The NBW project – No Border Words – deals with the common challenge of promoting mutual understanding and cooperation in the border region. The partners are creating the NO BORDER WORDS project to strengthen mutual cross-border cooperation. At a time when wars are raging on the external borders of Europe and fences are being built on the internal borders, cross-border cooperation is not only topical, it is becoming a necessary topic of everyday thinking and practice.

The first of four events was held in Maribor on Saturday, June 15, 2024, at the premises of the TOTI DCA Maribor Association, Gorkega Street 34. The event was organized by the Cultural Center Maribor (SLO), in collaboration with the partner organization Őri Alapítvány, which arranged transportation from Hungary and facilitated the participation of a large number of attendees in Maribor. Networking among individuals in the fields of culture and art was highly successful, which will make future collaborations much easier.

The event followed the planned schedule, beginning at 6:00 PM with a welcoming performance by the Styria Veterans Band (SLO) / Stájerországi Veteránok Bandája (SLO). After the initial musical performance, the opening of the exhibition by academic painter István Péter Balogh (HU) took place. The exhibition was highly praised and recognized as one of the best in 2024 in Maribor. The musical performance by the Neil Young Sétány group satisfied both discerning listeners and those with less refined tastes. The translation of Péter Sülyi’s poetry added a special charm to the evening, which extended late into the night.

The official conclusion of the event was at 10:00 PM, but the relaxed gathering continued well beyond that. Attendees were offered locally produced food, snacks, desserts, and drinks. The combination of the exhibition opening and the musical-literary performance, complemented by the initial wind orchestra performance, was an excellent formula for a successful event. The event had a strong intergenerational focus, attracting families on their afternoon city stroll, younger generations of artists, writers, and painters, as well as professional visual artists, musicians, and authors. It was an opportunity to socialize and get to know cultural and artistic creators from Hungary and Slovenia.

The No Border Words project proceeds exactly as planned, fulfilling all expectations, goals, and its mission. The events are multifaceted, both in terms of content and the structure of attendees and participants. The number of attendees exceeds expectations, as evidenced by the fact that we had to stop filling out the attendance list due to the large turnout. All goals were fully achieved, and networking among individuals in the fields of culture and art was extremely successful, making future collaborations much easier.

Our task was to connect interested stakeholders, visual artists with gallery owners, writers with other writers, and so on. In discussions, we also prepared for the upcoming events in Hungary. Partner organizations fulfilled their role in creating conditions for collaboration, which is one of the key goals of the No Border Words project. We believe that cooperation will expand beyond the partner organizations, as interested stakeholders in various fields have also connected informally. Two Maribor organizations, TOTI DCA and Naključje 7, also participated in the event’s execution.

The event was covered by RTV Slovenija, which featured an extended segment on the No Border Words project in their show Mostovi – Hidak.

Second event – Art Exhibition: Aleksander Vukan (SLO) and Koltay Dorottya Szonja (HU). On August 9, 2024, the Maribor Cultural Center (SLO) and the Őri Foundation (HU) organized an event that stood out from the usual program at the Ori A. Center. The regular audience of the Ori A. Foundation was surprised to see a wind orchestra at the opening. However, the initial surprise quickly turned into enthusiasm, as the musical accompaniment was met with warm applause.

After the orchestra’s performance, the event moved to the gallery in the main building, where the opening ceremony of the exhibition by Slovenian artist Aleksander Vukan took place. The exhibition curator, Mario Berdič, highlighted how the artist continually surprises his audience—this time by presenting mainly portraits instead of his usual fantasy nudes. Among the works were portraits of famous historical Hungarian figures and cityscapes depicting the central squares of Ljubljana and Budapest.

The opening was musically enriched by performances from members of CZD – Center for Dehumanization and Pijani Čoln. CZD’s acoustic set was enhanced by guest musicians from the Maribor band Siti hlapci, while the Pijani Čoln project was represented by Boban Jankovič with his original music.

Following this, the exhibition of Hungarian artist Koltay Dorottya Szonja’s visual and conceptual works was officially opened by Hungarian director and film producer Andras Der.

The event was documented by numerous professional filmmakers and photographers from both countries. The intergenerational, interdisciplinary creative exchange, along with the discovery of different approaches and organizational cultures, was exceptional.

The gathering continued late into the night, and the event was a complete success, executed according to plan.

Third event – Successful All-Day Gathering of Slovenian and Hungarian Literary Creators. The all-day gathering of poets and writers was pleasant, creative, and exceptionally educational. The event was organized on August 10, 2024.

After the arrival of the bus carrying the Maribor team, we first refreshed ourselves with coffee. The program then unfolded according to the carefully planned schedule, beginning with the presentation of both partner organizations involved in the project. This was followed by a lunch featuring local dishes, which also provided a great opportunity for enjoyable conversation.

A workshop on blogging and writing contributions for the KMCS Media multimedia center was led by Ms. Vlasta Črčinovič, who presented practical examples and approaches to the participants.

During the roundtable discussion on set poetry to music, we learned that at the Hungarian University, a course dedicated to set poetry to music will be introduced in the 2024/2025 academic year, which was both surprising and inspiring for the Slovenian participants. The roundtable was enriched with live performances of set poetry to music by artists from both countries. Those who spoke and performed at the roundtable included: János Másik, László Kollár-Klemencz, Péter Sülyi, Péter Huzella, Matej Krajnc, Bojan Sedmak, and Tone Partljič.

In the final part of the Saturday afternoon, we listened to the performances of poets: Vlasta Črčinovič Krofič, Metka Oset, Manica Sancin Bunc, Ksenija Šešerko, Manja Tement, Danica Zlatar, Jože Kos, Željko Perović, Sara Špelec, Tone Partljič, Lev Detela, Nevenka Miklič Perme, and Matej Krajnc.

The event was excellently organized and successfully achieved its goals of fostering connections, cultural exchange, and bringing the cultures of Slovenia and Hungary closer together.

Photos by NBW