It is not known how much funds from public funds were invested in the organization of the Independence Day celebration - May 21, which was supported by the Capital City, the Ministry of Culture and the Montenegrin Cultural Network, whose president yesterday reproached the Public Service for ignoring an event "important for the country."
Aleksandar Damjanović (CKM) announced that he filed a report against RTCG general director Božidar Šundić, who allegedly insulted him two days ago: "Mr. Božidar Šundić, who, greeting me, said in a raised tone that I with him, as general director RTCG, I cannot communicate, as, according to him, I did during the communication regarding my effort for RTCG to directly broadcast the celebration organized on the occasion of the celebration of Independence Day - May 21. Surprised and amazed by such a reaction of Mr. Šundić, I tried to explain to him that RTCG's obligation, as a public service of citizens of Montenegro, is to broadcast the program organized in honor of the celebration of May 21, so that all citizens of Montenegro could see it." announced Damjanović in a press release, stating that it happened in the RTCG building.
Šundić denied those allegations, asserting in his response that "the troubles with the patriot Damjanović stemmed from his desire to, on festive occasions, edit RTCG programs via direct broadcasts of events, which he patriotically organizes, but at the same time decently charges."
The organizer of the concerts on Dvorski trg in Prijestonica and St. Peter Cetinjski Square in Podgorica was the Montenegrin Cultural Network (CKM), while a separate Independence Day celebration on the corner of Bokeška and Njegoševa streets was organized by the Capital and the Ministry of Culture.
Regional stars Bojan Marović and Indira Forca sang in Cetinje, as well as members of the Montenegrin band D-moll. The central celebration, under the slogan "Montenegro above all", was in Podgorica near the monument of Saint Peter of Cetinje, where Marović and folk singer Aco Pejović also performed.
The Government and the Capital City did not answer how much the organization of the concerts cost, nor whether anyone else helped financially and in what amount. Several companies, including some in majority state ownership, sponsored the event.
The Institute of Alternatives told "Vijesta" that this type of support is illegal and that data on how much citizens' money was spent on organizing the celebrations should be published. The Montenegrin Cultural Network did not want to announce who financially helped, and in what amount, the concerts that were held on St. Peter's Square in Cetinje in Podgorica and in Cetinje.
CKM President Aleksandar Damjanović, complaining that "Vijesti" was more interested in the financial part of the project, instead of reporting on it, avoided an answer, and in an ironic email, announced that the events were organized and paid for by the founders and managers of "Vijesti".
In a statement yesterday, he claimed that the order to Šundić not to broadcast the concerts was given by the Minister of Culture, Aleksandar Bogdanović, stating that "the program does not meet a certain level of quality to be on RTCG".
Šundić denied those allegations, explaining that Damjanović was giving himself importance.
Brković: A perfect portrait of the Montenegrin political elite
"All these celebrations are an indicator of the spiritual profile of the celebrating elite. In essence, celebrations are usually not conditioned by a formal reason, but by the need of an elite to erect a symbolic monument to itself. It's like that almost always and almost everywhere. That unbearable and exhausting mixture of banality, national kitsch, dilettantism, primitivism and vain pathos - it will be a perfect portrait of the Montenegrin political elite today. An endless, chronic festival of kitsch", according to writer Balša Brković.
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