The first Week of Croats Abroad began on May 25 with the opening ceremony at the Croatian Heritage Foundation, including an exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Virgilije Nevjestić.
At a period when Croats are dispersed throughout the world, the need for connecting, unity and preservation of identity is stronger than ever. It was precisely to meet this need that the representative event entitled Week of Croats Abroad was organized – a place of meeting, exchange and a sense of belonging for all those who, regardless of where they live, carry Croatia in their hearts. At the beginning of March, at the proposal of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Parliament declared with a unanimous decision the “Week of Croats Abroad”, which will be held every year in the last week of May, along with Statehood Day, with the aim of strengthening the visibility, connection and national self-awareness of Croats outside the homeland and the development of global Croatian unity.
The first Week of Croats Abroad began on May 25 with the opening ceremony at the Croatian Heritage Foundation, including an exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Virgilije Nevjestić, one of the most important Croatian and European artists of the second half of the 20th century, whose oeuvre left a strong mark in art.
The opening ceremony brought together numerous guests from cultural, political and public life, representatives of Croatian communities outside the Republic of Croatia, artists, as well as admirers of Nevjestić’s rich international oeuvre. The opening ceremony of the event and the exhibition was magnified by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, as well as David Vlajčić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Irena Hrstić, Minister of Health, Ivan Šipić, Minister of Demography and Immigration, Nataša Mikuš Žigman, Minister of Regional Development and European Union Funds, Marija Vučković, Minister of Environment and Green Transition, Radovan Fuchs, Minister of Science, Education and Youth, Alen Ružić, Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, as well as Zvonimir Frka-Petešić, Head of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia. The program began with the performance of the anthem of the Republic of Croatia, performed by Arijana Gigliani Philipp from Bosnia and Herzegovina, accompanied by pianist Ivan Batoš.
The opening ceremony was moderated by Ivana Perkovac, who emphasized that the opening of the Week of Croats Abroad, with the exhibition of Virgilije Nevjestić, holds strong symbolic value. Namely, Nevjestić spent almost his entire artistic life in Paris, where he achieved an international career; however, his efforts remained deeply connected with Croatian identity and cultural heritage.
At the opening of the exhibition, the Director of the Croatian Heritage Foundation, Zdeslav Milas, addressed the attendees and highlighted that the Croatian people, wherever they live, breathe with the same heart for their homeland.
“A strong sense of community, belonging and interconnection is especially felt among us today as part of the first Week of Croats Abroad. On the eve of Statehood Day, for homeland and disapora Croatia, a special meaning and legacy was left by the founder of the modern Croatian state, the visionary of Croatian freedom, the first Croatian president Dr. Franjo Tuđman. A great man who understood the strength of the Croatian diaspora. And a man who worked right here 60 years ago at the Croatian Heritage Foundation, believing in connecting homeland and diaspora Croatia. Contemporary Croatian global togetherness today, more clearly than ever, confirms the need to connect our dispersed tracks across all continents and distant meridians. Also contributing to the continuity of strong networking between the homeland and Croats around the world is the Croatian Heritage Foundation in its 75th anniversary, whose mission is to nurture the national, linguistic and cultural identity of Croats abroad,” said Director Milas, among other things.
Vesna Jurić Bulatović, Director of the Virgilije Nevjestić Foundation, addressed the attendees, underscoring the artistic and spiritual value of Virgilije Nevjestić’s oeuvre and the importance of permanently linking it to Croatian cultural heritage.
A special contribution to the ceremony was made by young scholarship recipients – Croats Abroad – through a music and stage recital. Flute student Lucija Vukov performed an etude for the solo flute of Croatian composer Rudolf Matz, while Andrea Nikolovska and Matija Ivković Ivandekić combined music and poetry by interpreting the verses of Virgilije Nevjestić.
In his speech, State Secretary of the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, Zvonko Milas, highlighted that the decision to organize the Week of Croats Abroad was not only a formal act, but “a message that the Croatian nation does not end at the borders of Croatia, and that Croatian identity lives wherever Croatian people live in their language that has been passed on for generations, in faith, in memories, in love for their homeland, wherever they may be. The Week of Croats Abroad was proclaimed to increase and strengthen the visibility of Croats living outside the borders of Croatia, but also so that the Croatian culture originating outside the borders of Our Beautiful Homeland receives a deserved place and so that Croatian emigrants, the Croatian minority and Croatian returnees could tell their stories. Stories about leaving, stories about returning, stories about identity, about Croatia as a permanent choice,” said, among other things, State Secretary Zvonko Milas.
Addressing those present on behalf of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, was Member of Parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Croats Abroad, Zdravka Bušić, who, in an emotional speech, shared with the audience, among other things, the fitting verses of Drago Ivanišević’s famous poem, which, as she says, she once recited in Canada where she was visiting with the first Croatian President, Dr. Franjo Tuđman.
