The 21st poetry meeting in Rešetari was staged by hosts the Rešetari Literary and Arts Society and the CHF. The event was held under the high patronage of President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović and under the auspices of the culture ministry, the City of Zagreb and Brod-Posavina County. Also on board as co-organisers and sponsors were the Municipality of Rešetari and the State Office for Croats Abroad.
The 21st annual poetry meeting in Rešetari was staged on the 15th of September by host organisations the Rešetari Literary and Arts Society and the Croatian Heritage Foundation. The event was again this year held under the high patronage of President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović and under the auspices of the culture ministry, the City of Zagreb and Brod-Posavina County. Also on board as co-organisers and sponsors were the Municipality of Rešetari and the State Office for Croats Abroad.
The event opened with the presentation of Rumenilo riječi, the 11th collection of works by young poets, featuring the work of pupils from local elementary and secondary schools and of young people from Macedonia, Romania, and the Lipovljani and Donja Voća municipalities in Croatia. The volume was presented by Croatian language and literature teacher and Rešetari society member Gabrijela Vojvodić. The society’s president Ivan De Villa greeted everyone on behalf of the organisers, followed by Diana Mašala Perković on behalf of the Croatian Heritage Foundation, Rešetari elementary school principal Tihomir Batalo, and Snježana Josipović, the head of the literary section of the Rešetari Literary and Arts Society. Also on hand to greet the gathered was guest of honour Antun Kikaš from the Canadian city of Toronto—it was at his initiative that this gathering of young poets takes place and it is his financial support that sees the publication of a collection of their work.
The afternoon saw the presentation of Umjesto mojih ruku, the 21st collection of works of the Rešetari poetry event. Teacher, writer and literary critic Ivan Slišurić presented this collection of 125 poems. A commemoration programme followed the presentation for now deceased former members of this society of poets. On hand to speak of their contributions were Croatian Writers’ Association president Đuro Vidmarović, teacher Ivan Slišurić, Ljerka Toth Naumova representing the Croatian Community Association of Macedonia, and Snježana Josipović, the head of the 2-9-2-Rešetari poetry section.
The poems of Desanka Matijević (Montenegro), Snježana Trojačanec (Macedonia), Rade Španović (Croatia), Vojislav Nikolić (Croatia), Nada Mojsova (Macedonia), Siniša Božović (Serbia), Vlado Pucak (Sydney) and Mladen Šimić (Serbia) were interpreted by Lidija Puđak and Ljiljana Lipovac.
This was followed by an open discussion with the participation of Rešetari municipal mayor Zlatko Aga and the participants, with contributions from Ilinden (Macedonia) municipal mayor Žika Sojanovski, the president of the Croatian Community Association in Romania Petar Hategan, the head of the Croatian Community Association of Italy’s Trieste Damir Murković, Canadian resident Anton Kikaš, Croatian Community Association of Macedonia executive board member Ljerka Toth Naumova, Croatian Heritage Foundation executive secretary Diana Mašala Perković, South African poet Petar Bašić, and German writers Zdravko Luburić and Malkica Dugeč.
Later that day the event moved on to an Evening of Poetry and the opening of the 21st annual poetry meeting in Rešetari. The event was opened by Croatian Writers’ Association president Đuro Vidmarović. Opening greetings from Rešetari society president Ivan De Villa were followed by poems penned by authors from Canada, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Romania, Italy, Sweden, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Croatia, including, of course, those by members of the hosting Rešetari society, all moderated by poet Lidija Puđak.
The programme was graced by the presence of Josip Čenić and Mijo Mišo Bijuklić, excellent musicians, lyricists and composers from Austria’s Vienna. They were joined by spiritual music singer-songwriter Davor Terzić from the Croatian coastal town of Rovinj and three sisters from Nova Gradiška: Andrea, Lara and Lorena Josipović.
Commendations were presented to all those whose efforts have contributed to the annual success of the event. The next meeting is slated for Rešetari on the 21st of September of 2019. The following day saw the event participants gather for a Roman Catholic mass at the Church of Christ Our King in the village of Rešetari, celebrated by parish priest Josip Bogović and accompanied by singing from Davor and Vesna Terzić, members of the Rešetari society from Istria County.
By: Lidija Puđak; Foto By: Zdenko Vanjek & Momir Divjak
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