Lesbian Organisation Rijeka (LORI), is one of the the oldest queer initiatives of Croatia, founded in 2000. Our guest today, Antonija Stojanović Almesberger, founded its sister event: Smoqua, a queer feminist festival. Based by the Croatian coast she fights for the legal rights and living standards of queer people.
Although Rijeka seems to be a nice and tolerant meadow compared to the rest of the country, there’s a lot of room for improvement. For example, Antonija had to work though some loopholes just to get enough funding that would help set up Smoqua. Though a bit generalising, she refers to a research that points out the Croatian public opinion is more conservative than they were sixty years ago. In turn, this only makes her more passionate about fighting for equal rights for people of all genders and sexualities.
Despite her activist fire, her dearest musical memory takes place in a calm grassy field. She fondly remembers that day of live music out in the open. I forgot to ask of there is a link between her organising a festival and having seen bands play en plein air, but sometimes questions like that slip through the cracks. Have you seen any great open air live shows as well? Let us know through the contact form below!
Content warning: War, Homophobia
Flashback Track: Nirvana – The Man Who Sold the World
Queer Artist Spotlight: Queen – I Want to Break Free
Best Live Experience: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Dark Necessities
Recent Discovery: Gnucci – Fuck What They Want, We Are What They Need
Shownotes
Related Episodes
Get in touch through Queersounds.com/Contact
Also available through Apple Podcasts and Spotify