The jubilee 25th Exit may be the last one at the Petrovaradin Fortress. The reason: the organizers supported the student protests, so the government is denying them public funds. If this is the end — it will be the loudest, united cry for freedom
Summer season musical of the festival is heating up, and in a month it will be held on the 25th. Exit.
Apart from the jubilee, it could also be the last in Serbia and on Novi Sad Fortress, the organizers announced in a post on Instagram, all because of the pressure they have been suffering since they "publicly stood by the students and their struggle for a free and just society in Serbia".
"From the moment we publicly stood by last year student and their struggle for a free and just society in Serbia, we are exposed to enormous financial and other pressures, with the aim of abolishing our right to freedom of thought and speech", the organizers of Exit stated in a statement on Instagram.
As they add, they were completely denied public co-financing at all levels of government, without which, in the limited Serbian economic framework, it is not possible to realize a festival of the size and reputation of Exit in the long term.
Despite this, as they add, they do not agree to be silenced.
"We believe that freedom has no price, and for that reason, this year's jubilee edition of the festival will be the last that takes place in Serbia like this. If this is the last Exit at the Fortress, let it be unforgettable. Let it be our strongest so far. A festival that is remembered not for the end, but for unity. For love. For freedom!", say the organizers of Exit.
Photo: Tanjug / Nemanja Jovanović / bgExit has been organized at the Petrovaradin fortress since 2001
Termination of funding
The Secretariat for Culture of the Provincial Government, chaired by Maja Gojković, has decided to punish those who in any way supported the rebellion of students and citizens, including the Exit festival, at public competitions this year.
Sterija's theatres, the Academy of Arts, Exit, the Shakespeare Festival - they ran out of money at the provincial competition for culture. This is how the punishment arrived for those who directly or indirectly supported the student protests, reminds "Danas".
"In addition to the competition of the Secretariat for Culture of AP Vojvodina, Exit was also denied co-financing from the Ministry of Tourism and Youth of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, which is included in the budget adopted by the Parliament of Serbia last year, due to the support of the students. It was also denied the multi-decade support of commercial sponsors that are state-owned", the organizers previously told "Danas".
Movement for Peace and Freedom
25 years ago, in 2000, Exit was founded as a student movement for peace and freedom in Serbia and the Balkans.
After the general elections in Yugoslavia in 2000, Exit moved from the university park to the Petrovaradin fortress in 2001. However, social responsibility remained a key aspect of his activities.
"Through music, creativity and activism, we connected generations, mended broken ties and built bridges where others were tearing down," the organizers stated in the announcement.
The festival was founded in 2000 in Novi Sad as a student movement fighting for democracy and freedom in Serbia and the Balkans.
A few years ago, the media wrote about the possible relocation of Exit from Serbia, and Istria in Croatia and Montenegro were mentioned as potential locations. However, EXit did not leave Novi Sad then.
The question is whether next year the scenario will be different.
EXIT: We cannot agree to pressure
Answering questions from Vremena, the EXIT team stated that this year's 25th anniversary edition of the festival will certainly be held at the Petrovaradin Fortress, as planned.
However, they say that under these circumstances, next year's festival will be held outside of Serbia.
They stated that they suffer pressures that are directly aimed at stifling freedom of speech and expression due to EXIT's support for students, which the festival cannot agree to under any circumstances.
It was pointed out that EXIT is financed primarily from its own revenues, which means ticket sales, sponsors, drinks sales, and the like, and that state funding has so far covered about 15 percent of the festival's total costs.
"It is important to note that the funding from the state in the case of EXIT is less compared to the support received by the film industry. This year, we expect increased support from our audience and from the international music industry, where EXIT enjoys an extremely high reputation. The support of various stakeholders from the music industry has already been announced, and details about this will follow soon," they stated.
When asked if there is an alternative solution and where EXIT will be if it is no longer in Serbia, they answer that EXIT represents "one of the largest independent festival organizations in Europe".
"EXIT has realized dozens of events in many countries all over Europe and the world. All those events will continue to be realized, and when it comes to Exit, we have invitations from different destinations, and we will consider these offers in detail and make a decision after the end of this year's 25th anniversary edition at the Petrovaradin fortress", the EXIT team stated in the answer.
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