Serbian Publishers' Initiative No. 3 Targets Blacklists, Book Fair Site

Three Belgrade publishers, Vladislav Bajac of Geopoetika, Zoran Hamović of Clio and Gojko Božović of Arhipelag, have launched a platform called Initiative No. 3, which sets out demands for changes in Serbian cultural policy, Danas reported on Friday, 13 November. On the same day N1 reported that nearly 600 people had signed a separate initiative in Pančevo calling for the removal of what its authors describe as politically appointed heads of cultural institutions.

What Initiative No. 3 demands

The three publishers describe the platform as a long-term programme rather than a protest, aimed at turning civic dissent into institutional reform. Their 12 demands include keeping the Belgrade International Book Fair at its historic location at the Belgrade Fair and turning the site into a modern cultural complex, transparent book purchasing for public libraries, clear criteria for funding publishing, and a thorough review of recent decisions by the Ministry of Culture.

They also call for an end to blacklists in cultural institutions and the media, for commission members who took part in what they call politically motivated decisions or censorship to stop serving on ministry bodies, for culture sections to be restored in the media, and for a new tender for national TV frequencies with minimum requirements for cultural programming. Their guiding principle, they write, is that culture is a public good and not political spoils.

For the past two years the three houses have stayed away from the state-backed Book Fair and from the ministry's book-purchase tenders, one condition of which was buying only books printed in Cyrillic. They backed the alternative programmes Naš Sajam and ne:Sajam instead. Danas did not report any response from the Ministry of Culture.

Pančevo: a call to replace institution heads

In Pančevo, artists, cultural workers and art students launched their initiative on the city's day, 8 November. Its authors say they have seen systematic retaliation against those who supported student demands, including cancelled performances, exhibitions and festivals and withdrawn funding. They ask all directors and acting directors of cultural institutions in the city and its surroundings to resign, and want an independent review of staff qualifications and appointments. The initiative does not name specific institutions or people, and N1 did not report a response from the city authorities.

Why it matters now

Both initiatives come as the new parliamentary majority prepares to form a government, which will appoint a new culture minister. The Book Fair's future location has been debated for years because of redevelopment plans for the Belgrade Fair grounds.