February 23, 2024 – This Friday and Saturday, Hercegovac will host the traditional 29th Days of the Croatian People’s Theatre, an event that has been gathering Croatian theatre amateurs from Croatia and neighbouring countries for almost three decades.
As stated in the Bjelovar-Bilogora county press release, this in many respects unique event was started with the primary goal of preserving the Croatian language and cultural heritage and strengthening the feeling g of belonging to the Motherland. Prefect Marko Marušić, Mayor of Hercegovac Municipality Boro Bašljan, and manager of the People’s Scene in Hercegovina, Natalija Lacina, announced this traditional event together.
“Days of the People’s Theatre in Hercegovac is an event of special importance for the Bjelovar-Bilogora County, which is why I am glad that Čitaonica Hercegovac managed to organize it. Not only recognizable in our county but throughout Croatia and even beyond its borders, this year, with the support of the Municipality and the County the event gathers amateur theatre groups from neighbouring countries and our homeland. What makes me particularly happy is that it speaks of the dedication of these people in preserving both tradition and cultural heritage, and certainly the written and spoken word”, said the prefect, expressing his satisfaction that Hercegovac will be the cultural centre of the Bjelovar-Bilogora County this weekend. Congratulating the organizers on the successful organization of the 29th Days of Croatian People’s Theatre, the prefect invited all theatre lovers to come to Hercegovac this weekend, enjoy the performances and thus support this valuable event.
The mayor of Hercegovac, Boro Bašljan, personally thanked the Bjelovar-Bilogora county and the prefect for the support of the event.
“February is a special month for Hercegovac – on February 5 we celebrate the Day of the municipality. We end the month with this unique festival that was created at the time of the Homeland War and with one noble goal: that Croatian cultural theatre amateurs who live outside the motherland of Croatia have the opportunity to come and present themselves with their plays so that we can hear the language of those people who have lived outside Croatia for decades or centuries, and for them to hear what the modern Croatian literary language sounds like here in a natural environment. It is not an easy thing in a municipality as small as Hercegovac to create an international festival which is in many ways unique in Croatia, and which represents not only Hercegovac but also the Bjelovar-Bilogora County”, said Bašljan, thanking once again for the help of the County, the Registry of Emigrants, and the Ministry of Culture and Media, who regularly support this event.
Natalija Lacina, head of the People’s Scene, invited all theatre enthusiasts on behalf of the organizers of the Hercegovac Čitaonica.
“This festival was started way back in 1995 by Stjepan Banas, who connected the Croatian diaspora with the homeland of Croatia. We are proud and happy that we managed to maintain the tradition of this amateur theatre festival. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the sponsors of the event, the Ministry of Culture and Media, the Bjelovar-Bilogora County and the Municipality of Hercegovac for their support and great help. The Days of the Croatian People’s Theatre are a celebration of theatrical amateurism of Croats from neighbouring countries and our homeland, and the goal of this event is to preserve our common language and heritage and to strengthen the feeling of belonging to the homeland of Croatia”, said Lacina, stressing that the festival has great significance for Hercegovac and Bjelovar-Bilogora. She presented the program of this year’s festival, where amateur theatre groups from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro will present their performances, along with the hosts, actors from the People’s Scene of Hercegovac.
