PRISTINA: CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS DYING OUT AIM Pristina, 28 february, 1997

Ten years of Milosevic's era marked by defeats and destruction of the Serb state and national being, have tragically reflected on the culture of Kosovo and Metohija. It is true that there are those who will with plenty of reason and valid arguments try to prove that the Serb creative being has reached its full swing here as never before. They can find foundation for their thesis in numerous published books, new manifestations and programs from all spheres of creative work.

This is, however, only one side of the coin. There is plenty of truth in it, more when speaking of the initiative of individuals, and less in efforts of other "subjects". A manifestation called "Vidovdan Poets' Communion" has been established, journal called Pristina Magazine was founded, in Istok, journal Hvasno was started, and literary youth of Pristina tried to keep their journal called Kopca going (three volumes). The gallery of the Provincial Cultural Centre is working more and better than ever before. There are numerous performances in the National Theatre in Pristina (Serb and Albanian drama), and the Art Gallery and the Museum have been very busy.

Among the publishers, Pristina Novi svet has distinguished itself with about 30 titles a year, then there is a cultural manifestation called Gligorije Glisa Elezovic with seven titles last year and seven monuments of material culture. There are also valuable undertakings in the publication business, reaffirmation of Serb spirituality and literary programs and panel discussions organized by the National and the University Library.

The thing which causes concern, however, is that all institutions of culture and science, as well as educational institutions whose work and material situation is directly reflected on culture, are having great difficulties in making ends meet. What is it all about?

The only newspaper in Serbian language in Pristina, Jedinstvo, is threatened with shutting down. Workers have not received salaries - meagre as they are - for four months already, and they are threatening with a strike. Publishing company Grigorije Bozovic has been barely surviving in the past few years, both because of financial difficulties and, like in the case of Jedinstvo, because of uneconomic operation. It has been of no use for Jedinstvo that the Serbian Government has allocated one quarter of this year's budget of Kosovo (about 4 million) for this newspaper.

If one adds to this the fact that the teachers'journal Prosvetna rec has been shut down, as well as magazines for social issues Obelezja and for children Djurdjevak, the picture of dying out of the national and cultural heritage of the Serbs in this region becomes complete. Local writers at their latest convention have, as for who knows how many times before, also pointed out to this phenomenon.

How big is the number of institutions which have died out is illustrated by the fact that out of the former 25 institutes, just a couple have survived so far, but they too are hardly surviving. Among them is the Institute for studying the culture of Serbs, Montenegrins, Croats and Muslims in Pristina, whose status is uncertain because of legal limitations which directly reflects on its financial situation.

The status of cultural institutions must, of course, be observed in the context of "broader social conditions" - staggering of the Serbian economy, and the policy which has brought it about. What is obvious and clear to everybody can be brought down to the thesis that awareness has finally prevailed that it is impossible to live on rhetoric about patriotism and ideology. In the local institutions, pompous but empty talk and words such as "Serb mother country" which once used to be sufficient to get money for, nowadays mean nothing to anybody any more.

Although many institutions have disappeared, there is not enough money in the region for normal operation and survival even of those which are financed from the provincial budget through the provincial Secretariat for Education, Science and Culture which had a symbolic amount of money of several hindred thousand dinars at its disposal last year. Cultural problems have forced the Serbs engaged in this sphere face the fact that the Albanians cannot be blamed for this, which has until now been the only answer for many problems.

Finally, the fact that the Serbian authorities are not allocating money for culture in the Albanian language, except for the theatre, has made many wonder what the situation in culture will be like when that will also have to be fully financed from the budget.

Apart from that, the fact that noone really knows what is happening to the culture of Kosovo Albanians is also a reason for concern. Numerous printing works, magazine (lavishly produced) which they mostly finance on their own shows that the Albanians are also shifting around for themselves the best they can.

The Serbs are completely in the dark concerning to what extent the situation has affected and damaged the creative and national being of the Albanians. What they do know and what is significant for them too is the fact that closing down and struggle for survival of institutions unfavourably affects the general state of mind. At times when the initiative is used to make ends meet, improvisation appears and there is not enough critical spirit. Everything that appears and that happens is simply evaluated as a significant creation, which is not good for the spirit of creativity and development of the people.

The problem of the lack of responsibility to the public and the society has a special place in it and it has very serious results. Grigorije Bozovic publishing company, for example, has been publishing just a few books for years, journal Stremljenja is published so rarely that it can hardly be said to be published at all (in double or even triple issues), and nobody has even wondered why, least of all called anyone to account for it.

Finally, people engaged in culture (both the Serbs and the Albanians) will fully face the problem only when political resolution of Serb-Albanian relations begins. Cultural problems will necessarily force them to face the necessity of reestablishing communication which has been interrupted for political reasons. All these are issues which are still waiting to be put on the agenda and which call for consideration. Whether reestablishment of communication will improve the situation remains to be seen. But without it, things will just get worse for everybody.

Milos DJORDJEVIC AIM Pristina