Macedonian President GordanaSiljanovska-Davkova said during her visit to Struga that the proposal of the Ministry of Culture, by which the Struga Poetry Evenings Festival should be reduced from an independent national institution to a sector in the Miladinov Brothers Cultural Center, is shocking.
After the meeting with the festival’s leadership, the head of statestressed that the festival had been synonymous with global promotion for 65 years and must not be treated as an administrative issue.
“It is truly shocking, for me this is an uncultured attitude. I expected this famous institution, this famous phenomenon, to be supported in its further development – financially, with digitalization, with space, with new projects, because it is recognizable all over the world. For this to come from an institution that does not understand what culture is, but for it to come from the Ministry of Culture – is truly completely incomprehensible to me,” said President Siljanovska-Davkova.
She said that the Struga Poetry Evenings also has a special role in the European integration processes, recalling the long-standing partnership with UNESCO for the “Bridges of Struga” award.
“However, I am convinced that in this Government, next to the Prime Minister, there are people who will not accept such a proposal, because they know what culture is, what national culture is, they know what 65 years of cultural memory mean behind us, which means top poets saying that such an attitude towards culture is inspiring and should be supported,” PresidentSiljanovska-Davkova added.
