Under the attack of progressive slurs: The closing of ranks around Goran Marković

Only solidarity with public support can protect Goran Marković, this is the attitude of a large part of the cultural and media public regarding the attack on the famous director by Minister Darija Kisić Tepavčević, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić and others from the authorities and their supporters. In this name, famous people, primarily from culture, stand in his defense every day, and some institutions join them.

As one of the solutions that would stop the government's attacks on Goran Marković, and anyone else from the artistic world, a proposal was heard that cultural institutions at performances, exhibitions and events in general address the audience with a message of support for the director and condemnation of the persecution.

"We will join that action if it is accepted on a general level," says academician and director of "Zvezdar" theater Dušan Kovačević. "There was also a proposal to stop work, but I don't think Goran Marković would like that either." Anyway, because of corona, we are working at half capacity and we are on the edge of existence. Therefore, if something important is not fixed, we are about to shut down."

Jug Radivojević, director of the Belgrade Drama Theater whose big stage is named after Goran's parents "Oliver and Rada Marković", an acting couple who marked the history of this theater, did not have time to comment on the mentioned initiative today. By the way, the play "Delirium tremens" written and directed by Marković, and which is one of the longest-running plays in our theater, was played in this house for years. Marković's "Vila Sašino" was also performed on the stage of the Belgrade Drama Theater.

The Acting Director of the National Theater Svetislav Bule Goncić understands and "supports that everyone has the right to an attitude and an opinion about everything that happens to us, but his personal opinion cannot be valid in the workplace."

He believes that not a single play "can be misused for the purposes of political marketing", and that their task is "to place drama, opera and ballet performances on stage, not political messages."

The director of the "Atelje 212" theater, Novica Antić, assesses that "the language of rudeness and insults has penetrated so deeply into our lives, that we simply cannot communicate in any other way." Holders of public offices in every society and state should not address anyone in this way, not a baker, not a doctor, not a worker, not even an artist."

By using such vocabulary, they send the message that we should all "draw our sabers and decapitate each other," says Antic. He adds that "we just witnessed the tragedy of a young girl who committed suicide, most likely due to verbal harassment on social networks", and that "we all have to think together, what kind of message we are sending to young people with such a method of communication - before it's still too late".

Antic emphasizes that "special responsibility rests with those who perform state functions, because their every public appearance is not interpreted as personal, but as the will and intention of the state."

The reason for the hunt for Goran Marković is his interview in "Novi Magazin" in which he said that he "hopes that Aleksandar Vučić has Ceausescu's end before his eyes and that he will retire without blood".

The Minister of Labour, Employment, Social Affairs and Veteran Affairs Darija Kisić Tepavčević interpreted that statement as a "call to shoot President Vučić" and therefore called Marković "artistically impotent" on Instagram, claiming that he "hates Dara, but loves Aida", alluding to films about sufferings in Jasenovac and Srebrenica, even accusing him of "taking all Serbs to the Yellow House".

Then Prime Minister Ana Brnabić reminded on Twitter that "Vučić built so many hospitals, roads, schools, factories, but he failed to build one big insane asylum for Petričić, Marković and the team."

Apart from numerous individuals (Nebojša Romčević, Srđan Karanović, Ivan Medenica, Srđan Dragojević, Egon Savin, Janko Baljak, Svetlana Bojković, Divna Vuksanović, Srdan Golubović, Jagoš Marković, Miljenko Jergović, Marcelo...) the attacks on Goran Marković were also condemned by the Faculty of Dramatic Arts , the Network for Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASA), and the Theater Critics Association.

S.Ć.

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