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The Symphony
of
Francophonie
World
Law Students
From Ljubljana Artists’
Visiting
Experiences
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NEWSLETTER
MARCH 30, 2012, VOLUME 8, NUMBER
13
Concert to
Commemorate
20 Years of
Recognition
by the U.S.
On the occasion of
the 20th anniversary of the
recognition of Slovenia’s
independence by the United
States, the Ambassador of
the Republic of Slovenia
Roman Kirn and the Chargé
d’Affaires of the Republic
of Croatia Vice Skračić, on
Friday, March 23, 2012,
hosted a concert of the
Zagreb Saxophone Quartet.
Introductory
remarks
were given by both Ambassador
Kirn and Chargé d’Affaires
Skračić, emphasizing important
achievements both countries
have attained in the past 20
years. They both highlighted the
Embassy of Slovenia
2410 California Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008,
USA
T: +1 202 386 66 01
E: vwa@gov.si
washington.embassy.si
From right: Ambassador Kirn, members of Zagreb Saxophone Quartet and
Croatian Chargé d’Affaires Skračić.
excellent rapport with the U.S. as
a partner in political, economic
and cultural cooperation. They
welcomed over 100 guests,
among them representatives
of the U.S. administration, the
diplomatic community, Slovenian
and
Croatian
community
members living in the D.C. area,
and others.
twitter.com/SLOembassyUSA
facebook.com/SLOembassyUSA
The Zagreb Saxophone
Quartet was founded in 1989
and has been performing with
the present members since
then. Dragan Sremec, Goran
Merčep and Saša Nestorović, are
all professors at the University
of Zagreb Music Academy, while
the Slovenian Matjaž Drevenšek
is a saxophone professor at
University of Ljubljana Music
Academy.
The
quartet
has
performed all over the world,
released 13 CDs and won
several discography awards.
Numerous composers dedicated
more than 50 pieces to them. On
Friday evening, they performed
music composed by Croatian
composer Boris Papandopulo,
Slovenian composer Milko Lazar,
and several pieces by American
composers, among them Cole
Porter, Jerome Kern, Matty
Malneck, and Edward Heyman,
all arranged by Saša Nestorović.
Ambassador Kirn and Chargé d’Affaires Skračić giving introducory
remarks.
The
concert
in
Washington was the last one
on their tour through the U.S.,
during which they performed in
Atlanta, Georgia; Minneapolis,
Minnesota; Laramie, Wyoming;
and Tempe, Arizona. After the
performance, the guests were
offered a taste of Slovenian and
Croatian food and wine.
EVENTS
The Symphony of Francophonie
On a sunny Friday
afternoon the doors of the
French Embassy in Washington
DC opened to a crowd of over
1,000 for the annual La Grande
Fête de la Francophonie. An
event proamoting diversity and
culture, it was the ultimate
viewing window into over 35
participating nations and their
various culinary treats, ethnic
photographic and art sculpture
exhibits, as well as general
information packets for those
that wished to learn more about
a certain country.
Tomaž Javornik and Lucija Millonig were representing Slovenian Embassy.
MARCH 30, 2012, PAGE 2
If was a feast of
knowledge for the excited
visitors, presented by the
equally enthusiastic organizers
and various participating (mostly
French-speaking)
nations.
Embassy representatives from
countries such as Haiti and Côte
d’Ivoire, and even the likes of
Slovenia and Romania set up
booths that lined the inside of
the embassy walls.
Patrons all the while
mingled on the floor, sipping
wine, munching on tasty tidbits
and holding goodie bags filled
with brochures, T-shirts, pens,
maps, and any other memorabilia
handed out to them. The
atmosphere was electric and
friendly, with everyone wanting
to know something about
someone or something; a perfect
space to exchange culture.
I spent most of my
evening near the Slovenian
booth, where the aroma of
kranjska klobasa (Carniolian
sausage) and moist, delicate
potica (sweet walnut roll)
permeated the southeast corner
of the embassy. Participants and
patrons alike stopped at this
booth to learn more about this
tiny Slavic nation in the heart of
Europe, and sometimes someone
would just crinkle their nose and
frown before asking, “Is French
even spoken in Slovenia?” While
the official language of Slovenia
is Slovenian, there are some
French-speaking people, but
not very many, and that was the
simple, more polite answer than
just saying no.
