and the new slogan "Top: the path of the hero" was revealed.
"I think that the biggest benefit, if we really became the European Capital of Culture for 2028, was the change in the awareness of our citizens about our city. A lot can be gained in the process itself, financial and logistical support from the European Union through projects intended for culture. If we organize everything we talked about in terms of infrastructure and programming, I think that Budva will look completely different in 2028, 2029 and beyond. It will be the same city, but it will put culture in its foundations, it will have an active cultural life throughout the year, it will be a city that lives throughout the year and where young people create. The final competition book, which will be submitted on August 28 this year, will represent an even more comprehensive development of the project with which Budva entered the final. The synergy of people from Budva and collaborators on the project, experienced professionals from our two sister cities, Novi Sad and Banja Luka, proved to be the best path that we want to bring to the finish line, heroic, with joint forces, to the top, we hope, the prestigious title of European Capital of Culture." , said Dr. Predrag Zenović, president of the Council for Culture of the Municipality of Budva.
"The artistic concept of the project that we designed, announced and presented last time was especially praised by the European Commission. Now we are working on its improvement metaphorically, following the path of the hero Cadmus, the first European hero and the founder of the city of Budva, in search of his sister Europe", said Dr. Monika Ponjavić, artistic director of the project and added "Even without a title, following the Strategy for the Development of the Culture of Budva , on which the municipal team is working intensively, we can follow the development we envisioned because the application with which we develop the art program is closely related to the City's Culture Development Strategy".
"The visual identity of the project through examples of good practice from other EPKs indicated the demanding need for a multi-layered meaning and merging of the catchphrase "VRH: path of the hero" of the identity symbolism of Budva through three eight-pointed stars, the program concept itself and the authentic purple color associated with Budva. The improved visual identity presented tonight is just the culmination of the creative but painstaking work on both competition books that started last year. In the final book, we wanted to enable simplicity in application and recognizability in further communication, which will result in victory, through a recognizable aesthetic and simplicity of expression," said Nemanja Milenković, program director of the "Budva 2028" project.
Budva participates in this project together with Kotor, Tivat and Herceg Novi, and the final stage of the application is before the candidates. On September 10, a panel of 19 experts from the European Commission will decide whether this prestigious title will be won by Budva or the opponent Skopje in 2028.
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