The Israeli start-up company OrCam presented the "OrCam My Eye" device in Podgorica, which helps blind, visually impaired and dyslexic people.

The first user of this device in Montenegro will be Andrija Samardzic, whom the device was delivered at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The visit of the Israeli delegation to Montenegro is a continuation of the talks that began during the recent visit of Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic to Israel.

A representative of OrCam, Elad Šerfati, said that during his visit Djukanovic recognized certain opportunities for innovation and technology transfer in Montenegro.

"It is a great privilege to meet a president who relies on the introduction of new technologies. That's not common. I thank him for his readiness to open the door to new technology in Montenegro and to enable us to work in a better environment," said Serfati.

He explained that the device is very small, designed as a bluetooth/handset, weighing 22 grams, which can be attached to all glasses.

The person using this device should point to the document or thing they want to read and the reading can be stopped. It is also possible that the device identifies the person in front, and when her/his name is pronounced, the device will remember it and say that name every next time.

 According to Serfati, the device fully protects the privacy of the person who uses it.

Nothing is stored on the device and nothing is sent to the internet cloud. If you read sensitive documents, it will read it for you and then simply dismiss it. Full privacy is guaranteed, said Serfati. He explained that the device will update the software with new features every three to six months.

Serfati said that they still need to talk to the Montenegrin Government about the realization of this program.

"There are still some official procedures we need to do with the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices. We have to register the device. Only when we finish administrative issues can we present it on the market," said Serfati.

According to him, there will be talks about how to finance the device and how to install the Montenegrin language to adjust it to the people who need it and sell it in Montenegro.

Serfati said OrCam has been on the market for nine years, and the value of the company is $1 billion.

OrCam operates in more than 45 countries and, as he said, they expect to work in the Balkans for several months with the support of the Montenegrin Government.

Honorary Consul of Montenegro in Israel, Nimrod Rinot, said that the visit of the Israeli delegation continued the talks that began during the recent visit of Djukanovic to Israel.

He believes that the cooperation of the Israeli company with Montenegro could result in the joint establishment and development of new technology. Andrija Samardzic will be Montenegro's first representative to use the device and will be provided with free software updates when developing a version in the Montenegrin language.

He said this device would be very helpful when reading and pointed out that it is very important to be able to install it to any glasses.

As he said, the device will perform the work of a daily personal assistant to a greater extent.

“It's enough that you do not have to scan and let the screen reader on your computer read it for you, but you can read the document in real time without any special preparations," Samardzic said.

Text by MINA News, on July 2nd, 2019, read more at Vijesti

02 July 2019 - Public institution Museums and Galleries of Budva organized an independent exhibition of the academic painter from Budva - Vaso Nikčević which will be opened at the Memorial House of Stefan Mitrov Ljubiša on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, reports RTV Budva.

Vaso Nikčević (1964, Nikšić) graduated from painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade, in the class of Professor Živojin Turinski. Through solo exhibitions, he presented his work in numerous eminent galleries in Montenegro, the region, and abroad in cities such as Paris and Boston. Also, he participated in numerous joint exhibitions in the country and abroad. He received prestigious awards in Belgrade, 1991, the first prize "Petar Lubarda", and in Podgorica in 1996, the Painting Award of the Association of Artists of Montenegro "Milunović, Stijović, Lubarda".

At the exhibition at the Memorial House of Stefan Mitrov Ljubiša, Nikčević will present the work that he created in the last two years within the cycle "Symbol in Abstraction," for which art historian Nataša Nikčević says that it is "a complex register of the very existence itself, but also cryptically suggested subscriptions about the World, the Universe, the Becoming. The dramaturgy of the painting, its space, its existence has the fundamental constitutive meanings”.

On the two-dimensional surfaces of the canvas, the projection and the metaphor of the artist's self, some core and the unity of active power are traced in the visual layer, where the gestural historical forms can be noted, that connotate the Bible's becoming of the world, conflicts, creation, transcending time as a metaphysical category and as a distant echo of sublime play of Nature. Some of these archetypal historical forms are repeated: a circle - a symbol of integrity, perfection, core (symbol of being, essence), rights, diagonals (symbols of movement, passage), crescent moon (symbol of the astral) - the artist uses symbols of the world.

In addition to the latest works from the cycle "Symbol in Abstraction", this exhibition is special because it represents Nikčević's first solo exhibition featuring his works on paper - smaller formats, as well as two sculptures, made in combined technique, and two larger paintings on fibreboard.

The opening of the exhibition is scheduled for 9 pm, and the exhibition will be open until July 25, 2019.

Read more about cultural events in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.

02 July 2019 - The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro has nominated Ulcinj Salina as a Ramsar Site, and after the recognition, the Salina will become the third site designated as a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site) in Montenegro.

