"Mirëdita, Dobar dan" festival in Belgrade faces political backlash

June 19, 2024 — The "Mirëdita, Dobar dan" festival in Belgrade, once hailed for fostering cultural exchange between Serbs and Albanians, is now at the center of a heated controversy involving Serbian authorities.

Established a decade ago to promote cultural collaboration and dialogue, the festival has encountered growing opposition from Serbian officials this year. Despite its mission to use art and culture to promote reconciliation in the Western Balkans, the festival is now viewed by some politicians in Serbia as a "high-risk event" and calls have been made for its cancellation.

Initially scheduled for June 28th, the festival's organizers recently rescheduled it to take place on June 27th and 29th. Throughout its history, the festival has weathered threats from extremist groups but has consistently taken place in Belgrade, sometimes amidst heightened security measures and sporadic clashes between police and far-right Serbian protesters.

This year, Belgrade's prefect, Aleksandar Šapić, took a firm stance against the festival, declaring that the city would not allow "the use of any public zone or space" for the event. He criticized the festival for allegedly distorting history by promoting Kosovo's cultural heritage without recognizing its Serbian roots, which he argued undermines Serbia's sovereignty.

Sofija Todorović, a key organizer from the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, defended the festival as a crucial platform for discussing pressing issues between Serbia and Kosovo, advocating for dialogue among diverse communities.

However, despite its cultural and reconciliation goals, the festival has become entangled in political maneuvering. Critics accuse the Belgrade government of exploiting the event for propaganda purposes, despite official participation in formal processes aimed at normalizing relations with Kosovo.

Ms. Todorović reiterated that Serbia's strategic objective remains integration into the European Union, highlighting Chapter 35's focus on Serbia-Kosovo relations and the importance of agreements like the Ohrid Agreement.

Despite objections from officials such as Aleksandar Vulin, Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister under US sanctions, and Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, leader of the far-right "Zavetnici" party, who have called for the festival's cancellation, sociologist Ivan Živkov predicts that the festival will proceed amid ongoing societal and political tensions.

Since its inception in 2014, the "Mirëdita, Dobar dan" festival has showcased films, exhibitions, and debates aimed at bridging the gap between Serbs and Albanians, communities still divided since the conflicts of the late 1990s.

Organized by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights in Serbia in collaboration with Kosovo-based organizations, the festival has faced recurring protests from Serbian ultranationalist groups demanding its cancellation.

This article was originally published by Voice of America (VoA), Albanian Service, and has been translated and adapted into English.