Events 2024

The first cycle of media meetings Podpisani! organized by the Municipality of Tolmin concluded on Friday with the fourth evening meeting. The programme manager Mr. Zdravko Duša invited ten Slovenian publicists and experts, known public opinion makers, to come to Tolmin on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I and reflect on war and peace today. This was a part of programme contents related to the receipt of the European Heritage Label for the Memorial Church in Javorca which convinced the European Commission with its timeless message and the common European values it expresses.

• The numerous attendants of the opening meeting held on October 12 in the Tolmin Movie Theatre were persuaded to attend because of the announcement of the conversation with the radio host and columnist Mr. Miha Šalehar and the lecture held by a long-term reporter from the Middle East Mr. Erik Valenčič which was followed by the screening of his movie “Varuhi civilizacije” (The Guardians of Civilisation) dedicated to the disappearing Assyrians in Iraq.
• A week later, on October 19, Mrs. Lučka Kajfež Bogataj Ph.D. appeared in the Tolmin Library and reflected on the dangers of excessive use of natural resources, whilst the editor Mr. Ali Žerdin used his last book “Ujetniki omrežij” (The Captives of Networks) to reflect on global economic-political networks and Slovenian centres of power.
• At the third meeting held in the Tolmin Movie Theatre on October 27, the first discussion was held by the anthropologist Mrs. Svetlana Slapšak who reflected on women, media and wars, whilst the second discussion was held by opinion-makers Mr. Lenart J. Kučić and Mr. Bernard Nežmah Ph.D.
• The content of the last evening on November 2 was prepared by the journalist and editor Mr. Ervin Hladnik Milharčič who was joined by the universal author Mrs. Agata Tomažič to reflect on why we understand the Middle East only as a sequence of wars, riots and social catastrophes and how is this connected to our world and also on how they see us,. The cycle Podpisani! was concluded by Tomaž Mastnak Ph.D. by returning to the starting point and reflecting on the end of World War I and its consequences.

The visit and the audience response to the premiere cycle of such meetings were quite surprising for the programme manager Mr. Zdravko Duša in the best way possible: »Tolmin is an environment with plenty of cultural events at all levels, however, this new initiative was able to find its place and I hope it will become traditional. The prestigious authors and the selected conceptual framework itself provided the traditional contents related to the one hundredth anniversary of the end of World War I with the necessary starting point for the future which is required in order to connect the former and present conditions and gain a better understanding of both. I somehow believe that the majority of the numerous audience that attended all four meetings will agree with this.« Duša also added that cooperation of the Ciril Kosmač Library and the Tolmin Movie Theatre with the Municipality of Tolmin as the producer of the cycle created perfect conditions for the execution of the cycle.

Prepared by: Mrs. Špela Kranjc, Municipality of Tolmin