We are here, all together, different, to come to a civilized agreement. What is terribly disturbing is that, just when it seems that we have become wiser and more mature as a people, we again see that everything is always the same and that it is repeated...
This sentence does not belong to political speech, nor to daily analysis of reality, but comes from the experience of an artist who has witnessed social breakdowns, ideological misconceptions and persistent cycles of repetition - mistakes, problems, circumstances, motivations... for decades on and off the stage. One of the most significant actresses of regional theater Dara Djokic For "Vijesti" he talks about all of this, without big words, but with a clear awareness of the times we live in and the responsibility it carries.
Although the reason for the interview was her role as the president of the jury at the International Actor's Festival in Nikšić 2025, an event dedicated to the acting profession and the live encounter between the stage and the audience, the conversation with Dara Džokić naturally, quickly and easily goes beyond that framework, expanding to issues of the culture of dialogue, the divisions that accompany and unfortunately shape us, the role of theater in times of crisis, relations towards tradition, globalization and young generations, but also to the personal experience of a profession that today faces different challenges than ever before.
Without nostalgia or idealization of the past, Dara Džokić speaks about the need for continuity, understanding and patience, about the importance of authenticity in a world that increasingly strives for uniformity, and about theater as a space for encounters, catharsis and possible resolution of social and personal dilemmas, with impressions from Nikšić...
At the end of last year you were in Nikšić, in the role of the president of the jury at the International Actor's Festival. What are your impressions?
It's beautiful that the Festival is dedicated to the actor, and that all the awards are dedicated to actors. There are various festivals, which is good, and most of them also determine acting awards, but the uniqueness of the Nikšić festival is that it is dedicated only to actors. That's the beauty of it.
It was the second time in my life that I was in Nikšić. I was on tour with Atelje once, quite a long time ago and for a short time. Despite that, I immediately felt this, so to speak, different Montenegro. Some special warmth and energy of the people, I don't know how else to explain it. I have to point out that I really love coming to Montenegro, I love Herceg Novi and I have become attached to that city, I often spend my summers there... But Nikšić has its own specificity. How can I explain it to you... I am as old as I am, I have been doing my job for a long time thanks to which I travel and visit various cities and towns, throughout our region, at various festivals..., but, brother, there is no such welcome and hospitality anywhere. Nowhere like in Nikšić. That is my opinion, but I also see that the same impression is shared by my colleagues. I spoke to some of them, during the Actor's Festival, and most of them say they have never experienced such hospitality, warmth, a friendly approach, a feeling as if they were truly at home... That's what I'm telling you honestly, and it's not just my opinion but the impression of all my colleagues. It's just like that - rare, special and specific.
In addition, I am very happy that Nikšić won the title of European Capital of Culture for 2030. I would really like that money to be used in the best possible way, to fix some vital things in the city and to make the city shine. I think that would be nice and that your city deserves it.
I'm glad to hear that. Nikšić is often described as a (post)industrial city, although it has always had a rich and strong cultural identity. How do you see its position today?
Nikšić has its own qualities, recognizable and great. There are many significant Nikšić residents throughout the region and this should not be forgotten, and it is also a very important city in Montenegro, but also in the region, which needs to be made aware of. I don't want to spread the word, but I think it is an important city and I think Nikšić should take care of itself, which I would say it does. One of the things that reflects this is the Actor's Festival, which should also be the pride of the city, the country and the international scene. That is why, I repeat, it is truly fantastic that you have won the title of European Capital of Culture, now you need to take advantage of it.
Theatre is one of the places of art that serves to explain certain things to ourselves, to bring them closer together, to understand each other and to understand the times we live in. Good performances should serve this purpose and contribute to making us better ourselves. The audience also comes to the theatre to question themselves and experience catharsis, because theatre is an encounter, a living encounter that neither television nor film can. Theatre as a meeting place can resolve our dilemmas, to make our lives easier, more bearable, more beautiful. That is not easy
Despite the unity of politicians during the application, and even later, the reactions of citizens were divided... What do you think, why?
What is important is that it was jointly initiated, but from now on, I don't know how many years, no one will know who, when, or what specifically happened, they will only remember that it happened and that Nikšić was the European Capital of Culture for one year. Whoever is proud and satisfied will be. Whoever wants to contribute, will. What divides us a lot is politics, and that is not the case only with you.
Where does this divisive mentality come from?