This decision came after Ulcinj Salina was declared a protected area - Nature Park, at the session of the Municipal Assembly of Ulcinj, held on June 24, 2019, on behalf of the Government of Montenegro.

According to the results of the Protection Study, which was made during the proclamation process for the Nature Park, Ulcinj Salina fulfils 6 of the 9 criteria for listing under the Convention on the Wetlands of International Importance, reports Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro.

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism has filled out the Ramsar Information Sheet for the candidacy of Ulcinj Salina for the Ramsar Site in order to submit it to the Ramsar Convention Secretariat.

The Ramsar Convention Secretariat will consider the information provided on the Information Sheet, after which it will publicly announce the proclamation of the Ulcinj Salina as Ramsar Site and include Ulcinj Salina on the list of wetlands of international importance.

The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to become “Contracting Parties”. The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.

Under the “three pillars” of the Convention, the Contracting Parties commit to working towards the wise use of all their wetlands, designating suitable wetlands for the list of Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar List”) and ensuring their effective management and cooperate internationally on transboundary wetlands, shared wetland systems and shared species.

The convention came into force in Montenegro on 3 June 2006. Montenegro currently has 2 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 20,150 hectares: National Park Skadar Lake, which was enlisted in Ramsar list in 1995 and Tivat “Solila” registered in 2013.

The team "Ilic" from Bijela, a family team composed of three generations, united by the love for stone construction, took the first place at the 4th Montenegrin Championship in the construction of stone boundary walls (suvomedja).

The second was the mixed team “Second Chance” from Herceg Novi-Trebinje, while the third place belonged to another mixed, Podgorica-Herceg Novi team, known as "Podgorica at Sea”.

The championship was organized within the event "Our Karst", which was held last weekend at the Orjen mountain. 

By organizing the competition, we want to preserve and revive the ancient art of stone construction in the dry technique, without bonding material. The transfer of this skill from generation to generation is due to our adaptation to the karst life, that is, the adjustment of karst to our needs. What was once a necessity of survival today is a cultural value both in terms of non-material and in terms of material heritage. Also, the art of masonry and the cultural landscape as its product are all the more significant segments of the tourist offer which has long crossed the boundaries of the sun, the beach and the sea. It is important that year-to-year awareness among the local population of the importance of preserving this traditional skill is growing, among other things, through these cultural-sport-recreational competitions, said the organizers.

Orjen’s sedlo (1600 m) was the center of the two-day program dedicated to karst and the preservation of its tradition. The hikers from Herceg Novi and Podgorica ("Subra", "Gorica" ​​and individuals) are traveling through the central part of the massif, visiting its highest but craggiest spots, getting acquainted with the difficulties of crossing this kind of terrain and at the same time the hidden beauty of Orjen.

"Despite the significant range of inaccessibility, Vucji zub (1805 m) and Veliki kabao (1894 m) through the centuries have been significant military milestones, as well as the rebel’s refuges. “Mountain, pastoral, and even old-smuggling paths lead to them, the organizers said.

The organizers were PC "Subra" and the Agency for Development and Protection of Orjen. The event was organized by the Herceg Novi Tourist Organization, Ministry of Sport, Montenegro Mountain Association and Herceg Novi Municipality.

Text by Slavica Kosic, on July 1st 2019, read more at Vijesti

The Police Administration (UP) and the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) fully support the work of the Trust Team which, as it is assessed, represents an important link between the LGBTI community and the police. The trust team of the LGBT community leaders and UP held their first meeting in the new convocation. 

"It was noted that non-governmental organizations dealing with the protection of LGBTI people's rights and the Police Administration are in continuous high-quality cooperation and that the team will endure improving cooperation," the statement said.

Team Trust members agreed that the previous Action Plan needs to be updated so that Team activities are to be more concrete.

"It will further contribute to the ongoing monitoring of LGBT security issues, strengthening confidence and resolving concrete cases of importance to the LGBTI community," the statement reads.

The team believes it is still necessary to carry out activities on the sensitization of police officers, especially those who in the nature of work come into contact with vulnerable groups, including LGBTI people.

"That is why training intended for police officers, initial and advanced, will continue, and it is in line with the training plan foreseen by the "Strategy for Improving the Quality of Life of LGBTI People for the Period 2019-2023" adopted by the Government," the statement said.

The Trust Team will, as agreed, further strengthen the network of LGBTI with contacting police officers in all security centers, which is important for a more effective LGBTI community and local level communication, contributing to further enhancing the rights of those persons.

The trust team, formed by the decision of the Minister of the Interior, consists of officers of the UP, the Ministry of Interior and representatives of non-governmental organizations dealing with the protection of LGBTI persons - LGBT Forum Progress, LGBTIQ Social Center, Juventas, Queer Montenegro and SPECTRA.

