The grand opening of the 56th International Belgrade Book Fair
Sunday, October 23, 2011
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Opening ceremony speech by Basara |
The grand opening of the 56th International Belgrade Book Fair was held Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 18:00 hours in Hall 1 of the Belgrade Fair. Host of this year's Belgrade Book Fair was Svetislav Basara, controversial Serbian novelist, essayist, and polemicist known for his sharp pen. Addressing the audience, he stated that,
"We receive disturbing warnings from all sides, warnings about the world going through a spiritual crisis; and although we are experiencing a spiritual crisis of a sort, there is no room for panic: Everything is as should be; spirituality is all about constantly falling into a crisis, and finding a way to overcome it. Look around and you will see where the true crisis lies – within the very antipode of all that is spiritual. That is the crisis of the deceptive world of mercantilism, greed, and uncontrollable, unbridled acquisition and consumption, rapidly falling apart before our very eyes."
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Mia Couto |
Basara added that his optimism is inspired by the "strength with which books stubbornly resist the persistent attacks of new technologies, the unobtrusive persistence with which they manage to survive in a multitude of superficial pleasures."
Second welcome speech was held by the representative of the Guest of Honor – Mia Couto, the world-renowned Mozambican writer and one of the most important African Portuguese-language writers.
Two musical scores were played at the opening – This from My Love and Lily Lalauna, composed by Rade Radivojević for the verses written by Ivo Andrić.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Culture Predrag Marković, former Minister of Culture Nebojša Bradić, City Secretary for Culture Ivana Avžner, the ambassadors of Lusophone countries with embassies and consulates in Belgrade (Angola, Brazil, and Portugal), as well as a large number of writers and other people from cultural circles.