RINGING AGAINST SILENCE

October 5, 2026, at 7 PM
Museum of the Nineties, Kneza Miloša 3, Belgrade

For Novi optimizam, October 5 is the most significant date in Serbia’s modern history. It marks the most important social and political change in contemporary Serbia and stands as a symbol of civic courage, solidarity, responsibility, and the possibility of social change. At the same time, for us, it is a symbol of optimism that must not be allowed to fade.

That is why, on October 5, Novi optimizam and the Museum of the Nineties, in collaboration with KUD Sloboda from Zrenjanin, are organizing a central commemoration of this date through the exhibition “Ringing Against Silence,”dedicated to the Green Bell from Zrenjanin.

The Green Bell began operating in 1991, at a time of war, the dissolution of the state, and shrinking space for freedom of thought. For more than two decades, it was a place for music, art, conversation, encounters, and diverse opinions.

The exhibition presents part of the preserved archive of the Green Bell — photographs, posters, newspaper articles, tickets, and other documentation — and recalls a time when culture, public dialogue, and civic courage represented important forms of resistance to silence.

As part of the exhibition, a panel discussion titled “Ringing Against Silence” will be moderated by Dragoljub “Draža” Petrović, Editor-in-Chief of Danas.

Participants:

Željko Bodrožić, journalist and President of NUNS
Marina Fratucan, journalist

Dr. Ivan Medenica, theatre critic, theatre scholar, and university professor
Dr. Ksenija Radulović, Professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts

Dr. Dragan Popović, historian, lawyer, and human rights activist
Dr. Stanislava Barać, literary historian and research advisor at the Institute for Literature and Art

Janko Baljak, film director and Professor at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts
Petar Janjatović, music journalist and rock critic

Dr. Rastko Stefanović, visual artist
Vojislava Crnjanski Spasojević, journalist and cultural blogger

On October 5, we will talk about the period that preceded the changes, the Green Bell as a space for freedom and alternative thought, and what freedom, solidarity, civic responsibility, and optimism mean today.

RINGING AGAINST SILENCE.

WHO IS THE GREEN BELL RINGING FOR?