The non-governmental organization Korifej, the organizer of the international theater festival of the same name, requested a significant increase in support for theater production and for the organization of the festival.
In the suggestions for the draft Decision on the budget of the municipality of Kolašin for the next year, it was proposed that the budget for the Coryfej festival be increased to 25.000 euros, and an identical amount, they claim, must be provided for by a separate item - for professional theater production.
"Most of these funds, as in previous years, will certainly come from the Ministry's competition. Please do not forget that we are the only professional theater in the north of the country and that in the previous period we proudly carried the name of Kolašin at respectable festivals, where our plays won awards and notable reviews. Our theater troupe realizes a large number of programs in Kolašin, as well as in the country and region, which contributes to the visibility of Kolašin in the wider area. The significance of the theater for education, culture and youth is immeasurable, but also for cultural tourism...", explain the signatories of the proposal.
They remind that during this year, 38.000 euros were allocated for theater activities in Kolašin, according to official data. This, they claim, is "seductive information and can lead to the thought that the Municipality really allocated that money".
As they explain, of those 38.000 euros, the Ministry of Culture and Media allocated 30.000, which means that "the essential investment of the Municipality in the theater is only 8.000 euros in the whole year".
"Regarding the Korifej festival, the municipality transferred funds in the amount of 18.000 euros to the NGO Korifej theater, but we must not forget that the Ministry of Culture and Media co-financed this project with 10.000 euros through a competition for the development of culture in the north. All this based on the project submitted to the competition by the Secretariat for Social Activities (which we wrote and prepared). Therefore, the Municipality allocated 8.000, and the Ministry the rest", explains the NGO Korifej.
They also claim that the Ministry allocated 20.000 euros for their new play, and the Municipality of Kolašin "zero euros". This is an "incredible drop" compared to the previous period, when, as they point out, the Municipality allocated 5.000 to 10.000 euros for that item.
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