The Rural Cultural Center in Markovac (SKCM) received an order to vacate the premises of the Cultural Center. The letter stating that within eight days they must empty the space of "persons and things" arrived on May 19, and the order by mail on Friday, May 23.
The president of the Village Cultural Center, Aleksandra Miladinović, told "Vreme" that they used the weekend to inform citizens. The petition against the expulsion of SKCM was signed by about 1200 citizens.
Photo: Village Cultural CenterRequest to revoke SKCM's eviction order
"Now I am on my way to the municipality to submit a request for an interview together with the signatures of the citizens who supported us," says Miladinović.
What did the Village Cultural Center represent?
This organization has formally existed since 2020, when it began using the space of the Cultural Center for the work of the "Ekatarina Pavlović" library, whose collection of thousands of books is available to the citizens of Markovac twice a week. Library membership is free.
They organized creative workshops for children, young people and adults, to hold film screenings and to perform guest theater performances, as well as those they prepare themselves.
Photo: Village Cultural CenterThe efforts of the Village Cultural Center in preserving the House of Culture
Miladinović indicates that the inhabitants of Markovac are disappointed and angry because of everything that is happening.
"It is true that we did not have a contract on the use of the space, but we did not enter by force, but in cooperation with the local community we got the keys and started doing some great things there. It is absolutely not true that the Municipality is not aware, because we also have written evidence that on several occasions we invited them to a dialogue to establish cooperation in writing," explains the "Vremena" interviewee.
He adds that every year they apply to the Municipality for a competition for culture, and that they receive their support and write what they have done in the reports for the Municipality.
"They now suddenly wrote in the eviction order that they only now found out that we have been here for five years."
Why did it only happen now?
Miladinović says that he does not know, but that the assumption of the locals who came to sign the petition is that he has something to do with the students. Namely, according to our interlocutor, the Village Cultural Center responded to the call of students in previous months, they organized a reception for "wonderful young people". Our interlocutor says that if there is a conversation, she will also talk about whether this is the reason.
What does SKCM mean to the locals?
To this question, Miladinović points out that they were not even aware of how much this cultural center means to the locals.
"So many people came on Saturday and Sunday to talk to us and to support us that now we have seen from those conversations how much we mean to them."
He adds that they are the only organization that exists in the village and that provides various programs for both children and adults and the elderly - "literally all categories and everyone is welcome to our programs", because not all people from the village have the opportunity to go to Velika Plana and watch performances there, so they bring them, as well as other cultural events, to Markovac.
"The attendance of our program speaks of its importance, and above all the support we have from the wider community. We also cooperate with numerous cultural institutions and organizations from all over Serbia and beyond our country," concludes our interlocutor.
