Temporary Illegal Youth and Culture Centre to Open in Zagreb

16 April 2007

The Union for the Centre for Youth and Independent Culture which includes Zagreb based organizations working in the are of youth and independent culture, announced, last Wednesday, April 11, the opening of the Temporary Illegal Youth and Culture Centre, during the Operation City: Jedinstvo manifestation that will take place at former factory �Jedinstvo�, April 26-29, 2007.

The four-day event will present, on five sites, a variety of programmes: exhibitions, performances, film screenings, round-table discussions, workshops and a big musical event. The detailed programme shall be available later this week.

This action is a direct result of the lack of proper communication with City Administration, which has ignored, over the past two years, all obligations it assumed after the public debate (Spring 2005) on the key issues of youth and independent culture organizations.

The public debate - organized by �Zagreb � Cultural Capital of Europe 3000� (platform of eight organizations), MAMA, Mocvara and Attack Clubs, Clubture and Croatian Youth Network � resulted in a Declaration which imposed on the city administration, represented by Mayor Milan Bandic, the obligation to implement nine measures designed to solve the problem of adequate space and facilities for youth and independent culture organizations; implementation of City Programmes for the youth; as well as their sustainability.

In spite of all the efforts by the involved organizations and networks, the administration neglected its obligations and blocked all forms of official communication. Not a single promise materialized in concrete action.

Among other things, the Declaration imposed the obligation to complete the works on former industrial complex Jedinstvo and identify proper management model for it. Although the factory was given to cultural organizations to use seven years ago, some of them were forced to leave it because of substandard conditions (Attack, KUFER), while the management responsibility fell on the Association for Development of Culture (ADC). ADC tried to solve the problems of maintenance, use and management on several occasions, but faced only ignorance and obstructions by City administration.

Over the past several years, the organizations invested substantial funds of their own in repair and reconstruction work, more than matching the City�s 660,000 Kuna. Furthermore, all City investments ceased in 2003, in spite of the fact that most of the space remains unusable and a lot still remains to be done.

�In order to protect our past investments and to solve, albeit temporarily and partially, the burning issue of lacking space for youth and independent culture activities, we secured the funds necessary to provide for the minimum of conditions for organization of public events. The reconstruction of the central hall, for example, has cost us about 400,000 Kuna�, say the organizations in a joint statement.

�After the opening, the �Jedinstvo� factory will be open for a variety of youth in independent culture programmes. All organizations, initiatives and individuals that wish to work with us are invited to contact us�, adds the statement and adds that additional information will be soon available online on www.jedinstvo.info.

The organizations appealed to the City Administration to start the implementation of measures, an obligation it assumed under the Declaration, but also in several strategic documents of its own, such as the City Programme of Youth Activities. The key initial step, in their view, would be for the City to join the activities towards the establishment of the Centre for Youth and Independent Culture.

The estimates and projections prepared by the Union of Youth and Independent Culture organizations state that, having in mind the number and dynamics of such activities, some 7,000 square metres of space would be needed.

�Jedinstvo has the capacity (2,600 square metres) so satisfy just a faction of those needs. The Temporary Illegal Centre, obviously, is not that future centre in its own right, but it is seen as a part of the greater facility that would be dedicated to performance and music programmes, while other types of contents and needs are to be covered by other facilities. One such facility is the former factory �Badel�, which we are not prepared to give up on, yet�, says the Joint Statement.

In order to avoid a situation in which all discussion and communication on this issue is conducted behind close doors, immediately after the Operation City: Jedinstvo event, the Union plans to organize a pubic debate, with participation of experts, representatives of various governmental authorities and the media. The debate will be used as a venue to present the project proposal on structure and operations of the future Centre.