Izražavamo veliku zahvalnost svim pojedincima, organizacijama i medijima koji su pružili podršku i izrazili solidarnost sa festivalom kratke priče Kikinda Short usled okolnosti pod kojima je održavanje festivalskog čitanja onemogućeno u Kikindi a potom i u Beogradu.
Prenosimo reakcije, poruke podrške i izjave solidarnosti koje kontinuirano pristižu.
Many years have passed since I was invited to your Short Story Festival. Unfortunately, I was prevented that year. But I know and love Kikinda. I am sorry that such a good Festival this year, when it had already started, was at the same time unculturally banned. Nevertheless, I want you to count me as one of your sincere friends.
Jovica Aćin
Dragi prijatelji iz Kikinda šort,
Ja sam bio jako iznanađen šta se desilo kod vas i bih ponovio ono šta sam napisao i ranije na Fejsbuku: „Želim samo da kažem da je sramno ovo što se dešava sa festivalom Kikinda šort i podržavam svoje kolege. Najlepše sećanja me povezivaju sa ovog festivala, koji sam posetio dva puta i sklopio toliko profesionalnih i ličnih prijateljstava. Podrška iz Sofije!“
Srdačan pozdrav iz Sofije,
Petar Denčev
I will never forget the days with you in Kikinda short.
It was a great moment of my writer’s career.
I can barely believe that such a scandal could happen and politics interferes with art.
But it is not unknown because I live in Hungary. I just thought that it was „hungariucm.“
I express my solidarity with the banned authors and I inform the associacion.
Greetings
kjá
[Judit Agneš Kiš]
Dragi moji,
Prije svega užasno mi je žao zbog svega što se dogodilo, ispratila sam situaciju koliko sam bila u mogućnosti i divim se vašoj istrajnosti i želji da ovo sve izgurate do kraja.
Šaljem vam nekoliko rečenica (na našem jeziku, ako je potrebno prevesti na engleski, javite) o svom iskustvu na festivalu i općenito ovom kaosu koji je nastao ove godine.
Festival kratke priče „Kikinda Short“ je, kad je riječ o književnim festivalima jedan od organizovanijih i boljih festivala u regionu, prije svega zbog posvećenosti organizatora učesnicima. Zahvaljujući „Kikinda Short-u“ upoznala sam sjajne književnike iz Srbije, regije ali i čitave Europe. Zajedno smo bodrili jedni druge, otkrivali nešto novo kad je riječ o samoj književnosti, ali smo, također, upoznali i Kikindu, grad koji bi većina nas vjerojatno zanemarila i preskočila putujući kroz Srbiju. Organizatori festivala upoznali su nas sa zadivljujućom poviješću grada i upravo zbog toga i svega što sam tad otkrila o Kikindi, ovaj grad se našao među gradovima koje ću zasigurno ponovno posjetiti. Vijest o zabrani festivala je izazvala nevjericu i zapitanost zašto je rukovodstvo Grada Kikinda vlastitom gradu uskratilo jednu od najvažnijih kulturnih manifestacija i jedan od najvažnijih festivala kratke priče na prostoru bivše Jugoslavije, etiketirajući festival i njegove učesnike kao oličenje „antisrpstva“ zbog njihove spremnosti i hrabrosti da kritički promatraju situaciju u vlastitoj zemlji. Zar ne bi patriotski čin pisaca upravo i trebalo biti ukazivanje na manjkavosti društva u kojem žive i težnja ka njegovom poboljšanju, te bi antipatriotske bile upravo zabrane festivala, slobode govora, i kritičkih glasova umjetnika. Zabrana festivala je jasan pokazatelj uvođenje cenzure u svijet umjetnosti, što je veoma zabrinjavajuće.
