Being the capital of culture doesn’t only imply that you have cinemas and theaters or museums,most of them being closed now. For instance, Maribor will present itself to Europe as the capital of culture in some form of antifascist styling from the recent past.
A lot of streets and squares bare the names that are characteristic for our former state. And there is also a cinema called “Sutjeska”. So a thought came to my mind about an experience that would be like “ how do the foreigners see us”.
It was January 13th of one of these post-October years; my friend, a Danish writer Jens-Martin Eriksen had just arrived that night and as usual we immediately went out to get some dinner. And afterwards he wanted to see the “miraculous” Serbian New Year’s Eve. The party was already organized, the bar full, of mostly couples who were mostly silent.
At midnight the brass band came. The gloomy couples jumped up and the celebration started. Though our party at the table was a bit restrained. But the brass band musicians can always smell the foreigners and they approached our table. They reached out their hands and we reached for our wallets. Jens-Martin was also a little confused, but he also took out some change, probably thinking that it has some value here.
The eye quickly slid down the trumpet which started playing “cocek” and quickly estimated the amount in hand. The hand was not backing away, and the entire band slid towards Jens-Martin’s ear. Decibels were to the maximum. Someone at the table said we had to save the poor man. I looked at him: a onetime sailor, later a writer, and one of the most prominent people in Denmark, received all the possible prizes and saw the entire world.
So, a man with experience, but at that moment bewildered. One can never have enough of experience. Everything came to an end, and the Serbian part of the crew was almost proud that our guest had been a little scared and that Serbia showed what was expected of her, in a bar.
And then we took Kursulina, and Molerova Street to the corner with Krunska, where an old street name stands. And I could see that Jens-Martin was staring a bit at the name. Then he pronounced it in English: Proletarian brigades. And said: “It sounds so good!” And then I thought that having such a street name after all these years is like some pop-art, like an installation that has only a distant creative connection with the First and Second proletariat, Koca Popovic, the Spanish and the Portuguese brigades, or with the Weimar republic.
My conclusion is that specific name should be preserved, like some tourist attraction. Of course that Belgrade can be a nice capital of culture with both Krunska Street and the Proletarian brigade Street. But what I am trying to say is that we need to start thinking smart and creative on every detail with which the city will present itself in 2020.