Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced that the Pristina authorities today prohibited the transport of the theatrical equipment necessary for the performance of the play "The Book of Milutin" by Zvezdar Theater to Kosovo, which made it impossible for the play, in which he is starring Nenad Jezdic, will be performed in Kosovska Mitrovica and Leposavic.
As stated in the announcement, Jezdić was supposed to perform the 202nd performance "The Book of Milutin" tonight at the Cultural Center in Kosovska Mitrovica, and tomorrow evening in Leposavic, however, the equipment and his collaborators were stopped at the Jarinje administrative crossing, even though had all the necessary supporting documentation and equipment specification.
"After banning Patriarch Porfirio from visiting his spiritual house, the Peć Patriarchate, banning and canceling the use of the Serbian dinar in Kosovo and Metohija, Kurti now wants to cancel cultural events for Serbs and thereby practically cancel the life of Serbs in Kosovo in Metohija, as he has repeatedly defended and canceled sports events, took off the Serbian tricolor, defended vaccination and stopped the delivery of Serbian goods to the province", according to the Office.
The announcement also emphasizes that the performance of the theater performance has nothing to do with politics.
"But Kurti, in his insane plan to attack and expel everything Serbian from the area of Kosovo and Metohija, does not spare anything and even deals with cultural events," added the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.
Nenad Jezdić: Uncivilized, anti-cultural and anti-theatrical act
Actor Nenad Jezdić tells "Vreme" that making such a decision is unacceptable, "whoever decides whether something will be played or not".
"Sad to say the least." This wrongdoing is an essential weakness and impotence, and it only looks and seems powerful, and that's according to a theater. An uncivilizing act, anti-cultural and anti-theatrical. Not allowing Serbs or anyone to witness the performance of their cultural, spiritual and glorious heritage through the play The Book of Milutin is a reflection of fear and panic," Jezdić points out and adds that it is a play that both the Serbian and Albanian people in Kosovo and Metohija desperately need. .
"Fortunately, this monodrama, to my great joy and pride, is an anti-war drama. I would be happy if the people of the Albanian population in Kosovo could also listen to it, since Milutin does not belong to any ideology or politics, but only poses a human and moral dilemma, regarding all our misunderstandings and suffering, both his own and others' people from this area," says the actor.
However, he concludes that this decision does not surprise him.
"The book about Milutin is certainly the most healing thing that we all need to hear today, but in the atmosphere of the greatest stigmatization of my people, a few decades ago, the ban and limits for culture do not surprise me at all." All in all - extremely primitive," concludes Jezdić.
Zvezdara theater: Anything with a Serbian sign is prohibited
The Zvezdara Theater announced the decision to stop the play's crew at the Jarinje crossing.
"After extensive agreements and preparations for the guest appearance to which we paid a lot of attention, today, without any explanation, the team of the play "The Book of Milutin" produced by Zvezdar Theater was forbidden to cross the administrative border with Kosovo and Metohija. The performances we planned as part of the announced visit to Kosovska Mitrovica and Leposavic will not be performed.
After yesterday's ban on Patriarch Porfirio from entering Kosovo, one performance was also banned today. After a series of bans, starting from political to economic, religious and others, it was the turn of culture, everything that has a Serbian sign was banned.
As a theater that traditionally cultivates a local text in its repertoire, we will continue to make an effort to perform our plays in front of any audience that wants to see them, regardless of obstacles of any kind because culture knows no borders," the theater's written announcement states.
Egon Savin: Even during the breakup of Yugoslavia, we were guests in Zagreb and Sarajevo
The director of the play "The Book of Milutin" Egon Savin said that he was stunned by the decision to prevent the Zvezdara Theater team from entering Kosmet, and that it was an act of hatred and primitivism he could not remember.
"I don't remember that there was ever a time when it was forbidden for actors to come and play a play." I'm rewinding the movie in my head, but I really don't know of such a case. In all these years of wars and madness with the breakup of Yugoslavia, this was nowhere to be found. There were guest performances even during the war, we went somewhere, of course, not while the battles were going on, and numerous artists communicated and collaborated, and as soon as the war stopped, we went to Zagreb, we toured in Sarajevo, and they also visited us," he said. for the director for Danas.
"The banning of the "Book about Milutin" in Kosovo and Metohija is truly outrageous, because it is an anti-war play that does not propagate any hatred, any nationalism, on the contrary. It talks about how terrible all the madness of war is, how innocent people always suffer the most, and it was with this idea in mind that I created the play - that people take a healthy attitude towards war, that great death, and that it be a warning to every person that no one will ever again think of hatred and conflict. That's why I can't say anything milder now, than that this ban is an act of intolerance, I don't know what else it would be," Savin points out and adds that the "Book about Milutin" does not contain a trace of prejudice against anyone, nor is it an agit prop for anything. which nation, but is on the side of humanity and every human being, anywhere in the world.
"That play is a short history lesson about the Great War, from the point of view of an ordinary, uneducated man to whom everyone suffered, a peasant who, after everything, thinks sanely and wisely, and warns that war is the greatest evil. "Who does it bother in Kosovo and Metohija and why, I really can't fathom", explains the director.
