Mustafić and Duraković Attack the Troika: They Accepted HDZ's Standards and Criteria

(Patria) - The Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports announced on August 12 the decision on the distribution of transfers for institutions of science and culture of importance to BiH from the 2024 Budget.

Thus, the largest individual amount was received by the Croatian National Theatre Mostar, as much as 100,000 KM.

Other theatres received significantly less funds, with the National Theatre Sarajevo receiving 61,000 KM. The Bosnian National Theatre Zenica received 20,000 KM, the National Theatre Mostar received 20,000 KM, and the National Theatre Tuzla also received 20,000 KM.

The National and University Library of BiH is worth five times less than the Croatian National Theatre, so it received 20,000 KM for a project. Employees of the NUB BiH have been working without salaries for five months, and on August 26 they announced the closure of the institution if nothing changes. Although this is an institution of importance to the state, this transfer also shows the real situation.

This distribution by Minister Sanja Vlaisavljević, who is from the HDZ quota, drew reactions from the directors of two cultural institutions: Dino Mustafić, director of the National Theatre Sarajevo, and Jasmin Duraković, director of the Bosnian Cultural Center Sarajevo.

"Institutions and festivals that are neither Croatian nor Bosniak, but merely artistically relevant with a long tradition, such as MESS or SVEM, have been shamefully undervalued by the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports in the Federation of BiH according to HDZ criteria, which apparently do not bother the Troika either," stated Mustafić.

BKC director Duraković commented on Facebook:

"It seems that the Troika, more strongly than the SDA ever did, has accepted the concept of complete dominance of a (folkloric) two-national approach to culture according to HDZ standards in the Federation of BiH, a concept that history records occurred in these areas at the end of the 19th century.


What artistic and aesthetic standards, what criteria of excellence and relevance on the domestic, regional, or global level, what progressive cultural policy, what 21st century," stated Duraković.