Centre for Civic Education (CCE) and civic activists join the public call by the Office of the President of Montenegro for the Ministry of Culture and Media to grant the Festival of International Alternative Theatre (FIAT) the status of an event of special significance for Montenegrin culture.
We regret, and are seriously concerned by, the fact that FIAT has not received sufficient institutional and financial support this year to implement its planned programme in full. This is not merely a question of the survival of a single festival, but of the state’s attitude towards contemporary culture, artistic freedom and the space for critical reflection on society.
FIAT is one of Podgorica’s most recognisable cultural symbols and one of the few cultural events that make the Capital genuinely urban, open and connected to contemporary artistic trends. Its significance has long extended beyond the festival programme itself – FIAT is a space for encounters, different ideas, experimentation, provocation and freedom of artistic expression.
At a time when Montenegro lacks contemporary cultural content, it is particularly concerning that public funds are increasingly being channelled towards conservative, revisionist and ideologically acceptable content, especially at the local level. This is why support for festivals such as FIAT is a reflection of cultural policy and of the public interest, which is currently not being protected to a sufficient extent.
FIAT has earned the status of an event of special significance through its quality, continuity and decades-long perseverance in preserving an alternative spirit in an environment with little tradition of challenging established patterns. Institutions should recognise and strengthen such value, rather than place it at risk through financial uncertainty.
Podgorica aspires to soon become the capital of an EU member state. This also entails stronger support for contemporary art, cultural pluralism and freedom of artistic creation. Podgorica must remain a city with space for what has not yet been seen, for what provokes, questions and pushes boundaries.
Rather than forcing FIAT to struggle year after year for the basic conditions necessary for its survival, the state must ensure sustainable support so that contemporary culture and alternative theatre can have a space, an audience and a future in Montenegro.
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
Dina Bajramspahić, civic activist
Jovana Marović, civic activist
Paula Petričević, civic activist