Vidovdan in Ćacilend – Literary Night or Political Circus? While SNS president Miloš Vučević claims the party will not organize a Vidovdan rally in Belgrade, he announced that SNS members might join students in Pionirski Park or Ćacilend for a cultural evening. This announcement sparked a storm of reactions on social media, especially since the literary night is held in a place known as Ćacilend, infamous as a paramilitary camp. Prominent writers and publishers are not holding back their criticism. Vladislav Bajac calls it the “ridiculous end of Serbia’s cultural policy,” while Zoran Hamović calls the situation the peak of absurdity. According to him, students will present a book they do not intend to read, inspired by politicians who would do much more for the book if they were allowed. Katarina Ješić warns that literature must not be part of political manipulations, as it risks losing its core function – enriching and opening cultural dialogue. Gojko Božović points out that such instrumentalization of literature has not been seen even in the darkest times, and that literary evenings like the one announced for Vidovdan in Ćacilend represent a paramilitary camp in Pionirski Park, unprecedented in recent Serbian history. This event reveals a deep social and political crisis that the government tries to hide with repression, propaganda, and clumsy performances. Branislav Grubački ironically notes that the Secretariat for Culture of AP Vojvodina ordered books by Milorad Ulemek Legija for libraries across the province, another proof of the continuity of this cultural policy. The literary night in Ćacilend is not just a cultural event but a mirror of deep divisions and political manipulations in society. If you think this is just another bizarre performance, you might be right – but this is our reality today. So, what do you think? Has literature really become just another stage for political games? Drop a comment, let’s see who’s in and who’s out of this cultural circus!
