Fuck it !

 By : Prof. Dr. Sabahudin Hadžialić, Doctor Honoris Causa

Does the world understand what it means to critically observe reality eo ipso, to cultivate media literacy?

Politicians across the Balkans, though their counterparts elsewhere are hardly exempt, regard art as a “necessary evil”. Ignorance is no longer merely power; it has become a way of life. And to live in ignorance is to stand in the antechamber of agitation, which inevitably gives way to manipulation. A manipulation they have every reason to perpetuate, having spent the past thirty-five years ruthlessly plundering their own populations. Authoritarian chauvenists, operating according to the amoral code of former communists, stop at nothing, adhering to that infamous maxim: “The worse, the better.” For them, naturally.

We must first educate the educators if we are to educate their voters. And who is better placed to undertake this task than artists, who for centuries have put their own lives on the line, confronting power head-on? The price has often been painful, but their sacrifices have established the foundations upon which we can now demand that artists across the Balkans take up this responsibility themselves.

Through their position, through the very essence of their being, artists must cry out, implore and insist that people learn to observe reality critically. For their own good. Only then can we begin to work for one another, rather than against one another.

The process begins with artists. If we start today, we may begin to see the fruits of media literacy in thirty years' time, for that is the timescale over which the social reflection of a particular era and place takes shape.

Yes, perhaps we must leave it to the artists arriving in London to begin this work with FUCK IT! How far they will get depends on more than the artists themselves. It depends far more on those of us who follow.

After all, even the longest journey begins with a single step.