Text by MINA News, on July 1st 2019, read more at Vijesti

The second festival of classical music "Mediterranean Notes" was completed on Saturday in Tivat. Over the past nine days, the audience was able to follow the performances of a series of virtuosi of the contemporary classical music at various stages, and it was finished with the concert last night of Roby Lakatos and the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra in Porto Montenegro.

This year's festival was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, Tivat Municipality, "Porto Montenegro" and "Lustica Bay". The entrance to all events was free, and during the closing ceremony, the Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanovic addressed the audience.

Roby Lakatos, Robert Lakatos and Nada Matosevic Oreskovic

The end of the festival enables us to see its broader, social significance, through the verification of the success of applying art music in an attractive tourist setting. Based on this, a better insight into the possibility of creating elite cultural tourism can be gained, with Tivat as an already known destination that strives towards it. The cooperation between the Cultural Center Tivat, Porto Montenegro and Lustica Bay complex is the desirable model which enables realization of one of the priorities of our long-term cultural strategy, which is a more concrete and intensive link between the tourist and cultural potential of Montenegro.

In this context, the festival “Mediterranean Notes” is a manifestation that, with its concept and high criteria in selecting participants, has proven it can be a cultural event whose effects will be felt both in the tourist offer of Tivta, but also in the international affirmation of Montenegro, said the Minister Bogdanovic.

The second "Mediterranean Notes" festival had exceptional visitors, and all segments went far beyond the first edition.

The festival was part of the campaign of the Ministry of Culture "Living the Culture".

Text by Boka News, on June 30th 2019, read more at Boka News

Organized by the branch of Matica Crnogorska in Bar, the Castle of King Nikola held the forum "Montenegrin Emigrants in Latin America - Identity and Their Relationships with the Country of Origin", in which diaspora researcher Dragana Otasevic presented part of several years research in several South American countries.

Otasevic said that her interest in working with a diaspora has family roots as her two great-grandfathers lived in Argentina. When she learned of this, she first started exploring this part of the family history and came to the first contacts in South America.

She spent a month in the largest Montenegrin colonies in Argentina and then received a scholarship to study this subject in Argentina, where she spent three years in education and a research mission.

"The Institute for South American Migrant Studies in Buenos Aires has digitalized databases on all immigrants from 1862 to 1972. This was the starting point for creating a database on our migration. These data on Montenegrin immigrants will soon be published and will also include the knowledge on the relationship of their identity, because there is already the fifth-generation of Montenegrins there," Otasevic said.

Dragana Otasevic completed her basic and specialist studies at the Faculty of Business Management in Bar and completed her master’s studies in International Politics and Economics at the San Andres University in Buenos Aires. She is a graduate at the Master Studies in Politics and Management of International Migration at the Institute for Migration Policy and Asylum of the National University Tres Febrero in Buenos Aires.

"Within the research, she has spent more than two years in Montenegrin communities in Argentina, to study relationships between Montenegro's migration to Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Montenegro, as well as on the identity of the Montenegrin descendants. During her studies, for the needs of the Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she worked as a researcher at the Center for Latin American Migration Studies in Buenos Aires, on the project of collecting data on the entry of Montenegrins into the Republic of Argentina from 1882 to 1960. She is the winner of the National Scholarship for the Excellence of the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Education of Montenegro, as well as awards for the best master’s degree at San Andres in 2018. Her activities within the Montenegrin communities in Argentina were rewarded with a thank-you note of the Montenegrin Community of Buenos Aires 2017," said the mediator of the panel, Mr. Ivan Jovovic, President of the branch Matica Crnogorska in Bar.

Otasevic said that she achieved the communication with our immigrants foremost through the social networks, and then she began to visit the provinces of Argentina where our colonies were the most numerous.

Indeed, the emotion they have towards Montenegro is interesting, and they have preserved their Montenegrin identity and have a great desire to intensify contacts with the country of their origin. The Montenegrin tradition and customs are the most preserved in the province of Ćako, including our kitchen, so in Montenegrin Argentine families, they prepare kastradina, kacamak ... I did not only visit our emigrant associations, but I participated in all of their activities, staying with Montenegrins on Tierra del Fuego. It is extremely important to emphasize that before 1918 all these associations in Argentina were Montenegrin, and after 1918 their Yugoslavization began. In Buenos Aires, between 1920 and 1930, the Montenegrin peasant party was very active, as a branch of the party with the same name in the United States," said Otasevic.

Pointing out that this was the opportunity to provide adequate information on essential identities of our emigrants in Argentina, Peru and Uruguay, Jovovic emphasized that Otasevic's research was enabled on the basis of an international memorandum of cooperation concluded by the Department of Diaspora of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Latin American Migration Research Center (CEMLA).

