The annual celebration of Serbian art, history, and culture among members of the community living in Britain is preparing to enter the digital stage, with a host of fascinating online lectures, music shows, and even a FIFA videogame tournament.

First held in 2009 as ‘Serbian Week in Great Britain’ in London and Leeds, the festival was expanded due to its success to other cities across Britain and now takes place over a whole month. It aims to preserve and nurture Serbian customs and language, usually through theatre productions, Folklore dance recitals, book fairs and lectures, at locations such as the Serbian Embassy, Orthodox Church or Library in London. It seems fitting, though, that on the unlucky 13th anniversary of the event, things couldn’t go as normal due to the pandemic. 

Despite the obvious setbacks that come with a shift to online platforms – like the unfortunate lack of buffets with delicious Serbian cuisine – the undeniably exciting plus it brings, however, is that people across Britain and Serbia can come together, with speakers at many of the lectures calling in internationally. 

This year’s theme is ‘British Serbs’, with a particular focus on the experiences of young people growing up with Serbian heritage in Britain, and a series of articles exploring this topic has been published in the ‘Serbian Month’ magazine, which can be accessed at the link below:

https://serbiancouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/SERBIAN-MONTH-2021_compressed.pdf

The month will kick off with a virtual tour of the Temple of Saint Sava (‘Hram Svetog Save’), one of the most significant landmarks in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital. Already available on YouTube to watch, it showcases the beautiful frescos and mosaics of the building.

Throughout the rest of the month, various speakers will appear as guests at live book readings, music and poetry recitals, and lectures, including several on the current Covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of Serbian medical professionals working in Britain.

If you would like to learn more and join the celebration of Serbian culture, be sure to look into some of the events, all of which will be recorded and available on the YouTube channel below:

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmFirlwVyVgDP7PrXmsgVbw