This is the misfortune and fate of some times and of our Balkan and European destiny in general. I like to say that it is wise to look at things a little deeper, even from a distance. Wisdom is not to be so easily led by short-term, daily politics that get you carried away and drag you into saying something, saying something, thinking something, because after a few days you wonder yourself, realizing that everything is not exactly as it seems. Other countries have gone through all this, we are not the only ones reserved for it, but I think that the wisdom of every nation is dialogue. People are influenced differently, different currents, interests, everyone goes through it, which leads to various turbulences, struggles for power... We already know all this, we have seen it and will see it, but there is no happiness without dialogue. There is no winner and loser. I mean, there is, but that is not good, because tomorrow will come and then things will just turn around. So, there is no happiness. Big Njegos saw it all, we need to go back to him. All of this that we are talking about, he saw and knew back then. We from this area are prone to such things, we have all been through them, and that does not bring anything. That is why I say, it is crucial and crucial to communicate, we must understand each other, the ship must sail in one direction so as not to sink in the storms of the world. We are here, all together, different, to come to a civilized agreement. What disturbs me terribly is that, just when I believe that we have become wiser and more mature as a people, I see again that everything is the same and that it is repeated.
We often look back to the 1990s and the turbulent events that followed. Are we, as a society, able to learn anything from that experience?
I agree. We left a country relatively recently and, regardless of what it was like, most of us have a sentimental relationship towards that common state. Me first. Why? Because it was an era that we often call, and even feel, as an era of prosperity or some heavenly period... For many it was like that, for some it wasn't. On the other hand, we didn't know it at the time, but since that state collapsed so terribly, we were left as if beheaded. In that terrible collapse that was horrifying, the thought remained that not everything had to happen that way, but it did happen... I myself kept asking myself how we didn't manage to avoid it. And that's how it is, among other things, primarily because of our history that has never been cleared up and overcome. We are constantly left with some tails, we constantly have interpretations and several different histories. We as a people can't sit down, see what we have in common, talk, and somehow make that agreement. To summarize, what I think was the decisive influence - the influence. We all wanted, in various ways, to overthrow socialism and introduce capitalism. That's how we looked at the West, as capitalism. And it came. But it came in the worst form. The craze for money, for wealth, for power, for this consumer society, for prosperity but in their own way..., I think that had a lot of influence on everything getting so deeply involved in these other trends and influencing some things that we think it can't. Money is a threat. And again, there's no luck there.
Theater has lived and survived all changes, societies, ideologies and influences... What is the role/function of theater in all of this?
Theatre is one of the places of art that serves to explain certain things to ourselves, to bring them closer together, to understand each other and to understand the times we live in. Good performances should serve this purpose and contribute to our being better ourselves. And the audience comes to the theatre to question themselves and experience catharsis, because theatre is an encounter, a living encounter that neither television nor film can. Theatre as a meeting place can resolve our dilemmas, to make our lives easier, more bearable, more beautiful. It is not easy. Life is not easy, but it can be magical, it depends on the people. We must not fall into pessimism, because there is light after all.
How, in such a reality, can we find the "light" you speak of and not fall into pessimism?
We have to fight. For the sake of these children, for the generations to come, who want their own country, their own ideology, their own desires. And that must be respected. It would be nice if they relied a little on their own tradition, because I think everyone should know who they are, whose they are, where they come from...
Having mentioned tradition, why is it important to preserve it and how can we succeed in doing so, in an era of cosmopolitanism and globalization?
I think it's very important, but if we stick to the essence. I don't think it means anything that someone was born in Serbia, someone in Montenegro, Croatia, it doesn't mean anything - that's nonsense and if we stick to that alone, then it's emptied of its essence. On the one hand, that can be genius, and on the other hand, it can be terrible. It depends on who you are, who and how you wear that epithet, right? I admire the Japanese who stick to their own. I haven't been to Japan, but I'm getting ready to go. They say they're already in the 23rd century when it comes to technology. But, on the other hand, they stick to some of their customs. And China, too. Now they may be the strongest in the world, but they stick to their rituals, to their customs. I'll give an example, so I won't go on...
We admire some world cultures. They nurtured their culture and built on each other. It didn't collapse. With us, the old is constantly being demolished and we are constantly starting over. It can't be like that. It is a long-term process, but it is also important and significant, both in everything and in acting.
