After less than five months since the 13th International Podgorica Book and Education Fair, Podgorica is once again hosting a literary event, organized by the Secretariat for Culture and Sport of the Capital City, which is also a sponsor of the event, along with the Ministry of Culture and Education and Capital Plaza. How much money was allocated for the organization of this book fair, from the Secretariat for Culture and Sports of the Capital City, they did not respond to "Vijesti" yesterday, due to, as they stated, pre-planned activities related to the organization of the event.
It is known that the Ministry of Culture "Decision on the co-financing of programs and projects of importance for the realization of public interest in the field of cultural and artistic creativity" allocated 15.000 euros for the 4th International Book Fair in Podgorica, and the rest of the fair's income (from the budget of the Capital City, the Ministry of Education or Capital Plaza) are not known.
The program of this manifestation was not publicly available until yesterday morning, nor was it forwarded to the "Vijesti" culture editorial office.
"The project of organizing a book fair is one of the most significant new projects of the Secretariat for Culture and Sports of the Capital City of Podgorica. With this project, we want to improve the conditions for the work of publishing companies, to improve the status of Montenegrin authors, to strengthen cultural ties with individuals, companies and institutions from the countries of the region and the world. The book fair is one of the best opportunities to send a message to authors, publishers, translators and literary agents from the region and the world that we expect them in modern Podgorica, a city with great cultural potential", says the secretary of the Secretariat for Culture Nela Savković-Vukčević, MSc.
The new edition of the International Book Fair starts today in the atrium of Capital Plaza and will last until October 6. This year's fair, says the artistic director Assoc. Vladimir Vojinović, Ph.D., is taking a turn towards the festival arrangement of accompanying programs, and they will be aimed at children and youth, and they are also bringing a series of forums called "Montenegrin conversations" where they will talk about "key problems of contemporary Montenegrin society".
"In addition to the fact that publications from publishing houses from Montenegro and abroad will also be presented this year, the accompanying programs are thematically conceived and focused on literature for children and youth. This very important segment of Montenegrin literature, which has been unfairly neglected during the last two decades, will receive the place it deserves during the fair, and our authors will have the opportunity to exchange experiences with colleagues from abroad during the fair and eventually come to conclusions that could improve their status. literature for children and youth in Montenegro. On the other hand, during the days of the fair, we will have the opportunity to hear theses about the key problems of contemporary Montenegrin society, within the framework of a series of forums called 'Montenegrin conversations'", Vojinović said.
"Our authors", as stated in the program of the fair, are: Goran Sekulović, Slobodan Čukić, Miodrag-Mijo Popović, Adnan Čirgić, Novak Kilibarda, Aleksandra Vuković, Dragana Tripković, Živko Andrijašević, Željko Milović...
The organizers point out that more than 60 publishing houses and exhibitors and about 100 participants in accompanying programs are represented in the program, among which are: Algoritam (Croatia), Fraktura (Croatia), Geopoetika (Serbia), Karl Hanser Verlag (Germany), which is the only participant outside the territory of the former Yugoslavia, Superknjižara (Croatia), Poeteka (Albania), Nova knjiga and Narodna knjiga iz Montenegro, Naklada Ljevak (Croatia) and others...
Stickers on Viber to promote Božidar Vuković Podgoričanin
The Secretariat for Culture and Sports of Podgorica, preparing the 4th edition of the International Book Fair, created Viber stickers as part of the package "Božo medju knjiga" in the image of the famous Montenegrin printer Božidar Vuković Podgoricanin, who, they say, is the face of the fair.
"In the spirit of literature for the youngest, this year the International Book Fair painted the campaign with cheerful tones and got a face - the image of God. That character was created after Božidar Vuković Podgoricanin, a famous Montenegrin historical figure, and in just a month he became a favorite of Podgorica children, who will have the opportunity to win a prize for their school, which is named Božidar, at the masquerade ball at the fair, imitating the characters from the reading books. Vuković Podgoričanin", it is written in the catalog of the fair, and the artistic director Assoc. Dr. Vojinović. The Viber campaign was launched at the end of July, and the stickers were made by Restart IT.
"The Viber sticker campaign is an attempt to turn things around so that modern forms of communication draw us to the book, and not away from the book. We always had our little ones in mind, who are inseparable from smartphones, tablets and computers. I believe that this is a model by which modern technologies can help us bring children back, or at least introduce them to Gutenberg's invention", believes Vojinović.
No explanation was offered as to how stickers on Viber will introduce children to the character and work of Božidar Vuković Podgoričanin or to "Gutenberg's invention", nor how stickers on Viber can restore the popularity of books.
The view of writer Đur Radosavović: "State intellectuals" finally got their own fair
The very fact that in Podgorica after the "International Book Fair" the state approves the installation of the "International Book Fair" speaks of the purpose and goal of that fair.
The fair that already existed gathered important and quality writers, both from the region and even great world writers. He had an excellent and popular program.
Despite this, the Ministry of Culture, the city and the Government meet the "state intellectuals" who wanted to have their own fair at all costs and they got it.
They were so creative that in addition to the existing International Fair, they named theirs as the International Fair. Their ranges are read in the name.
One interest group, under the guise of patriotism and literature, proves its loyalty by organizing parallel cultural events.
This is how we close ourselves in boxes, narrow our consciousness and become a conservative society.
Our second fair is called international for nothing, and the guests who "prove" internationality are for nothing, when the essence of that fair is to expose unsuitable fairs, writers and intellectuals.
But if the state allocates so much money for Mija's ARS magazine (25.000 euros out of the 41.000 distributed), let it pour for the fair as well, but when it's like that, they could have called it 'Our Fair' instead of 'International'. It would be fairer.
Bonus video:
