Rijeka: diversity as an asset

Rijeka has been named European Capital of Culture for 2020, and is organising a packed programme of over 600 artistic and cultural events, hosting artists from Croatia and all over the world throughout the year-long celebration. Rijeka is also Croatia’s biggest port, and is the latest among a string of other European port cities to be chosen as Capital of Culture. Rijeka’s programme is built in no small part on its distinctive heritage as a port city, and ties in neatly with Goal 6 of the AIVP Agenda 2030, which aims to showcase the culture and unique identity of port cities. We spoke to Mr Vojko Obersnel, Mayor of the City of Rijeka. The City of Rijeka has been a member of AIVP since 2003. It sits on AIVP’s Board of Directors, and is a signatory to the AIVP Agenda 2030. The Port of Rijeka is also a member of AIVP. AIVP – You have named your programme for Rijeka as European Capital of Culture 2020 "Port of diversity". One of the key events at the programme’s launch last February was the "Industrial Opera" staged on the site of the passenger terminal, with the port as its official partner. These are powerful symbols of the importance you place on your city’s port identity. Can you explain briefly the main features of that identity and diversity? Mr Vojko Obersnel, Mayor, City of Rijeka - Port and diversity are two important determinants of Rijeka in every sense. These two concepts describe us both as a city, i.e. as an urban environment, but also as a society. Although itself a symbol of change and migration, the port is the core of the city, the heart of Rijeka. The port is the point from which today's Rijeka grew. Because of the work in the port, the population immigrated literally from everywhere, which is also an important fact in the view of today's Rijeka. On the other hand, we have the living fabric of the city, the Rijekans, which throughout history were exposed to constant changes. Only during the 20th century, Rijeka was under the rule of six states, not counting the temporary state-legal arrangements or military administrations. In this regard, few cities in the world can compare with Rijeka, in which the incredible dynamics of change of the official languages and flags has been noted. Nevertheless, and probably in good part because of this, the awareness that the city is made up primarily of people who decided to call Rijeka their home, has brought us to an important Rijeka’s characteristic, a specific mentality of the Rijekans that respect diversity and truly perceive this diversity as their wealth. Because of such an attitude that everyone has the right to his or her freedom until it encroaches on someone else's, Rijeka is today a multicultural and multi-ethnic city, in which no one's diversity is rejected and pushed to the margin but rather supported. Numerous alternative artistic directions that originated and set off from Rijeka, speak best in support of this. The port itself, a kind of symbol for departure, was transformed specifically at the opening of the Rijeka 2020 - European Capital of Culture to the point of arrival and meeting. The area of the Port of Rijeka,…