Želim vam sve najbolje i zahvaljujem vam na prilici da budem dio ovog sjajnog festivala 🙂
Srdačan pozdrav,
Mihaela Šumić
Dragi moji Kikinda Short,
Čitala sam kod vas dva puta. Prvi put na Kikinda Short 02. I tada se desilo da su me zvali na bis. I čitala sam ba bis. I nemam pojma da li se to ikada ponovilo, ali eto meni se desilo kod vas. Te godine „dobacila“ sam samo do Beograda. Naredne godine stigla sam vam i u Kikindu. Bilo je čudesno čitati u prostoru biblioteke „Jovan Popović“. Još čudesnije je doći na festival gdje nisi samo gost. Dođeš na Kikinda Short i onda te Vera Papić (za mene vječno Tetka) prigrli kao rod najrođeniji. I mogu proći festivali i festivali, mogu proći godine, ali će Kikinda Short ostati jedino mjesto gdje sam čitala na bis i gdje su me umjesto organizatora dočekivale jedna Tetka i jedna Višnja.
Živimo u mračna vremena. I čini se da će postajati još mračnija. I valja nam se boriti. Ne mogu oni nas toliko zabranjivati koliko mi možemo pisati i čitati.
Melina Kamerić
Dear kikindians,
I’m sorry to hear about this, and I’m glad you still managed to have your reading. That shows the ingenuity and energy I remember in all of you 🙂
My message:
My participation in Kikinda Short 7 is one of the fondest memories I have.
Almost from the beginning it was obvious that, by an amazing stroke of luck, all of us writers, together with our generous and energetic hosts, had really, mysteriously and effortlessly „hit it off“, in spite of coming from all around Europe and having very different sensibilities and styles. There were no small cliques, no awkward silences, no reserves; everybody was talking to everybody, the extreme heat seemed not to affect or tire us, and there was a sense of joy and enthusiasm in the air as we read our stories in public, dined and laughed and drank, danced to violin music or ran about town celebrating our newfound tribe.
The last night, we made the most of it… nobody wanted to go to sleep, really, and so we didn’t! I’ll always remember that night, and also how, in the middle of our revelry, a stray dog (a very plump and trusting one, so maybe he was not a stray after all) joined us in our wandering and stayed with us till dawn. Dawn! Time to say goodbye, dawn was. To the dog and to everybody else. It was a melancholy moment, sure, but with the incomparable beauty of most melancholy moments. And the most beautiful sunrise in the world it was, that last sunrise in Belgrade!
Now I hear that last June, the participants of this year’s Kikinda Short were not allowed to read their stories in the library where we read ours in 2012. I’m saddened but not surprised. These „cancellations“ seem to be happening everywhere now and with all sorts of justifications. What can these justifications be? Shouldn’t we say excuses, excuses to cancel what we dislike or don’t agree with? Short of direct incitement to violence, I think there’s absolutely no reason to cancel any author, any book, any festival or literary event, whatever political or social tribe the participants belong to.
Literature, for me, has always been a bridge to other people, other lives, other ways of thinking. The wonderful possibility not only to fantasise, but to put myself in someone else’s shoes, as the saying goes. Even if they don’t fit me and might make me uncomfortable, and the experience is difficult. Isn’t this kind of difficulty, this effort of our imagination and our reason, what makes us grow as humans? It’s one of the great things literature can do for us: sweep us beyond our assumptions, our everyday humdrum, our „safe spaces“. We might still hold the same convictions and views that we held before, but at least we didn’t shut our minds out of complacency or fear. I wish we would all remember how much we stand to lose if we forget the importance of being able to think and create freely, and how hard it is, once this freedom is lost, to regain it.
Hugs to all, I hope you’re in good health and wish you the best!
Alba Dedeu
Primili smo Izjavu solidarnosti mađarskih pisaca iz Vojvodine u vezi sa okolnostima usled kojih je održavanje 18. festivala kratke priče Kikinda Short bilo onemogućeno u javnom prostoru.
Ovaj izuzetni gest solidarnosti potpisalo je trideset troje spisateljica i pisaca.
Velika zahvalnost mađarskim kolegama!
Objavljujemo Izjavu solidarnosti u celini.
—
Szolidaritási nyilatkozat
A tizennyolcadik alkalommal meghirdetett, rangos, szerbiai nemzetközi rövidpróza-fesztivált, a Kikinda shortot durva hatalmi beavatkozás érte. Kikinda városának polgármestere betiltotta a fesztivált, arra hivatkozva, hogy azon rendszerkritikus szerzők is részt vesznek.