The evening continued
on with laughter and cheer. The
warm weather invited strolls in
front of embassy grounds where
pockets of people sitting on the
grass, chatting away about what
they have learned that evening,
could be found.
The
various
national
representatives did their job well in
keeping everyone’s curiosity satisfied
with explanations of country history,
culture, and arts, while all the
sweet and savory tidbits satisfied
everyone’s appetite.
General
entertainment
came from the main hall, where
a French reggae band played
Caribbean tunes, making the
already
overindulged
and
satisfied visitors sway to each
MARCH 30, 2012, PAGE 3
beat and bass-note booming
from the sound system. Many
times, guests would abandon
their plates or conversations
to appreciate the good vibes
the musicality brought to the
evening.
Everyone
definitely
stopped what they were doing
when the drawing to win a
week-long trip to Paris for two
was underway, not because
they might have thought of it
as the highlight of the event –
it definitely wasn’t! - but merely
out of curiosity to see if Lady
Luck would come to someone.
And surely it did! The rest of the
visitors, undismayed, continued
enjoying their evening by hitting
the dance floor to several modern
and old-school hits coming from
the resident DJ who replaced
the live band.
Slowly, with shoes in
hand, and having thrown their
last glasses, emptied of the
chilled Canadian dessert wine,
in the trash, the ladies and
gentlemen of Washington went
home, the general consensus
being that it was indeed a night
of culture and success.
VISIT
Law Students from Ljubljana at the Embassy
Each year in late March,
a group of law students from
Slovenia makes an excursion to
the United States of America.
Within their trip to the U.S.,
they visit New York City and
Washington, D.C. On Tuesday,
March 27, 2012, a group of
30 students, accompanied by
professor of political economy
and international economics
Dr. Franjo Štiblar, visited the
Slovenian Embassy.
At the embassy, the
group was warmly greeted
by Ambassador Roman Kirn
while Deputy Chief of Mission,
Ondina Blokar Drobič presented
the students some facts about
the mission and the embassy’s
range of activities. She outlined
basic features of a diplomat’s
work. The presentation was
followed by a question-andanswer period, during which the
students were given the unique
opportunity to get information
Students of Pravna fakulteta Ljubljana with Ambassador Kirn and Prof. Dr. Franjo
Štiblar in front of the Embassy.
about day-to-day topics in both
Slovenian and U.S. foreign policy.
In the interesting questions they
raised, the students displayed
their vast knowledge of the
subject.
Prior to their visit to the
Slovenian House, the group
visited the United Nations, the
World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund. During their stay
in Washington, they also visited
the U.S. Department of State as
well U.S. Congress, where they
met with Senator Tom Harkin of
Iowa and of Slovenian ancestry.
TRADITIONS
Easter Blessing of Food
The traditional Slovenian
Easter Blessing of ,Food will take
place on Holy Saturday, April 7,
2012, at 3:00 pm in the Slovenian
Chapel of Our Lady of Brezje,
located on the lower level of the
Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception,
4th Street and Michigan Avenue,
Northeast, in Washington, DC.
The event is jointly
sponsored by the Bishop Baraga
Society, Lodge No. 257 of the
KSKJ
(Kranjsko
Slovenska
Katoliška Jednota - American
Slovenian Catholic Union), and
the local Slovenian Union of
America (formerly the Slovenian
Women’s Union of America). The
blessing is open to members,
friends and the public. Fathers
Raymond Wadas and Peter
Rožič, S.J., will bless the food.
Also on the first Sunday
of every month, at 11:00 am,
in the Slovenian Chapel of Our
Lady of Brezje Mass is said in
Slovenian and English.
MARCH 30, 2012, PAGE 4
VISIT
World Artists’ Experiences
On Thursday, March
29, 2012, a group of keen and
enthusiastic travelers visited the
Slovenian Embassy, where they
attended a presentation about
Slovenia from the cultural and
historical aspect. The visit was
organized within the Cultural
Immersion Experiences, which
is one of the four programs of
the World Artists’ Experiences.
The
WAE
bridge
international
understanding
using the universal language of
the arts through Ambassador
Teams producing Ambassador
Series events in communities;
Cultural Immersion Experiences;
International Education; and
Cultural
Appreciation
and
Sustainable Development. The
WAE encourage international
interacting by providing channels
for
communications
and
exchange as well as opportunities
for
cross-cultural
learning.
Slovenia invogorates.
The visit was European
Union-oriented and Slovenia,
as one of the members of the
E.U., was also a stop on their
embassies voyage. Prior to
the Slovenian Embassy, the
group visited the Embassy of
Taste Slovenia.
MARCH 30, 2012, PAGE 5
Austria and the Headquarters
of the E.U. Delegation to the
U.S., which works in close
coordination with the diplomatic
and consular missions of
the 27 E.U. Member States.
At the Slovenian Embassy,
the guests were acquainted
with Slovenia’s fine cuisine, its
culture, natural heritage, and
many other elements that make
the country rich in diversity and
internationally known. They were
also presented a video about
Slovenia’s regions and their
distinctive landmarks as well as
had a chance to taste some of
the Slovenian traditional food.
The guests were invited to view
the current exhibition of a young
Slovenian photographer, Manca
Juvan, titled “Afghanistan: (Un)
Ordinary lives,” which is a great
display of Slovenia’s talent
combined with the awareness
of the world’s challenges.
TOURISM
Kostanjevica na Krki and Surrounding Countryside
Kostanjevica na Krki
is Slovenia’s smallest town,
consisting of two parallel streets
– Ulica Talcev or Veliki Plac
(Great Market) and Oražnova
Ulica or Mali Plac (Little Market).
It is also one of the oldest towns
in Slovenia, first appearing in
historical records in 1220 and
granted town rights in 1252.
The “na Krki” (“on the Krka”)
part of its name is fitting, since
the old part of the town is
actually situated on an island in
a bend of the river Krka, at the
foot of the Gorjanci Hills. As a
result of frequent floods in the
past, when the only way to get
around was by boat, the town
became known as the “Venice of
Lower Carniola”.
At the extreme northern
tip of the island, separate from
the row of terraced houses, is
the parish church of St. James,
built in the 13th century. The
church was originally built before
1220, and has been rebuilt
several times with Romanesque
and Gothic influences and a
Rococo roof. On the southern
outer wall is a 1350 fresco of St.
Christopher, and on the inside
there are Gothic paintings from
the late 15th century.
Another
gem
of
Kostanjevica is the Božidar Jakac
gallery, located in a former
Cistercian monastery founded in
1234. The monastery was active
until 1786, when Emperor Joseph
II dissolved it. The monastery
has been repeatedly rebuilt and,
in 1974, the renovated rooms
were transformed into showcases
of
permanent
collections
representing Slovenian artists such
as Božidar Jakac, Jože Gorjup,
France Gorše, Zoran Didek, Janez
Boljka and Bogdan Borčić. Aside
from artists, this town has also
been home to notable Slovenian
writers, such as Jože Likar, Ilka
Vašte, and Mirko Kuhelj.
Another
notable
attraction not far away from
the town is the Kostanjevica
Cave, which lies at the foot
of Gorjanci, marked by a
MARCH 30, 2012, PAGE 6
rugged karst limestone terrain.
Underground water flows and
tectonic shifts over the course
of millennia have created fairylike formations inside the cave.
The whole cave is a little more
than two kilometers (1.2 miles)
long and the path through the
cave is easily accessible, even
for children and older visitors.
Near Kostanjevica lies
one of the most important
Slovenia’s wetlands and the
largest lowland forest area in
Slovenia—the Krakov Forest.
The Forest is filled with oak,
hornbeam and black alder, and
is home to many endangered
plant and animal species. The
central part of the forest, about
40.5 hectares (10 acres), has
been designated since 1952
a primeval forest reserve.
Krakovski
oaks—centuriesold, and the mightiest oaks in
Slovenia—stand at the outskirts
of the forest.
CULTURE
Maribor Hosting Festival of Roma Culture
The 4th Festival of Roma
Culture, held as part of Maribor’s
stint as the European Capital of
Culture, will open in Slovenia’s
second biggest city on April 2,
bringing together various experts
on the Roma and featuring a series
of lectures and other events.
The Romano Čhon festival,
which will also take place in other
Slovenian cities, will start with
lectures by social anthropologist
Martin Olivera and romologist
Patrick Williams of France, entitled
“When will Roma write about us?”.
This
year’s
festival,
organized by the Ethnographic
Museum and the Roma Academic
Club, will be joined by students and
teachers of the Maribor Faculty of
Arts, who will speak about the
status of the Roma in Slovenia.
Lectures will discuss the
historical context of the arrival of
the Roma in Europe, their social
disadvantages, their treatment in
the media, hate speech against the
Roma, their dignity and language.
According
to
the
organizers, also to be discussed
is Roma culture in Slovenian
literature, inclusion of the Roma
in the Slovenian education system
and their results.
The festival will also
feature a puppet show for Roma
children, various workshops
and concerts, including one by
the legendary Roma singer and
songwriter Esma Redžepova on
April 21.
The festival will close on April 25
at the Maribor University Library
with a lecture on the Roma
women in literature. (STA)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
EU Open House - Volunteers Needed
On May 12, 2012, diplomatic
representations of Member States
of the E.U. and the E.U. Delegation
in the United States in Washington,
DC, will celebrate Europe Day by
organizing the sixth annual E.U.
Open House day. Embassies of all
27 member-countries and the E.U.
Delegation will open their doors,
from 10 am to 4 pm, showcasing
their art, culture, and food, and
introducing the European Union to
the public.
Experience the best of
Europe without a jet lag. Join us for
a day of family fun, music, dancing,
kids‘entertainment,
exhibitions,
vacation planning, and more.
Last year, over 2500 people
visited the Slovenian Embassy, and
MARCH 30, 2012, PAGE 7
this year even more people are
expected. The event has gained
extreme popularity and success, and
we would like to offer anybody the
opportunity to do his part.
If you would like to volunteer
at the Slovenian Embassy, please
send an e-mail to: nuska.
zakrajsek@gov.si. Please sign up
by April 20, 2012.
TO DO LIST
Photo Exhibition Afhganistan (Un)Ordinary Lives
The photo exhibition is a collection of Manca Juvan’s work on Afghanistan and presents a more
nuanced image of the country, one which tells more than just the news coming from reporters. The
photos were taken on several trips to Afghanistan between 2003 and 2009.
When: Ongoing - April 2012
Where: Embassy of The Republic of Slovenia, 2410 California Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
EUYO – European Youth Orchestra: 27 countries - 1 language
Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy. Slovenian members of the orchestra: Irena Rovtar (flute), Klemen
Glas (French horn), Jože Rošer (French horn).
Where: Chapel Hill, NC: Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina
When: Friday, April 13, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Where: Washington, DC: Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
When: Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 4:00 pm
When: Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 8:00pm
Where: New York, NY: Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall
When: Friday, April 20, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Where:
Boston, MA: Symphony Hall
When: Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 7:00pm
Where: Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Auditorium
When: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 7:30pm
Where: Evanston, IL: Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University
More information: www.euyo.org.uk
Wine Tour of leading Slovenian wineries
A tour is scheduled just after Vievinum, an international wine festival in Vienna. The program is
being offered by Unique Slovenia in partnership with former Honorary Consul General of Slovenia
Mark Ryavec.When: June 5-9, 2012
More information: http://www.unique-slovenia.si/si/novice/101/22/vec/slovenia-wine-tour/
Small and Smart: Contemporary Slovenian Architecture in Film
Six recent Slovenian architectural projects, each (re)presented by a five-minute film.
When: April 18, 2012 at 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Where: District Architecture Center, 421 7th Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20004
Registration required at: http://www.cvent.com/d/ccqpv5
The weekly Embassy Newsletter, produced by the Embassy of Slovenia in Washington, is available on: www.washington.embassy.si.
Send us your comments or request for a subscription on: vwa@gov.si,
Editor: Nuška Zakrajšek
MARCH 30, 2012, PAGE 8