I would say that globalism is perhaps taken too literally, or misunderstood or ruined, anyway. I liked the original idea of globalism - we are all on one planet and we have the opportunity and right to travel, to meet each other, to mix and the like, that's fantastic. We must not lose our face and our character, after all. And we should travel, borders should be opened, we should cooperate, all that is great, but that does not mean that we should become zombies, impersonal or identical... Montenegro has its own specificities, Ireland has its own, Japan has its own, Serbia has its own, even within countries, like Dalmatia has its own, not to mention the regions in Italy... We need to preserve the mentality, customs, lifestyle, way of working, dining, so let it not be found anywhere else in the world, but preserve it, that's the point. We are not all the same, because the world has to be colorful, to be different, every place has its own story, there is so much authenticity... You can be a citizen of the world no matter where you come from. These young people who would like to refresh everything, to take off, should be citizens of the world, absolutely, they deserve it. But, you are certainly already a citizen of the world, even if you proudly say “I am from Nikšić”, for example. That will contribute to the world. We can be interesting to the world for our authenticity, and not for the fact that we try to look like them, because we do not. We should be ourselves. We have our own stories, our own history, our own tragedies, pains, traumas, customs, habits, our own heroes... And we should not be ashamed of that. We should not be ashamed of ourselves, but to show ourselves in the most beautiful face (to) the world. Of course, that does not mean that a person should not change, because everything is transforming, progressing, including ourselves. We have learned too. There are many good things today. Women are different, women's rights are at a higher level, more is being said about mental health and health in general. These are all good and positive things.
Speaking of transformation, and if we go back to theater and your career, how do you view your own calling and profession today?
A lot has changed. I came from a different generation and stepped into the theater. I entered this world in a different time than today. It's not easy for new generations. There are a lot of them, there are a lot of academies that many of them graduate from, and everyone needs a job. I dedicated my life to the theater, although, of course, I also worked on television and in film, but I was tied to one theater my whole life.
Studio 212?
That's right, my whole life. I grew up with that theater myself. I have the feeling that young people today don't have the opportunity for something like that. Not everyone who graduates from the academy has the opportunity to be in a repertory theater, although repertory theater may have some of its flaws, but it also has more qualities. Why? Because through repertory theater, an actor actually continues to learn, to grow, and thus becomes better and better. Repertory theater provides continuity, and in this business, continuity is extremely important. Young people today, many of them, are mostly freelance artists who, if they don't get a job - they have no continuity, and without it there is no success. So one culture, one country, all of us together, cannot even progress. It is natural that everything continues and builds on each other, regardless of the areas of life or system... Not every new generation can tear down the previous one and start over. We must continue with what has foundations and roots and we must respect what is good and what previous generations have done. There may be bad things, but we will overcome them and build on the good.
How to achieve this?
We admire some world cultures. They nurtured their culture and built on each other. It didn't collapse. In our country, the old is constantly being demolished and we are constantly starting over. It can't be like that. It is a long-term process, but it is also important and significant, both in everything and in acting. Now I'm thinking about young people. It is incredibly important for them to have a job, to work, to find some opportunities... And that is getting harder and harder.
On the other hand, some will say that today there are more opportunities, often online, sometimes not far from social networks which are (increasingly) also a platform for self-promotion. How do you view that?
I think that's both good and bad. We didn't have anything like that and it's strange when I think about it. We are a completely different generation, one that was ashamed to praise itself. We were brought up quite "basically", like: be modest, be measured, let someone else praise you, don't. "I'm good/the best", that's (was) simple, rather, keep it to yourself, and let others speak. All we as artists had were interviews, just like this, for newspapers, radio or television and that was it... Slowly everything changed. Social networks brought something else, like all innovations. There are fantastic things about that digitization. Google is a miracle, in my opinion the greatest invention of recent times. That's where knowledge is, and it's constantly available to you and it's infinite. That's genius! Social networks were primarily a fantastic way of communicating - faster, freer, wider... But then all of that also experienced its own transformation into something that has now become absolutely malignant, a place of poisoning. I ran away from that place. It was interesting to me at first, but we have reached the point where everyone, but absolutely everyone, has the right to spread their opinions and (mis)information... Let's stop! Well, an opinion has to be earned, right? You need to know who to ask, who to give the floor to, space to, why, on what topic, you need to be able to ask a question, choose who to give your opinion to in general... And this - the inflation of general spitting. But, it's like that all over the world, including here. Young people today live on networks, their jobs often depend on Instagram, and even their chances. That's why I think it was nicer for us. Nicer, maybe even easier.
Despite everything we've talked about, divisions, crises, the fast-paced and digital world, where do you see hope and would you highlight anything in particular?
I really like curious (young) people, open, inquisitive. I have no problem with anything, everything is normal for me. I have a problem with conservatism. Conservatism and mold terrify me. One is retro, and the other is conservatism and closedness, because it limits us. We must not return to some of our narrow-mindedness. Retro is something beautiful, completely different, something warm that reflects both value and lifestyle and certain qualities. It invites us to return to the essence, and at the same time it is quite modern. I would say that retro is the new modernity. I am sure that some new modernity will come when it will be fantastic to write letters, send postcards, hold hands, be in love...
Bonus video:
