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[Not that I have anything against John Lennon, but I have a problem with the
DOS authorities of Novi Sad inviting Yoko Ono to comemorate a street in
Lennon's name after she organized an "Albanian refugee benefit concert" in
New York, when the CNN spotlights were firmly embedded on the region every
single day and NATO's planes were obliterating Serbian cities, but probably
doesn't even know or care about the plight of Serbian refugees over the past
ten years. Note, Ono didn't stage a "Peace Concert" or an "End the War
Concert", but an "Albanian refugee benefit concert" thus clearly taking NO
POSITION on NATO's brutal aggression.
Furthermore, I think that wiping the name of a Serbian leftist, who
fought in the Spanish civil war, off of Novi Sad's city map, when hundreds of
other streets could have been chosen instead to name after Lennon, further
illustrates the callous disregard of the DOS authorities to Yugoslavia' s
long 20th century tradition of resistance to fascism and acts of
internationalist solidarity with other progressive forces around the world
(this follows Kostunica's elimination of Anti-Fascist Resistance Day as
well!!!).
This is yet another small symptom of the DOS authorities attempts to
reprogram Yugoslav and especially Serbian society into the codes of 21st
century colonialism, rewire it into the "high-speed" lanes of today's new
servility and repackage it as yet another commodity for the global market -
an "investor friendly" place, full of "hip" pro-Western NGO-types who tell
great jokes about the backwardness of their own people, who are apparently so
ignorant that they "only know about Novi Sad, well, Belgrade at the most",
while for their part the new, more cosmopolitan Serbs - who btw raise their
daughters "in the spirit of rock and roll, to give [them] a wider perception
of the world" - fawn over individuals that are so unlike stale, old, and
useless, Spanish Civil war resistance fighters and have actually really "left
a mark on the world's cultural heritage" in a "new trend of honouring
worldwide cultural icons in [Yugoslavia]".
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against John Lennon (once again), its
just that the context in which this particular commemoration is occuring in
and the way it's being covered by the BBC are a very interesting example of
the way neoliberal, and especially Blair/Gidden's cuastic brand of "Third
Way" propaganda appropriates what are considered counter-cultural trends to
its own very establishmentarian positions. Nothing new of course, but just
something to definately pause and to mull over for a second...]
Friday, 7 September, 2001, 17:22 GMT 18:22 UK
Lennon Street planned for Serbian city
Lennon: Seen as symbol of peace and freedom
John Lennon is to have a street in Yugoslavia's second city, Novi Sad, named
after him as part of a new trend of honouring worldwide cultural icons in the
country.
The former Beatle's name will replace that of a Serb who took part in the
Spanish civil war in the 1930s.
There is a growing fashion in Yugoslavia for naming roads after artists and
sportsmen, rather than following the tradition of honouring prominent
politicians.
"We decided to name this street after a man who left an important mark in the
world's cultural heritage," said Vladimir Vrgovic, the president of the
commission that made the decision.
Spirit
"We have printed out the board with John Lennon's name and we have decided to
invite his widow Yoko Ono and son Julian to attend the opening ceremony."
Yoko Ono recently opened the renamed John Lennon Airport
The idea to name the road after the musician, who was murdered in 1980, came
from Vrgovic's daughter.
She first came up with the idea in 1998, he said.
"I raised my daughter Milena in the spirit of rock and roll, to give her a
wider perception of the world, unlike many of her peers who only know about
Novi Sad, well, Belgrade at the most."
Peace
The star has already had a street named after him in Russian town of
Chelyabinsk, and Liverpool's airport was recently renamed John Lennon
Airport.
The star's image is also a symbol for peace and freedom at Prague's Lennon
Wall, which was originally a makeshift billboard for dissidents during the
communist era.
Meanwhile, in London, fans have been given the opportunity to see 150 of
Lennon's paintings and sketches, including 13 which have not been seen in
public before.
The art, which depicts Lennon's relationship with Ono and their son Sean
their lives, is on display in west London's Harbour Yard gallery until
Sunday, 9 September.
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