INTERVIEW: ZORA DUJMOVIĆ, FBIH MINISTER OF CULTURE AND SPORTS
Interviewed by: Anisa OPRAŠIĆ
SARAJEVO, March 15 (ONASA) – FBiH Minister of Culture and Sports in the interview for the Agency ONASA talks, among other things, about priorities in the work of the Ministry, activities and projects in the field of culture and sports, the Decision on allocation of funds in projects in the area culture …
ONASA: What are priorities in your work and the work of the FBiH Ministry of Culture and Sports?
DUJMOVIĆ: Priorities in the work of the FBiH Ministry of Culture and Sports are the support to the culture in all its segments, development and promotion of the sport, care for young people in the entire territory of the FBiH with the animation and participation of local communities, institutions and cultural and sports workers, enthusiasts and other. Although the field of culture in the FBiH is decentralized, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the FBiH Government makes a significant contribution to creating cultural policy and financially supports entities of the culture that are important to the FBiH. We are trying to implement our complex and demanding priorities, as well as other activities, with quality, despite the lack of money and a number of other problems.
ONASA: What activities and projects the FBiH Ministry of Culture and Sport carries out in order to promote and improve this area?
DUJMOVIĆ: FBiH Ministry of Culture and Sports mainly participates in the realization of cultural and sports projects that have real significance for the FBiH, with financial and professional support. Ministry also independently realizes some significant projects, eg. regularly is organized important cultural event “Days of European Legacy”, which in the best way promotes the culture from our region. We are fighting to improve this area, because we are aware that culture is an important and powerful lever for the transformation of our society and that it has, among other things, a good effect in strengthening internal social cohesion.
ONASA: How much the FBiH invests in culture?
DUJMOVIĆ: There is usually little money, especially in culture. It is not good that year after year the budget allocations for culture and sports are reduced. The FBiH Budget funds for 2015 for the culture and sports amounted to about 9.000.000 BAM. Of this amount for programs and projects relevant to the culture of the FBiH, for the reconstruction of cultural and architectural heritage for young people, for the institutions of science and culture significant for BiH, for citizens’ associations and for sports, has been allocated about 6.100.000 BAM, and the difference was allocated to foundations for publishing, booktrade, music, theater and visual arts and cinema, as well as for the nonprofit organizations “Preporod”, “Prosvjeta”, “Napredak” and “La Benevolencija”.
ONASA: As BiH recently submitted the application for membership in the EU, how will BiH’s approaching to the EU reflect on the sector of culture and sports? The application for the EU membership will provide new access to EU funds, are there any projects in the field of culture and sports which will apply to these funds?
DUJMOVIĆ: This important step that BiH has made towards the EU will certainly have a positive impact on the sector of culture and sports. Within a number of tasks regarding the European path, which the FBiH Government si resolving, is the task of modernizing the internal structure of ministries. The new regulations on classification, which is under development, provides for jobs for professional employees who will work on adapting resource work with European practice and standards. It should be noted that in the culture and sports, except for very poor socio-economic conditions, we achieve good results according to the European and world standards. After the application for the EU membership, it will be easier to promote the cultural values and we will be included faster in contemporary cultural trends. We will work faster on cultural and sports projects which with their quality and specifics will certainly withdraw resources from the EU funds.
ONASA: How is the cooperation with the relevant ministries to address key issues related to work and survival of seven cultural institutions in BiH?
DUJMOVIĆ: Former FBiH Government adopted a decision on the financing of the famous seven cultural institutions of importance for BiH, and the part of the obligation, arising out of the mentioned decision, the Ministry of Culture and Sports properly fulfills. I believe that this kind of sustaining of these institutions is not good and lasting solution, and that this problem should be addressed at the state level as soon as possible. Otherwise, I actively participate with colleagues from various departments so this problem is effectively removed from the agenda.
ONASA: How much does the Ministry finance work of sports associations and supports young Bosnian athletes? BiH national basketball team up to 17 years of age will compete his year at the World Cup, are there funds in the budget for their trip to this competition?
DUJMOVIĆ: Ministry of Culture and Sports in 2015 allocated for the Basketball Federation of BiH for participation of basketball teams in international competitions, for all teams, the total of 35.000 BAM. For winning a gold medal at the European Basketball Youth Championship in Latvia, the Basketball Federation of BiH was awarded the prize money in the amount of 33.500 BAM. We will certainly support the BiH national basketball team up to 17 years of age that this year competes at the World Championship. In its activities the Ministry pays great attention to young people in the FBiH thus, among other things, we have significantly increased the amount of transfers in 2015.
ONASA: In recent months, a lot was said about your decision on allocation of funds to projects in the field of culture, what are reasons for complaints and do you know who is behind them?
DUJMOVIĆ: The decision on the allocation of funds to culture projects stirred the public, this surge is still occurring, but to a lesser extent than a few months ago. This “uproar” has been raised by a small number of artists and cultural workers from Sarajevo and in noisy, passionate and arrogant manner. They attribute to me that I am incompetent, unprofessional, that I allocate money by nationality, that I prefer peasant culture and that I am committing genocide against the culture, marginalize international culture at the expense of folklore and irrelevant cultural events. I was ”honored” by various insults and labels, for example, that I come from the underworld, I am a zombie and the like. For this ”uproar” about the culture the main reason is money. The mentioned until now were accustomed to good appanage from the state manger, but now that is gone, the Minister is bad. There is a lot of evidence for this, and the example is that they did not raise a fuss when the budget of the FBiH reduced the amount of money for culture! They were angered by the radical shift in the conduct of cultural policy, as now it is necessary to report how was the money spent and the contributions arising in the form of cultural product.
We will continue democratization of culture and conduct of proper cultural policy even more intensively, and in that we are helped by a number of institutions and cultural institutions, cantonal ministries of culture, sports organizations, associations of citizens, as well as numerous artists, cultural workers, amateurs, enthusiasts and many young people from the FBiH.
ONASA: Based on what criteria have you brought the mentioned decision on the allocation of funds?
DUJMOVIĆ: Money is distributed according to the Regulations, which is professionally made. Submitted applications for projects, for funding, are evaluated consistently and strictly and it is done appropriately by committees. Each committee has five members, and there are five committees. Committees consists of professional and experienced staff of the Ministry, and the testament to their good work in the allocation of funds for cultural and sports projects are numerous letters of thanks, support and the like. In the end, I can rightly say that the culture and sports in the FBiH are climbing the ladder of values. Evident are the impressive results achieved by the institutional, free, as well as the enthusiastic amateur activities in culture and sports. (end)