If it is not a free culture, it turns into bare propaganda

Ranko Vuković is an interlocutor with whom it is possible (and pleasant) to discuss many topics. From social theory to nostalgic memories of the years when Podgorica and Montenegro were ravaged by the exciting FIAT virus.

However, today he is mostly occupied with his job as the head of the Danilovgrad Cultural Center. However, even from such a position, it is not easy to fight for the right attitude towards culture...

When asked about the state of cultural institutions in Danilovgrad, the interlocutor of "ART Vijesti" says:

The native museum is located in the former Castle of King Nikola, it leaks and is unsecured

"In terms of construction, the cultural institutions in Danilovgrad are in an advanced stage of total disintegration and total unusability, especially the building of the Cultural Center, one of the most important buildings in the city, which is right on the banks of the Zeta River.

This building has its own historical and architectural value, and it is in a very poor condition. The native museum is located in the former Castle of King Nikola, it leaks and is unsecured.

Although I know that now there are great difficulties in financing in the whole of Montenegro, including in Danilovgrad, I think that the local administration must make the reconstruction and renovation of those facilities one of its priorities.

In the next period, we have to fulfill the legal requirements and establish two more independent institutions because currently the Center includes the Museum and the Library, which according to the new law must be independent institutions or the city does not have them."

Do you think it is good that the Museum and Library are no longer under the auspices of the Cultural Center?

"I think that this law is good because a serious city must have its own museum and its own library. I often hear voices saying that books are an outdated thing, that libraries are not even necessary. I think these are quite superficial opinions that do not go into the essence of the problem.

Those thoughts that maybe someone has the right to see culture exclusively as consumption, however, culture is a much deeper process, a much deeper need of citizens than perhaps some financiers see it as a pure loss or a waste of money."

What are the plans of the Culture Center for the next period?

"I believe that in the next period, the first and only task of all of us who deal with culture in Danilovgrad and the entire local administration is to throw all our energies into the renovation of cultural institutions so that they can function properly."

What needs to be renovated?

"I will cite just one example. Today, we have a cinema hall that is quite uncomfortable and in which it is difficult to carry out any serious theater project. The technology used to show films is over 55 years old, and we know what the modern requirements of the auditorium are. I think that there are major reconstructions to bring the hall in order for cinema and theater performances."

Is it easy to engage in culture in small towns like Danilovgrad?

"In small towns, dealing with culture is very complicated. We are in a quadrangle, if there is some synergy, the cultural offer can be of high quality and the citizens can be satisfied, however, if there are any problems in that quadrangle, then the citizens suffer the most.

When I say quadrangle, I mean cultural institutions, their capacities, the capacities of their management, finances and the government's relationship with cultural institutions."

How does that quadrangle work in Danilovgrad?

"I think that everything is not right in Danilovgrad at the moment. I don't want to blame anyone individually, but I think that Danilovgrad is ripe to sit down, talk about culture and come up with at least some frameworks for the city's cultural policy.

In that case, it would be much easier for the cultural institutions themselves and the management team in those institutions to have a profiled cultural identity of the city, cultural policy of the city, and it would be much easier to deal with culture than when we have to go from case to case, sporadically, when we have to improvise.

On the other hand, our wishes and cultural aspirations probably do not coincide with what someone who finances cultural programs would like, which in this case is the Municipality of Danilovgrad."

What are the consequences of that?

"Until the true goals of cultural policy are defined in Danilovgrad, there will always be conflicts and disputes. Of course, no one is right here, and the citizens are always at a loss. I believe that the city must find optimal solutions in cultural policy and, according to these optimal solutions, find and staffing. It seems to me that at this moment staffing solutions are an obstacle to the development of culture in the city."

Who do you mean?

"I am thinking of myself, because maybe the management of Danilovgrad perceives that I cannot fulfill their relationship and their goals in culture, which are not entirely clear to me. But if an individual is a hindrance, the least problem is for that individual to leave, to bring in people who know which is culture.

I think that before that we should open a debate about the cultural needs of the city, the cultural identity of the city, the spirit of the city - so let's see. It would be a bigger mistake to bring a worse one, and there are certainly better ones, and there would be no problems if only the policy was defined according to culture and cultural institutions."

What is the Montenegrin cultural scene like in your opinion?

"As there is no culture without diversity, each approach to the cultural milieu is also different, that is, everything depends from which angle and from which place the problem is viewed. For the Montenegrin cultural scene, it must be stated that there is a huge difference between the cultural offer in Podgorica, the coastal municipalities and what is happening in central Montenegro and in the north.

The difference is huge, and of course PG and the littoral have a great advantage in terms of the development of cultural institutions, financing opportunities, offers, programs, audience interest, etc.

State institutions sporadically produce programs that will be watched by people from the north, but that is not enough. Many people do not even agree with that concept, but in any case, it is better that something happens than complete deadness."

Is it possible to bridge the gap between cultural offerings in Montenegrin regions?

"I think that in this sense, big problems await us in the future if something important does not change in the approach to the problem itself. Cultural policy in Montenegro is a dominantly state concept, which is not surprising, because here it is difficult to create a market concept or model of cultural policy due to impoverished market and low standards.

Of course, the state, on the one hand, has a big role to satisfy all Montenegrin regions on the one hand, and on the other hand, to create such a social and cultural climate that would support social independent alternative initiatives."

Has the climate for intercultural dialogue been created?

"That this climate does not yet exist can best be ascertained by asking one question, whether it is currently possible in Montenegro to have a dialogue between writers who see themselves as Montenegrins and those who identify themselves as Serbs. In Montenegro, it is known approximately exactly at which manifestation this or that member of a national community will receive an award.

