They have not forgotten it: Anthology “Slavonia in Song and Heart” presented in Zagreb

“Slavonia in Song and Heart” brought Croatian diaspora poets together in Zagreb, where the anthology was presented and a recital held as part of the 26th gathering of Croatian diaspora poetry.

The association's president, Nadica La Rosa, said it brings together more than 30 poets. Twelve attended the Zagreb programme. The annual gathering aims to nurture the Croatian language, connect poets and associations, and introduce participants to the cultural, historical, regional and culinary heritage of different parts of Croatia.

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For Croats living abroad, language is more than communication. It is the homeland we carry with us.

This year's anthology was donated to the Croatian Heritage Foundation. “For Croats living abroad, language is more than communication. It is the homeland we carry with us,” La Rosa said. She described the collection as “a bridge that connects continents, erases oceans and brings us together around a shared cultural heritage.”

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A bridge that connects continents, erases oceans and brings us together around a shared cultural heritage.

Poets from the United States, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia are taking part. Ivanka Sabolić Rukavina said the participants were more than a diaspora community or association, calling them “ambassadors of Croatian culture” in the countries and communities where they live.

The gatherings began in Manhattan in New York in 2000 and later took place in Croatian communities, schools and cultural centres in several countries. The association was registered in Vinkovci in 2018. The programme continues in Donji Miholjac and Valpovo from Sept. 5 to 7.

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We are, in a sense, ambassadors of Croatian culture in the countries and communities where we live.