Tambura House Opens: “Tamburica defined Croatians abroad cultural identity”
- by croatiaweek
- in News
(Photo credit: Office of the President of Croatia/Tomislav Bušljeta)
Tambura House – Slavonian Musical Tale in Slavonski Brod was opened on Friday by Croatian president Zoran Milanović.
During his address at the opening, the president particularly emphasised how the tamburica now connects all Croatian immigrants worldwide, even those from islands who didn’t bring the tamburica with them but accepted and adopted it in distant lands where they settled.
“The tamburica has defined and redefined the cultural Croatian identity abroad. This identity has been placed under the common denominator of tamburica, and you can hear it today in regions where the descendants of people who were not familiar with the tamburica reside,” President Milanović said, reminding that Croatian immigrants play the tamburica in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Chile.
(Photo credit: Office of the President of Croatia/Tomislav Bušljeta)
The total value of the Tambura House project is 3.6 million euros, with 85 percent of that funding co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund, while the remaining 15 percent is provided from the City’s budget.
(Photo credit: Office of the President of Croatia/Tomislav Bušljeta)
(Photo credit: Office of the President of Croatia/Tomislav Bušljeta)
“It doesn’t matter that it’s a large sum of money; what matters is that you’ve used it. This is also our money because we contribute a lot. That money needs to end up here. It’s unlikely that wealthier cities than Slavonski Brod would have enough funds for such an institution without these European funds. That’s the good story of Europe. However, not all stories are good, and not all policies are good. This one is excellent, and I congratulate you on that,” President Milanović remarked.
(Photo credit: Office of the President of Croatia/Tomislav Bušljeta)
He concluded that the Tambura House is “one of the contributions to the construction and preservation of identity and self-respect.”
Before the ceremonial opening, President Milanović, accompanied by the Mayor of Slavonski Brod, Mirko Duspara, the Director of the Art Gallery of the City of Slavonski Brod, Romana Tekić, and the Head of the Tambura House, Ira Panthy, toured the interpretive center of the Tambura House, located in the renovated part of the baroque fortress in Slavonski Brod.
(Photo credit: Office of the President of Croatia/Tomislav Bušljeta)
Alongside President Milanović were the Presidential Advisor for Human Rights and Civil Society, Melita Mulić, and the Special Advisor for Culture, Zdravko Zima.