We must not turn a blind eye to this because we are all aware of this situation. In the basis of Montenegrin identity, it is possible to affirm those generally accepted values ​​and possibilities such as freedom, democracy, tolerance, dialogue. In such an atmosphere, all other issues open up, in a much more relaxed and peaceful way, such as issues of nation, language, church."

What is our cultural heritage?

"We as a society have an extremely difficult and unfavorable heritage when it comes to culture. It seems to me that in many minds the concepts inherited from some time before the Berlin Wall have not yet been overcome. The worst thing is if such concepts are also present in those places where decisions are made about culture, and there is that.

Of course, those habits are the most difficult to change. The process of getting to democracy from authoritarianism is not easy, not only in order to fix society, but that process is painful in our heads, and interests often decide about it. This is where the cultural identity of us as a society and us as individuals is in a big problem.

Is culture free?

"Culture can only be free. If it is not free, then it is not culture, it turns into ideology or worse, into bare propaganda. Here, the role of us, the cultural workers, is huge and we have a great responsibility to create such models of cultural policy that are not ideological and which develop in the individual those cultural needs that produce criticality, doubt, skepticism, i.e. force us to conquer ever larger areas of freedom.

Recently, Professor Filip Kovačević wrote an outstanding article about the famous Marcuseian triad of democracy - rebellion - domination. Culture is one of the essential elements to bring that triad closer to the ideal of domination - rebellion - freedom.

Of course, the great crisis that has been going on for a century can be solved for the worse, but we must do everything and believe that society is approaching this third member of the triad - freedom."

For a long time, you were the director of the Podgorica Youth Center, Budo Tomović. What did you do for Montenegrin culture then?

"One of the most memorable and beautiful periods in my career was the position of director of Dom omladine in Podgorica. Of course, the time I worked in Podgorica was quite difficult due to many factors and the financial and political turbulence that existed in Montenegrin society at the time, the cultural climate, cultural atmosphere etc.

However, I remember with the greatest pride a big Montenegrin project and with great regret I state today that that project did not come to life the way we imagined when we were making it."

What project is it about?

"It's about FIAT, the Festival of International Alternative Theater. In my opinion, it was a very significant project that triggered enormous energy in Montenegro, especially among younger people who had the need to express themselves in an alternative way, to put their ideas into action, and they did not have access to those official, established institutions."

Who did that festival?

"The main bearers of that work were Slobodan Milatović, Džoni Hodžić and I, who may have been the director at the time, but with great energy, enthusiasm and love I worked on that festival."

Was that project successful?

"FIAT, which was started somewhere in the mid-90s of the last century, especially the first two festivals, according to the evaluations of many, had top quality. Top creators came to Podgorica. FIAT itself as a festival, the city of Podgorica and the state of Montenegro then networked into one a huge network of alternative theaters that exist in the world.

The result of that was our guest appearance in New York at the famous "La Mama" theater with Ellen Stewart, where we experienced a good reception, which resulted in Ellen, the legend of the world's alternative theater, coming to Podgorica and opening a FIAT."

What happened to FIAT?

"At that time, FIAT shut down due to the bombing, but we kept it going. In Paris, people gathered and talked about our festival, and one year our link with them was Prince Nikola Petrović. Later he ceased to exist, I think that a big mistake by the state of Montenegro and the city of Podgorica, which had the capacity to maintain it.

Now there is an initiative to rebuild it. I don't know how smart it is after all this time, but Podgorica certainly deserves a similar festival. It should be done at full capacity and on a full scale, as we did in those years when time was less kind to us than it is today."

Does Montenegro need such cultural programs?

"Montenegro in its history, not only culturally but also politically, always needed an alternative, and it seems to me that the then established cultural institutions, established cultural programs and cultural policy got a real alternative with the launch of FIAT, which was a continuation of the Yugoslav alternative festival theater.

Did FIAT reach its goal?

"The unrealized goal is that the festival did not come to life because it had a good foundation and could grow into a great Montenegrin institution. There were attempts to establish it, for other cultural institutions to participate in the organization of FIAT, but I think it was a mistake in which I participated.

Unfortunately, FIAT had no chance or perspective, and Podgorica deserves something similar. FIAT itself had elements of both subversion and self-destruction, because it did not have financial autonomy."

Politicians want followers, not critical individuals

"The worst thing is apologetics and populism in culture, especially in the provinces. Politicians are often not immune to such an understanding of culture and I somewhat understand them. They need the masses. They need followers, not critical individuals.

That the dilemma of utilities or culture is not posed, but of utilities and culture

They may benefit from this in the short term, but individuals, citizens, society, and ultimately the state are always at a loss in the long term. That is why dialogue, synergy is needed in order to spend the scarce resources for culture as wisely as possible in favor of authentic consumers of culture and the development of cultural needs as basic, as necessary.

That the dilemma of utilities or culture is not posed, but of utilities and culture. Culture should not be seen as pure consumption but also as a basic, authentic, human need. Let's remember that even in the most extreme conditions, people had the need to fulfill themselves culturally or that they had an overwhelming need for culture."

Develop a climate for intercultural dialogue

"Discussions about identity issues are now popular. Culture must play a huge role in that, in the sense that all segments of Montenegrin society are included in that story. First of all, it is necessary to create a democratic and tolerant atmosphere when discussing these issues.

It is not enough to state that Montenegrin society is multicultural, that is a fact. It is necessary to insist and develop the climate for intercultural dialogue. Cultures must permeate, affirm, get to know each other, maintain constant communication so that Montenegro becomes an example of a model of cultural integration, and not, God forbid, cultural or any assimilation.

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