Cultural roundup
03/05/2006
A review of sports, entertainment and cultural news in Southeast Europe since 26 April.
(Various sources – 26/04/06 – 03/05/06)
 Catalina Ponor of Romania celebrates after winning the gold medal on the balance beam during the individual finals of the 26th European Women Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Volos, Greece on Sunday (30 April). [Getty Images] |
Turkish Co-operation and Development Agency head Suleyman Yilmaz says his organisation is ready to support the reconstruction of the Mehmed-Pasha Sokolovic Bridge on the Drina river in Visegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Yilmaz made the announcement during a trip to Visegrad last week. The Ottoman-era bridge is on the list of BiH national monuments.
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A unique exhibition featuring the Bulgarian Medieval Age's golden and silver treasures opened at the National Museum of History in Sofia last week. Some 400 items dating back to the Second Bulgarian State (12th-14th centuries) and the Late Medieval (15th-17th centuries) are on display for the first time.
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Croatian director Ivona Luka's documentary "Facing the Day" won the Grand Prix award for Best Film at the 15th edition of the Days of Croatian Film festival, held in Zagreb from 25-28 April. The film was honoured at several foreign festivals earlier in the year.
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Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis will be awarded the Commandeur of the Legion of Honour -- France's highest honour issued to foreign artists, intellectuals and scientists. Theodorakis will receive the award during French European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna's official visit to Athens on 17 May.
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Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk was named one of the year's 100 most influential people by Time magazine. He was acknowledged for his writing and for speaking out on controversial issues, including tthe WWI-era massacres of Armenians. Pamuk was the only representative of the Balkans on the list.
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The first Croatian rafting regatta "Zrmanja 2006" took place on the Zrmanja River last weekend. Thirty-two teams, including one led by Transport and Tourism Minister Bozidar Kalmeta, participated. The event was aimed at promoting tourism in Croatia, particularly in the Zadar region.
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Macedonian baritone Boris Trajanov celebrated his 20th anniversary on the professional stage with a concert in Skopje on 28 April. Special guests included conductor Fabrizio Carminatti and Macedonia's "gypsy music queen", Esma.
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The National Theatre of Republika Srpska won the award for best performance at the 23rd Nusic Days theatre festival, honouring the great Serbian writer, playwright and satirist Branislav Nusic (1864-1938). The event took place in Smederovo, Serbia, from 24-30 April.
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