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By Aleksandar Vasovic
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BELGRADE (Reuters) – While lockdown measures have eased in Serbia, allowing indoor gatherings of up to 500 people and a soccer match attended by around 20,000, the country\\\’s theaters remain closed and some performers complain that culture is being demoted.
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They say that at a time of crisis, the government has failed to back the country\\\’s arts.
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“Theaters never closed … not even during the Spanish flu (pandemic) or plague or cholera,” said Dusanka Glid, a lead actress at the National Theatre, which is based in the capital Belgrade.
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“It is as if they are being abolished, as if they are redundant,” she told Reuters.
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Serbia has reported 12,522 cases of the coronavirus and 257 deaths.
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In restaurants and cafes around the city, life is returning to normal as people sip coffee and chat.
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Most stage actors, meanwhile, remain out of work and out of pocket.
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As part of Serbia\\\’s 5.1 billion euro ($5.73 billion) recovery program, independent artists received a one-off financial aid payment of 90,000 Serbian dinars ($860.75).
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Under provisions of the 2019 budget, about 0.73% of gross domestic product is allocated to Serbia\\\’s culture.
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Many theaters in Serbia have tried to ride out the pandemic by streaming performances online or airing past plays.
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And in late June and July, Belgrade theaters will start taking turns to use one of Belgrade\\\’s open-air stages. But even that will only last a few weeks, and most theaters will remain closed at least until October, when the new season traditionally begins.
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Sonja Lapatanov, a ballet teacher and former prima ballerina at the National Ballet, said the government, which faces a general election on June 21, was putting mainstream entertainment ahead of theater, opera and dance.
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“When you need to fool the people and you need to give them something to enjoy, then they are given mass events.”
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($1 = 0.8903 euros)
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($1 = 104.5600 Serbian dinars)
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(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
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