Tomorrow's Topic: Multiple crises in culture

The 59th Bitef festival in Serbia faces an unprecedented crisis as five out of seven invited theater troupes have withdrawn from the official selection. This mass withdrawal casts a shadow over the renowned international theater event.

Despite the significant disruption, theater critic and former artistic director of Bitef, Ivan Medenica, offered a unique perspective. He suggested that this turmoil, in a paradoxical way, actually upholds the festival's core identity. "One positive paradox is that with such events, Bitef preserves its essence," Medenica told N1.

Medenica elaborated that while the festival may not proceed as planned or might occur in a "non-adequate edition," the very struggle and the actions taken by foreign artists and those fighting for Bitef are deeply rooted in the festival's long-standing tradition. This resistance and the ensuing debate, he argues, are characteristic of Bitef's historical engagement with challenging artistic and social issues.

“

One positive paradox is that on this way, with such events, Bitef preserves its essence. It will not happen or it will happen in some inadequate edition, but everything that foreign artists have done and the entire struggle that is happening for Bitef, is in the best Bitef tradition.