The "Migration" program arc takes place in Novi Sad from February 1 to March 20 and includes more than 300 events and performances by over 100 artists from 42 countries. This program arc represents population movement as an inspiration in art and shows a positive angle of the consequences of migration and its impact on us and our culture. One of the main events, "Migration of Souls", a unique pavilion of literature, combines visual and performing arts and represents the impact of migration on the individual. The creation of Novi Sad through migration is the theme of exhibitions in the field of cultural heritage. The concept involves looking at the past from the perspective of the present so that we can imagine a new future. Prejudices about migration are presented in a humorous way and those who have returned to their city to contribute to society are welcomed.
Characters from the displaced community on the triple border of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia are mostly returnees from abroad with different backgrounds. The viewers themselves choose whose story they will follow. The stage is depicted as a village of 7 houses, with a main square, streets and a nearby forest.
Famous artists and new hopefuls of the European art scene present different types of art and contemporary creativity through the theme of migration, an inseparable part of European identity. Artistic and cultural programs will deal with the theme of departures and arrivals, wandering and finding, but also existential questions and the understanding of migration.
Some of the best international and local names are performing in Novi Sad, this year's European Capital of Culture.
Original Enigma Voices, one of the most famous German music projects, then Antropoceno, a project of members of the French-Argentine group Gotan Project, Barcelona Gipsy balKan Orchestra, Japanese guitarist and singer-songwriter Miyavi, composer and pianist Vasil Hadžimanov, the best representative of Sevdalinka Božo Vrećo, representative of the traditional and ethnic music scene Bilja Krstić and the Bistrik Orchestra and many more quality performers.
All these artists have a common theme - migrations and their positive influence on inspiration, which is reflected in all performances.
Watching these inspiring artistic performances, I realized that we are all united and that thousands of kilometers cannot separate us and our culture. Migration helps us gain experience and get to know another culture and customs, and it also builds our identity, but the whole identity is also what we carry inside us. That is the image that actually represents us. We leave all the values we adopt during migration to our country when we return, or we just return them.
A person must sometimes wander in order to know himself and to find himself in a certain environment. It doesn't matter where we are, but what we have to offer someone and what we are like as persons and personalities. Anyone who has a desire to move away, or has already moved away, has probably sometimes encountered resentment from the environment, and it was this manifestation of "Moving" that gave me hope and support that we should follow our goals and carry "home" within us, that is, "home" represents everything that makes us ourselves and what we always return to, without the need to physically go somewhere.
A special program that left a special and strong impression on me is the play "B(j)egunci".
„"B(j)egunci" is an optimistic theater project that explains the reasons and circumstances of these migrations through examples of young people's migrations. "The fugitives are a world, offered for us to immerse ourselves in."”
Characters from the displaced community on the triple border of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia are mostly returnees from abroad with different backgrounds. The viewers themselves choose whose story they will follow. The stage is depicted as a village of 7 houses, with a main square, streets and a nearby forest. Viewers can freely change positions, go outside, go home, come back, stay in one position and follow the story of one character from beginning to end. They can also follow the stories of different characters.
What is special and specific about this play is that we can identify with the real stories of young people and hear how they dealt with problems during migration. These stories offered me answers to questions and dilemmas when I needed them most. In periods of nostalgia and identity crisis, when we find it difficult to find our way in new surroundings, we just need to hear that there is always a solution. The most important thing is to accept our personality and strive to be the best possible version of ourselves and always be consistent with ourselves, wherever we are. Being a "Citizen of the World" is what I want to achieve both when I leave and when I come back to contribute to the society that raised me... to show that it was all worth the effort.
Some of the best international and local names are performing in Novi Sad, this year's European Capital of Culture.
Original Enigma Voices, one of the most famous German music projects, then Antropoceno, a project of members of the French-Argentine group Gotan Project, Barcelona Gipsy balKan Orchestra, Japanese guitarist and singer-songwriter Miyavi, composer and pianist Vasil Hadžimanov, the best representative of Sevdalinka Božo Vrećo, representative of the traditional and ethnic music scene Bilja Krstić and the Bistrik Orchestra and many more quality performers.
All these artists have a common theme - migrations and their positive influence on inspiration, which is reflected in all performances.
Watching these inspiring artistic performances, I realized that we are all united and that thousands of kilometers cannot separate us and our culture. Migration helps us gain experience and get to know another culture and customs, and it also builds our identity, but the whole identity is also what we carry inside us. That is the image that actually represents us. We leave all the values we adopt during migration to our country when we return, or we just return them.
A person must sometimes wander in order to know himself and to find himself in a certain environment. It doesn't matter where we are, but what we have to offer someone and what we are like as persons and personalities. Anyone who has a desire to move away, or has already moved away, has probably sometimes encountered resentment from the environment, and it was this manifestation of "Moving" that gave me hope and support that we should follow our goals and carry "home" within us, that is, "home" represents everything that makes us ourselves and what we always return to, without the need to physically go somewhere.
A special program that left a special and strong impression on me is the play "B(j)egunci".
„"B(j)egunci" is an optimistic theater project that explains the reasons and circumstances of these migrations through examples of young people's migrations. "The fugitives are a world, offered for us to immerse ourselves in."”
Characters from the displaced community on the triple border of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia are mostly returnees from abroad with different backgrounds. The viewers themselves choose whose story they will follow. The stage is depicted as a village of 7 houses, with a main square, streets and a nearby forest. Viewers can freely change positions, go outside, go home, come back, stay in one position and follow the story of one character from beginning to end. They can also follow the stories of different characters.
What is special and specific about this play is that we can identify with the real stories of young people and hear how they dealt with problems during migration. These stories offered me answers to questions and dilemmas when I needed them most. In periods of nostalgia and identity crisis, when we find it difficult to find our way in new surroundings, we just need to hear that there is always a solution. The most important thing is to accept our personality and strive to be the best possible version of ourselves and always be consistent with ourselves, wherever we are. Being a "Citizen of the World" is what I want to achieve both when I leave and when I come back to contribute to the society that raised me... to show that it was all worth the effort.
Novi Sad is the European Capital of Culture in 2022, and various cultural and educational events and exhibitions are held throughout the year. You can find out more about all the events on the website novisad2022.rs
Author: Teodora Šiklošić
