Dear friends,

We are inviting you to a literary meeting of the Group 99, to be held from 19. to 21. 11. in Montenegro.

As a topic of the encounter, we suggest, »How many crisis is ahead of us? – Writer's responsibility«.  We find two reasons for this. The first one is – in Montenegrin public are »in vivo« held particularly intensive and crucial for the whole region debates on the topic is there, in the midst of Balkans, strength for its European future – or its destiny is stagnation, periphery and going back to retrograde nationalistic models.  At the same time, in Montenegro, during the recent years a young generation of writers and intellectuals has been affirmed and it has gained high esteem at the whole territory of former Yugoslavia. Montenegro is not only an especially interesting place for literature. It is dramatic as well. Spiritual and political crisis in the surroundings did not stop: neither in Kosovo, nor in BIH, nor in Serbia. Paradoxally, powerful presence of EU seems to preserve additionally conflicts and aggressive potentials from 90-ies. Facing this, as well as our independent positions of writers, journalists and publicists, we would like to discuss whether the solidarity, active relations and alliances are still acute for us.

The second reason, the encounter wants to be memento of the ten years of Srebrenica, the biggest massacre in Europe after WW II.  The men of the pen can feel here a deep despair. Ten years ago, journalists and writers were warning and informing, but they could not prevent execution of 7.500 people. Today, again, at the year 2005, situation of weakness is the same. Arrogant politics of the power and religious fanatism fight bloody hegemonic and terrorist wars at a global level, in order to persuade their respective societies, their TV watchers in the inevitable »clash of civilizations«, intolerance between nations and religions, predestined and milleniar determination of the collective. It is nothing else but what we lived during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. Maybe we should state our weakness: Horrifying pictures of the massacre that we for the first time saw in occupied Sarajevo and in Srebrenica, now are coming, since the 11. September 2001, every evening from Iraq, Darfoura, Bali, London and Madrid.

One more time, Group 99 wishes to make possible exchange of opinions with people from the area where the most complexed processes in Europe are going on. Steps that Balkan is making toward peace, civilized life, are still facing the ideologies that recently have brought the region to the chaos of war, destruction end ethnic cleansing; joining the EU is postponed for fifteen, twenty years; legal states and multicultural societies, at 2005 too, are built in the spiritual, institutional and political chaos. To create, to write, to research, to be an individual and to be free, seems almost as an absurd.

We are asking you to come to Montenegro. It is an important bridge of communication with the region, and we have made the preliminary program, so you can hear, talk to and interact with many people representing Montenegro. Some bigger city in Europe would be easier for you to reach. But, let's not forget, in the case live dialog with the most of us would be impossible – because Bosnians, Montenegrins, Serbians, Albanians from Kosovo can travel in European Union only if they are issued entry visa in some Embassy.

Co-organizer of the encounter is Open cultural forum from Cetinje, lead by Milorad Popovic.

 

Yours,

Ivan Lovrenovic (Sarajevo), Milorad Popovic (Cetinje), Nenad Popovic (Zagreb), Branko Sbutega (Kotor)
Members of the Group 99