Balkan Xpedition

Time period

15 April – 29 April  2012

Partners

Exodos Ljubljana, Slovenia
Pogon, Zagreb, Croatia
Drugo more, Rijeka, Croatia

Route

Xpedition to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania

Exploring narratives

The Balkans. South-East Europe. The southern part of Eastern Europe. A territory that has never allowed itself to be captured within borders, be it historical, geographical, economical, geopolitical, ideological, or regarding religion or language…
A territory that has always been in the draught of cultures, civilisations, bloody fights and blossoming trade. Illyrian queen Teuta; Ancient Greek ruler Alexander the Great… Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Venetian Republic… And a host of Slavic kingdoms in-between… Contacts and clashes between Habsburg and Ottoman Empires, Islam and Christianity, Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.

This has been a fertile soil for folk narratives since the pre-Christian times. Ballads, myths, legends and fairy tales have been narrated, circulated and recreated by tradesmen, soldiers, travellers… yes, also by refugees. It all depends on the capacities of the narrators and their audiences, on the place and time of the event. And on the path, of course…
The path between steep mountains, wide rivers, deep forests.

Which themes have survived until the present days? What kind of transformations have they undergone? What do they mean to us, travellers – and what to “them”, inhabitants of these places? Can we include them into “artificial, artistic” art created by the Author? And what about the stereotypes (laziness, stupidity, cunning) that they induce? Are they still entrenched here and now, or do they only come up in jokes and inasmuch as they are (mis)used by artists in their creative processes?

The joint venture begins in Zagreb and ends in Rijeka (Croatia). One way “across the hilly Balkans”, and back across the “Adriatic Sea.

The Balkan corner – a journey into the past and the unknown… amid people who carry wealth and creativity within themselves.

More

The best example of the path of a narrative is a documentary by Bulgarian director Adela Peeva, Whose Is This Song? (trailer) from 2003, which won several awards on festivals throughout Europe.

“Across the hilly Balkans” is a popular phrase known from the poem A Bloody Tale by Desanka Maksimović.

The “Adriatic Sea” is a popular phrase known from the poem Adriatic Sea by Simon Jenko (video).

Funders

Thanks to the European Union Cultural Programme, Swedish Institute, Croatian Ministry of Culture, The City of Zagreb, Slovenian Ministry of Culture, The City of Ljubljana, Arts Council Northern Ireland and more