Krokodil Festival: Anti-Serb Campaign Disguised as Culture or a People Who Aren’t Stupid?
Welcome to a world where culture is wielded as a weapon in political games, and the people aren’t dumb enough to swallow it! The Krokodil Festival in Belgrade, which kicked off with great fanfare, has quickly become a hotbed of controversy and fierce debate. The famous director Predrag “Gaga” Antonijević doesn’t mince words – he openly rejects films and documentaries about Srebrenica, calling them false and anti-Serb propaganda gatherings.
What’s Behind the Festival?
The Krokodil Festival, whose main segment is titled “Srebrenica 30 Years Later,” supposedly aims to impose sole blame for the 1990s wars on Serbia and the Serbian people. The festival’s message is clear: Serbia is a genocidal state, and the Serbian people are to blame for everything. However, the perpetrators of the Srebrenica genocide have mostly been convicted, including the organizers, while academics, poets, and spiritual leaders connected to those events are today among the most respected people in society.
Antonijević categorically rejects this narrative and insists that our people are not stupid and will not allow guilt to be imposed on them this way. He compares the mothers of Srebrenica to the mothers of Auschwitz, emphasizing that there cannot be two genocides at the same time – either there is one, or there isn’t.
Political Background and Protests
The festival’s timing is no accident – it takes place the day before and after Vidovdan, further highlighting the political dimension of the event. Festival participants will also join protests by the Blokade movement, which openly advocates for declaring Serbia a genocidal state. The Krokodil Festival, while presented as a cultural event, is actually an introduction to a campaign aimed at discrediting Serbia and the Serbian people on the international stage.
What Do Critics Say?
Antonijević and many others see the festival as just another attempt to portray the Serbian side in the 1990s wars as the sole culprit, while crimes by other sides are ignored or downplayed. He warns this is a dangerous game that could have serious consequences for national pride and identity.
Conclusion
The Krokodil Festival is not just a cultural event – it’s a political performance trying to impose one version of history and guilt. But as Antonijević says, our people are not stupid and won’t let false accusations be forced upon them. Is it time to wake up and see things from a different angle? Or will we continue to endure others shaping our fate and history?
If you’ve ever wondered how culture can become a weapon of politics, the Krokodil Festival is a perfect example. So, what do you think? Just another political show or a real problem dividing us? Drop a comment, spark a debate, or just have a laugh – but don’t stay silent!