A fesztivál belgrádi záróeseménye is ellehetetlenült. A belgrádi polgármester ahelyett, hogy megvédte volna a szélsőségesek fenyegetésétől, inkább betiltotta a 2014 óta létező Mirdita – Dobar Dan [Jónapot] elnevezésű albán–szerb kulturális fesztivált. Ugyanazon a helyszínen zajlott volna a Kikinda Short záróeseménye is, ám a betiltás miatt erre sem kerülhetett sor.
Szolidaritást vállalunk mindkét fesztivál szervezőivel, szerzőivel és közönségével. Elítéljük a szellemi élet és a vélemény szabadsága ellen irányuló hatalmi túlkapást.
A Kikinda short többek között a magyar kultúra iránt is nyitott, indulásától fiatal magyar prózaírókat is vendégül lát. Mi, alulírott vajdasági magyar írók és irodalmárok támogatjuk az olyan kezdeményezéseket, amelyek a párbeszéd elmélyítését tűzik ki célul. Minden dialógust gátló, az együttműködést ellehetetlenítő törekvést elítélünk.
Izjava solidarnosti
Uvaženi međunarodni festival kratke proze Kikinda short ove godine puni osamnaestu godinu. U međuvremenu festival je doživeo brutalni napad: gradonačelnik Kikinde je zabranio festival zbog autora koji su kritični prema trenutnoj srpskoj vlasti.
Festival je onemogućen i u Beogradu. Umesto da je gradonačelnik Beograda odbranio od ekstremnih šovinista albansko-srpski kulturni festival Mirdita-Dobar Dan, on je zabranio manifestaciju koja postoji od 2014. godine. Na istom mestu je trebalo da se dogodi zatvaranje Kikinde shorta.
Podržavamo organizatore, autore i publiku oba festivala. Osuđujemo prekomernu reakciju vlasti protiv slobode duhovnog života i mišljenja.
Kikinda short je među ostalim otvoren i na mađarsku kulturu, na festivalu od početka gostuju i mladi mađarski pisci. Mi, dole potpisani mađarski pisci i književnici iz Vojvodine podržavamo svaku inicijativu sa ciljem produbljenja dijaloga. Osuđujemo svako onemogućavanje dijaloga i saradnje.
2024. 07. 02. / 02. 07. 2024.
Bakos Petra – Petra Bakoš
Balázs Attila – Atila Balaž
Bencsik Orsolya – Oršolja Benčik
Beszédes István – Ištvan Besedeš
Bicskei Gabriella – Gabrijela Bičkei
Bíró Tímea – Timea Biro
Celler Kiss Tamás – Tamaš Kiš Celer
Csányi Erzsébet – Eržebet Čanji
Fehér Miklós – Mikloš Feher
Fekete J. József – Jožef J. Fekete
Jódal Kálmán – Kalman Jodal
Jódal Rózsa – Roža Jodal
Kollár Árpád – Arpad Kolar
Kontra Ferenc – Ferenc Kontra
Kormányos Ákos – Akoš Kormanjoš
Ladik Katalin – Katalin Ladik
Ladányi István – Ištvan Ladanji
Mirnics Gyula – Ɖula Mirnič
Nagy Abonyi Árpád – Arpad Abonji Nađ
Oláh K. Tamás – Tamaš K. Olah
Orcsik Roland – Roland Orčik
Orovec Kriszta – Krista Orovec
Pataki Angéla – Angela Pataki
Pressburger Csaba – Čaba Presburger
Rajsli Emese – Emeše Rajšli
Sirbik Attila – Atila Širbik
Szabó Palócz Attila – Atila Paloc Sabo
Szerbhorváth György – Ɖerđ Serbhorvat
Szombathy Bálint – Balint Sombati
Szögi Csaba – Čaba Segi
Tolnai Ottó – Oto Tolnai
Tóbiás Krisztián – Kristian Tobijaš
Virág Gábor – Gabor Virag
Reagovanje BDS-a na zabranu održavanja Festivala kratke priče Kikinda Short u Narodnoj biblioteci „Jovan Popović” u Kikindi
br. 129/2024
- 7. 2024.