“For Croatia is not land, stone, water, Croatia is a word I learned from my mother and that within the word much deeper than the word, and that which is deeper bonds me with Croatia, with the Croatia of the Croats, with their sufferings, with laughter and hope, it bonds me with the people, so I, as a Croat, am a brother to all people and wherever I go, Croatia is with me.” Virgilije also carried his Croatia to where he was and that is why we must celebrate it today, and that is why I am glad that we are opening the Week of Croats Abroad with his exhibition, which was entitled Nostalgia of Light, and, for me, it always somehow comes down to a nostalgia of words,” said MP Bušić.
In the artistic part of the program, dignitaries and guests enjoyed the performance of “Poetične etide” by Croatian composer Rudolf Matz, performed on the flute by Lucija Vukov from Serbia. Andrea Nikolovska, a Croat from North Macedonia and a piano student at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, also performed, while Matija Ivković Ivandekić from Subotica, a student at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb and a multiple award-winning competitor in natural sciences and music, interpreted the poetry of Virgilije Nevjestić.
The central moment of the program was the speech by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, who opened the exhibition “Nostalgia of Light” with appropriate remarks, thereby officially launching the Week of Croats Abroad.
“The extensive and diverse program in the coming days will further strengthen the unity of diaspora and homeland Croatia – one of the most important political messages and the legacy of the first Croatian President, Dr. Franjo Tuđman. The Government of the Republic of Croatia also implements this in practice through numerous activities of the Croatian Heritage Foundation, the Central State Office for Croats Abroad, the Ministry of Demography and Immigration and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, but also horizontally through all departments, with increasing budgetary allocations. We are placing emphasis on all three components of Croats abroad: Croats as a constituent and equal people in BiH, who have our strong support through numerous precisely defined programs; the Croatian national minority in 12 countries; and the Croatian diaspora around the world. This is also an opportunity to recall the key role of emigrants at the time of the formation of a free and independent Croatia. Their contribution and effort for international positioning during the Homeland War were immeasurable and extremely important for the overall success of the idea of a free and independent Croatia. I would like to thank all Croats abroad who contribute with their investments, the return process and promotion in many countries around the world. It is our mutual connections, contacts and networking that can help us achieve our common goals. Today, Croatia has strengthened its international position. We are a member of the EU, NATO and Schengen, and soon the OECD. Having achieved almost all of our national objectives, we are focused on one of the most important issues facing Europe today – demographic revitalization – in which Croats outside Croatia can play a significant role. That is why we invite all those who want to return to the homeland to do so, especially given the set of preconditions that we, as the Government of the Republic of Croatia, have put in place for this purpose. I wish a lot of success in all the activities of the first Week of Croats Abroad, in the hope that this initiative will become a traditional week of gathering and connecting!”, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
In the final part of the program, Arijana Gigliani Philipp, accompanied by pianist Ivan Batoš, performed the song “Niz bašću” by Milan Prebanda and the aria “Floramye” from Ivo Tijardović’s opera Mala Floramye, which concluded the ceremony in an atmosphere of strong artistic impression and togetherness.
The official part of the program was followed by a viewing of the exhibition, with expert guidance from the exhibition’s author, Snježana Pintarić, during which visitors had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the rich and multifaceted work of Virgilije Nevjestić.
In addition, Croatian Post issued a commemorative postage stamp to mark the Week of Croats Abroad. Ivana Mrkonjić, President of the Management Board, presented the stamp at the opening to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
The exhibition provides an overview of the most important phases of Nevjestić’s creative work – from his early accomplishments created after completing the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb at the end of the 1960s, through colorfully luxurious aquatints and expressive-surealist compositions of large formats from the 1970s, to monumental graphic cycles such as “Ex Ponto”, “Ex Lex” and “Paris Autumn” from the 1980s, in which the artist synthesizes all his previous experiences and artistic preoccupations. Special attention was drawn to the multimedia projection that presented other segments of Nevjestić’s rich oeuvre, among which stands out the bibliophile edition of the Divine Comedy with graphics by Virgilije Nevjestić, one of the most valuable achievements of his graphic work. In particular, it should be noted that the artist’s entire legacy, according to his wishes, was brought from France to Croatia by his nephew Ivan Nevistić and the Nevistić family, and is today cared for by the Virgilije Nevjestić Foundation, established in 2021.
In addition, the entire Week of Croats Abroad includes a very diverse program – from theater plays, film screenings and exhibitions to concerts and professional conferences. The main events are held at the European Square in downtown Zagreb as part of the Promenade of Culture, where Croats abroad are presented through song, dance, games, cultural presentations and a diverse culinary offer. Join us with your families these days, with numerous participants from different parts of the world, who will, from our capital – representing contemporary creativity – send greetings to all corners of the world, with special pride in Croatian tradition, language and customs.
The Week of Croats Abroad places particular emphasis on young people, enabling them to become familiar with their roots through participation and to feel a sense of belonging to a community that transcends borders. There are almost a thousand participants from all over the world in our capital.
Text: CHF; Foto: Krasnodar Peršun
