This public debate, one of the Centre’s first projects, was opened on the day the then Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia proclaimed as the beginning of a “year of culture” in the Republic of Serbia.   

“With this debate we oppose the official cultural policy, and bring into focus some of the real problems this sector is faced with. We have gathered people who are sincerely concerned about the state of our culture in times of dissipation of cultural values, a flood of turbo-folk and primitive commercialisation of culture.” (Ivana Stefanovi?, founder of the Centre and a debate participant) ?

Beginning with one of its key priorities, the need to promote and foster a political and democratic culture, the Centre for Democracy Foundation sought to encourage discussions around culture and its position in our society in order to reach conclusions and use the results of the debate to pave the way for the development of democratic culture. In the years to follow, the Centre has addressed these and related issues of cultural development, cultural policy, creative and artistic freedoms on a number of occasions, especially within the framework of the Democratic political forum. Cultural rights have become an integral part of the Centre’s mission statement as envisaged in the strategic plan for organisational development.