Pokrajinskom sekretarijatu za kulturu, javno informisanje i odnose s verskim zajednicama AP Vojvodine
Gradu Kikindi
Narodnoj biblioteci „Jovan Popović”, Kikinda
PREDMET: Reagovanje na zabranu održavanja Festivala kratke priče Kikinda Short u Narodnoj biblioteci „Jovan Popović” u Kikindi
Poštovani,
Bibliotekarsko društvo Srbije izražava nezadovoljstvo zbog situacije u kojoj je u jednoj javnoj biblioteci zabranjeno održavanje kulturnog događaja, podržanog od strane Grada Kikinde i Pokrajinskog sekretarijata za kulturu, javno informisanje i odnose s verskim zajednicama AP Vojvodine – festivala sa 18-ogodišnjom tradicijom koji predstavlja široko prepoznatljivi kulturni brend Kikinde.
Ovakve zabrane nisu u skladu sa demokratskim tekovinama kakve su kritičko mišljenje i dijalog u zajednici kao jedan od najvažnijih zamajaca kulturnog napretka društva.
Zakon o bibliotečko-informacionoj delatnosti („Službeni glasnik RS, br. 52/11, 78/21), u članu 2. stav 1 kaže da su biblioteke ustanove od javnog interesa, a u stavu 3 objašnjava se šta taj opšti interes predstavlja: „da građani imaju slobodan pristup informacijama, znanjima i idejama sadržanim u bibliotečko-informacionoj građi i izvorima, kao i pravo na ostvarivanje svojih individualnih i intelektualnih sloboda”, što znači da biblioteke rade u interesu svih građana. Dalje, član 5, koji govori o načelima delatnosti, u stavu 1 i 2, kaže: „Biblioteke su u središtu razvoja informacionog društva, jer su suštinski značajne za informisanost građana, za njihovo usavršavanje i individualni razvoj, neophodne za razvoj obrazovanja, nauke i kulture, pokretač su sveukupnog razvoja slobodnog demokratskog građanskog društva.” I: „Biblioteke, pod jednakim uslovima i bez obzira na razlike, obezbeđuju svim građanima ostvarivanje ljudskih prava u domenu slobode izražavanja, stvaralaštva, intelektualnih i građanskih sloboda (…).”
U Smernicama za razvoj javnih biblioteka (Beograd: Narodna biblioteka Srbije, Biblioteka grada Beograda, 2005, str. 13), Međunarodna federacija bibliotečkih udruženja i institucija IFLA i UNESKO ističu da je „osnovno načelo u radu svake javne biblioteke da njene usluge obavezno treba da budu dostupne svima, a ne usmerene na jednu grupu u zajednici, uz isključivanje ostalih”. Ne samo to; javna biblioteka je pokretač promena kojima je cilj unapređenje društva, koje „doprinose stvaranju dobro obaveštenog i demokratskog društva i povećavaju sposobnost ljudi da unaprede svoje postojanje i postojanje zajednice u kojoj žive”. I još više: „Javna biblioteka treba da uzima u obzir pitanja o kojima se raspravlja u zajednici i da obezbedi informacije za kompetentne javne debate.” Sama suština postojanja javnih biblioteka ogleda se u pomenutim smernicama.
U tom smislu, skrećemo pažnju javnosti Republike Srbije na to da se slične prakse ne bi smele ponoviti i da se učesnicima kulturnih manifestacija u bibliotekama, kao i publici koja ih rado posećuje, a i bibliotekarima, čiji su rad, trud i zalaganje isključivo na korist sugrađana, mora ukazati dužno poštovanje, uz uvažavanje svih međusobnih razlika.
Biblioteke su mesta za sve i moramo ih čuvati i negovati u skladu sa njihovom misijom – kao prostore slobode, promovisanja lepote pisane reči, negovanja intelektualnih sloboda i izgradnje mostova u zajednici pomoću kojih razlike postaju najveća snaga zajednice.
