The beginnings of a civil campaign

Some 50 Hungarian, Slovak and Slovak-Hungarian intellectuals met in Bratislava on Friday evening. They discussed a kind of campaign whose aim would be to say: "Can't we just behave normally?" What did they conclude?

Michal Kascak of Pohoda Festival © hvg.hu

Hungarian performers at Slovak rock festivals, bilingual book publishing, guest directors in theatres and joint research projects between the two countries' Academies of Science. But there is a problem. The media is preoccupied with a totally different message, blocked by nationalism and politics. And that's all we hear about. And that's where the arguments began in Bratislava.

Most of those in the room thought a civil campaign was needed. A logo, a slogan which would say that "normal" things were happening here.

Some, mostly from the Hungarian side, thought a joint campaign was unnecessary. A joint symbol would rapidly lose its meaning and become suspect if it was financed using public money. They preferred to concentrate on the detailed organisational work. A campaign against flu was impossible - everyone should take their own medicine.

These looked to be Hungarian fears. Slovakia has experience of authentic and successful civil campaigns, such as the one that led to the fall of Vladimir Meciar. In Hungary, by contrast, the most successful symbols have been maps of Greater Hungary and the Arpad flag, which is associated with extremism. There is no symbol in Hungary that could compete with that.

Benedek Vassak, A38 © hvg.hu

But that's just what's needed, many said. It's not the audiences for cultural events that need persuading. The director Juraj Johanides quoted Gyorgy Konrad, saying: there's nothing the middle class won't accept. The real challenge is to make nationalism unpalatable for the broader majority. Jeno Hartyandi from the Mediawave festival said this could be achieved not by campaigning but by continuously "making a noise," while Mikita Svatopluj, an art teacher, and Juraj Carny, a gallery owner, called for rapid, effective communication.

The graphic artist Peter Kukorelli announced his project for December - a Christmas tree swap between Budapest and Bratislava. He brought a flash film to illustrate the process. It was affectionate and viral.

This is where it could begin.