S poštovanjem,
predsednik Bibliotekarskog društva Srbije
Jelena Glišović
Dear Kikinda Shorters,
I am sorry to hear you have encountered such a difficult time with the festival. I remember
Kikinda Short Festival, back in 2016, as one of my best literary experience. During the lecture
nights, in the National Library Jovan Popovic backyard, there was such a creative and free
atmosphere where I attended the public lectures and discovered some of the best new writers
in Europe such as Arian Leka, Rodge Glass, Ilka Papp Zakor, Denis Cokic, Miroslav Curcic,
besides the writers like Srdjan Srdic, literary critic Vladimir Arsenic, Edi Matic and Vera
Papic from the organizing stuff. With most of them I am still in contact, exchanging ideas and
translating texts between our countries, so Kikinda Short is not just a memory kept in time but
also a project that continues to work, bringing together writers and artists beyond frontiers and
cultures. I am very lucky to be part of it and I am very sad to hear this situation like always
when politics interfere into aesthetics and into the freedom of speech and writing.
We, here, in Romania stand with you in these difficult times and hope the festival will thrive
to offer to the public and to the writers the spirit of freedom and of true literature.
Best regards,
Augustin Cupșa
Dear Organizers,
I have no words…
But I’m a writer so I’ll find some anyhow.
Kikinda Short is not a usual international literary festival, as it has an ingenious twist: not
only the invitees come from different parts of the world, but the festival itself is also
organized in three neighboring countries (although most events take place in Serbia). I think
this is one of the reasons why your festival showed us so perfectly how cultural interchange,
freedom, openness and democracy in literature should work. Thanks to you, guys, I was able
to present my works in Kikinda, Belgrad and Timisoara, I got to know amazing people and
great literary works, one of which I even translated afterwards to Hungarian.
You are most probably aware of the fact, that censorship is a phenomenon more and more
present also in my country. It makes us outraged and scared, we feel helplessness and
hopelessness. But there is one thing that should cheer you up (and I’m sure my fellow writers
will agree with me here): the fact that they want to silence you proves that you are creating
something big and valuable. So don’t give up.
Take care.
Kind regards,
Ilka Pap-Zakor
For me, Kikinda Short Festival means the peaceful gathering of cultures, art and literature,
Kikinda means acceptance, Kikinda means reaching out to each other, Kikinda means
friendships (new and old). The open-mindedness of the organizers and the invited authors is
exemplary, whoever bans such an event on any spurious grounds deepens the trenches instead
of bringing closer different cultures, chooses enmity instead of peace and understanding. We
all know where this can lead. It fills me with profound sadness that it can still happen in the
middle of Europe that an event whose sole purpose is to bring people and cultures closer
together with the power of words can be banned on political grounds. This is not the way of
the future. I stand with the Shorters of Kikinda Festival!
Benedek Totth
Dragi Vera, Višnja, Branko i ostali,
Iskreno me je šokiralo ovo gnusno postupanje prema Vašem i našem Kikinda Shortu. Prema
nečemu što je prvorazredna kulturna manifestacija, praktično opšte dobro ne samo Srbije, već
i čitavog regiona. Ako je pamćenje kvalitativno mjerilo prošlosti, dovoljno je reći da se šest
godina nakon gostovanja u Kikindi i dalje sjećam svega, do u detalja. Naročito toplog
gostoprimstva organizatora, zbog kojeg se osjećate dijelom neke čvrste, gotovo familijarne
zajednice. Uvjeren sam da ćete iz ovoga izaći jači. Vjerujem u sposobnost regeneracije onoga
što je dobro, a Short u svakom smislu spada među najbolje.
Srdačan pozdrav i srdačna podrška iz Podgorice,
Nikola Nikolić
Dragi_e Šortaši_ce
Na Kikindi Short bila sam gost 2009 godine kao mlada spisateljica iz Slovenije. To je bio moj prvi festival u drugoj državi.
Nisam znala što da očekujem ali su me organizatori toplo primili, tako da sam se osećala kao kod kuće. Zbog toga Kikindu, domaćine, srpske in druge pisce, koje sam upoznala, još uvek nosim u lepim
uspomenama.
Kikinda Short je neusporediv književni festival, koji grad Kikindu pravi kulturno zanimljivom i sa programom nastavlja istoriju Vojvodine kao područja spoja ljudi različitih porijekla, jezika i njihove baštine, koji žive u miru.
Šaljem svu podršku organizatorima Kikinde Shorta i nadam se, da će mudrost pobediti i pokazati, da je zajednički interes svih Kikinđana, da se festival održi in nastavi u budućnosti.
Sve dobro,
Vesna Lemaić iz Ljubljane
Dear friends,
I participated to Kikinda Short Festival in 2018, along with other writers from Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and Hungary. I will always remember the good vibes around the festival, the special connection between the organizers, the authors and the warm public of Kikinda, Novi Sad and Belgrade. It was a special experience for me. I am worried and sad about the news regarding the ban of the Festival in the National Library „Jovan Popović“ in Kikinda. Kikinda is a place with respect and openness for literature and writers, and I am sure it will always be like this, regardless the political views. Keep fighting for the festival tradition, dear friends!
Yours sincerely,
Bogdan Munteanu
I’ll always be grateful for the invitation to attend Kikinda Short way back in 2008. It offered both an introduction to, and celebration of, the language, people and culture of Serbia and its neighbouring nations. It gave me the chance to be a part of a welcoming community of writers, where I made friendships that have lasted to this day. Kikinda Short is a valued and vital cultural institution – they’ve been championing the short story form and so many writers for almost 20 years – and I’m proud to stand with them: for art, and against political censorship.
With all best wishes, and camaraderie,
Peter Hobs
Dear friends from Kikinda Short,
Thank you for your message. I hope this finds you well and that Vera, Visnja, Branko, and all the others from your lovely team are doing fine.
Each year when I see the announcements of yet another edition of Kikinda Short, there’s a part in me that gets very excited because the memories of my two participations at the festival come up again. The friendliness of the people, the joyful moments, the magic that the festival brings to Kikinda – a place I would probably have never visited in my life otherwise – and the exchange with writers from a different world have had a long-lasting impact on me, leaving fond memories, some nostalgic feelings and the urge to once again live through that, behind.
I am very sorry to hear about the last-minute cancellation. It would not have been Kikinda Short if you would not have found an alternative – but the bitter taste stays. I don’t want to allow myself a judgement on what led to the verdict that one or more participants might have been politically unfit; too little do I know about the circumstances. However, readings and other cultural events are at the bare minimum an act of enabling the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, assembly and association, as well as the participation in cultural life, and as such also protected by the European Convention on Human Rights as well as the Serbian Constitution, but are beyond that also a form of expression that brings joy, reflection, and mutual understanding to people in a way that is incomparable.
In that sense, the cancellation of the reading at short notice is not only a violation of fundamental freedoms protected under the Constitution but also an unfortunate and concerning message. Political opinions or „political fitness“ should not be used to prohibit a reading. On the contrary, it is politically „unfit“ not to talk to each other, not to engage in debate, not to exchange – across opinions, boarders, cultures and languages. In my memory, and from the view of someone that lives far apart, I remember Kikinda Short as a habitat where writers and friends (or writers that became friends) from all countries of the region and beyond shared their best; almost utopic and a demonstration of friendliness and co-existence. It is sad to see when the good examples become a threat to those who are unable to do likewise.
I wish Kikinda Short all the courage, strength, endurance and creativity it needs to resist and survive. This world, and in particular Serbia, needs more editions of the festival and I hope there will be many so that I’ll be able to be there at some point again to experience the magic you spread.
In deep appreciation, solidarity and with the fondest memories,
Daniel Batliner
Šaljem podršku organizatorkama festivala Kikinda short, Veri Papić i Višnji Udicki, kao i svim „nepodobnim“ piscima i kolumnistima kojima ove godine nije dozvoljeno da pročitaju svoje tekstove u javnom prostoru (kikindskoj biblioteci, a potom i na dogovorenoj lokaciji u Beogradu).
Kada kažem: „Nije dozvoljeno“ zapravo govorim „zabranjeno je na perfidan način pod izgovorom borbe protiv antisrpstva“, a mislim: „Neuki funkcioneri s karijerama sportskih radnika i upravnika javnih preduzeća utrkuju se ko će brže, jače, bolje da zabrani kritičku misao i kulturnu razmenu, kao i zajedništvo koje se na ovakvim festivalima stvara u svim smerovima kako između umetnika i publike tako i između umetnika i radnika u kulturi“. A svedočila sam tome (dok se još smelo!) da se na Kikinda shortu stvaraju posebne veze među piscima, kritičarima, prevodiocima i publikom.
Sa festivala Kikinda short 2022. ponela sam dragoceno iskustvo – mogla bih do sutra da vam pričam o tome kako su organizatorke mislile na svaki detalj našeg boravka, nastupa, druženja i svih aspekata festivala, o smehu sa Mirjanom Đurđević i Edijem Matićem, o poseti muzeju „Terra“, o poznanstvu sa piscima i spisateljicama s kojima sam i dan-danas u kontaktu, o reakcijama publike koja je došla na obe festivalske večeri…
Zabraniti ovakvu manifestaciju je čist fašizam – kako je to lepo primetio Umberto Eko: „Kultura postaje sumnjiva čim se identifikuje sa kritičkim stavovima“ i „Za fašizam, neslaganje je izdaja“. Samo se setimo primera kad su političari na vlasti izjednačavani sa državom i nacijom. Uzimati jednog čoveka kao metonimiju celog naroda je ne samo netačno (jer takva logička veza ne postoji), nego je i opasno. Kod onih koji neće da puste vlast iz svojih ruku prepliću se dve odlike: vladavina patetikom (pathetikos=podložan patnji) i otvorena pleoneksija (pleonexia=neutaživa želja da se ima ono što s pravom pripada drugima). Njihove fantomke su u bojama srpske zastave.
U suženom prostoru slobode i srljanju ka samoizolaciji, u sveopštem utapanju u učmalost, nazadnost i kič, ovakve manifestacije izgrađene na entuzijazmu i ljubavi prema pisanju, čitanju i slobodnom mišljenju su prave male oaze. Naša je dužnost da ih podržimo i održimo u životu. Književnost je naša! Razmena je naša! Okupljanje je naše! Javni prostori su naši! Biblioteke su naše! Mi imamo reč!
Andrea Popov Miletić
Izkušnja festivala Kikinda short je bila izkušnja spoznavanja odličnih avtoric in avtorjev ter druženja s toplimi ljudmi in skrbnimi ter profesionalnimi gostitelji. Spoznal sem avtorje in prevajalce, s katerimi sem sodeloval tudi pozneje in zbral nepozabne spomine. Gre za nadstandardno in dobro kurirank festivalsko izkušnjo. V času, ko je kratka proza postavljena na stranski tir, je festival še toliko pomembnejši.
Muanis Sinanović
Dear Kikindians,
I am horrified by your description about what is happening in Serbia and about what happened in your last festival.
Enough and wonderfully expressed thoughts against fascism have already been written al along our history as this illness have been apperaing and disapperaning throughout the cycle of history, so altough my condemnation of fascism must bee absolutely clear asit is the death of creativity and true love, I will only speak about your trully amazing festival.
Even four, five years after being invited to your festival i still had wonderful dreams about Kikinda short, such was the deepness of your literary actions, such was the love (understood as a social, respectful and free dialogue). It was a chance to meet excellent professionals, to exchange ideas, to know your food, to strengthen bonds between different nations as you could share your dreams, fears, literary goals and realise how close we all are regardless of the culture.
I can’t remember names of the organisers but I absolutely love you becasuse of your powerfull and honest heart that lead us through your beatiful Kikinda and your people, and afterwards to wonderful Belgrad. It was all precious.
I will always be gratefull to the organisers and peers who coincided with me, I will always admire you. Those who censored you are blind. Don’t they see that your love, power and honesty is what make the citizens trully free and nations great? I will always love Serbia and Kikinda because you guys invited me. HUge hug, huge love!
Carles EL Saure