Otasevic gained access to CEMLA databases, which in this area are the largest ones in South America. Of course, the experience gained by Dragana Otasevic in the work with our emigration can make useful recommendations to Montenegrin state authorities and institutions regarding the further approach of the originate country to their diaspora, because in this, for us very distant space, the fifth generation of our emigrants is growing up who have a strong awareness of their identity and country of origin. It is certain that up till now there has not been much interest in enlisting and promoting the overall co-operation of Montenegro with the emigrants from Latin America, and Matica Crnogorska, which was the initiator of this process, was undoubtedly responsible for such developments, "Jovovic said.

Text by Radomir Petric, on June 29th 2019, read more at Vijesti

June, 29, 2019 - The grand finale concert of Roby Lakatos trio and the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Nada Matošević Orešković, will be held tonight at the Synchro Stage Porto Montenegro, starting at 9.30 pm.

“I am very happy that I have come here, it’s a very nice place for a little vacation, because we are spending a holiday here. We have had a rehearsal with the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra and we will play with them tonight, so we are going to spend some very nice time at the concert tonight, I think. I have also listened to two concerts on the festival. It was great on the String Sextet concert, so I have asked young Robert Lakatos, Serbian violinist to come and join us on the concert tonight. Normally it’s a surprise, but he will play with us a surprise encore. It is very interesting that we have the same name, but we are not related. He is really a great young violin player", Lakatos told us before the concert.

The concert is being organized as the finale of the second edition of the Festival Mediterranean Notes, which gathers the world's largest virtuosos, making Tivat one of the largest world classical music scenes these days (21-29. June).

Roby Lakatos is a violin virtuoso and an extremely versatile musician. He is often described by music lovers as a devil fiddler, master of classics, a jazz improviser and he is also a composer and arranger. His unique artistic personality includes all of the above and he combines the brilliant technique with stylish mastery, which make him one of the best violinists in the world.

Lakatos was born in 1965 in the legendary family of Roma musicians. He is a direct descendant of Janos Bihari - the famous "King of Roma violinists", who was admired by Beethoven and Liszt, and who inspired Brahms to devise the themes of his Hungarian dances:

“I am the seventh generation from Janos Bihari, who was the biggest violin player of his time and he was a very good composer for jipsy music, but actually for Hungarian music, because he was playing in the Burg in Vienna and he made famous Hungarian dances, like the palotash, he was very famous. In my family everybody was a violin player – my father, grandfather, each generation. “

The Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra performed at more than three hundred concerts in the country and abroad (Italy, Bosnia and hercegovina, , Serbia, Croatia, Russia, Turkey, Albania, France, Macedonia... After its first performance on December 14, 2007 in Cetinje it has soon become the basis of Montenegrin music life.

Nada Matošević Orešković was the chief conductor of the Rijeka Opera and the general manager of the Croatian National Theatre in the same city.

“The Strings that Connect Us” is the motto of the festival.

28 June 2019 - The only festival of reggae music genre in Montenegro, the Montenegro Sun Reggae Festival, takes place from June 28 to June 30 at the Slovenska beach (at the Rondo swimming pool) in Budva.

Montenegro Sun Reggae Festival annually brings together the best performers of reggae music and popular reggae bands from all over Montenegro, as well as from many other countries of the world, on one stage.

This year's festival was opened on June 28 at 6 pm by the cult reggae band from Serbia - Del Arno Band. According to the organisers, many famous musicians will perform within this year’s festival program, such as Selektuh Dedduh, Horn Smancoyote, DJ Daibi, DJ Bratski Beatz&Rhymes, Natty Fiyah SS and many others. The Slovenian artist Tadiman will have the honour to close the Festival, said for RTV Budva Vinko Mihajlović, the organiser of the festival.

"In addition to the concerts, this year we have also prepared two workshops, one dedicated to drummers from Jamaica, and the other is the Dancehall workshop. Also, during the festival, fans of the reggae sound can expect numerous music surprises, which will mark the splendid start of the summer," Mihajlović stressed.

“Our wish when we organised the festival for the first time was to bring the audience closer to the music, and to bring the music closed to the audience. I hope that we managed to fulfil this goal. Our plans to mark our festivals on world maps have been achieved at the very beginning, so we are recognized in various parts of the world,” stated the organiser.

This year, the Montenegro Sun Reggae Festival is being organized for the first time at the Tourist settlement Slovenska plaža in cooperation with Hotel Group Budvanska rivijera, with the support of the Budva Municipality and the Tourist Organization of Budva.

As announced by the organisers, the cost of a three-day set of tickets for the festival is 20 euros. The price includes all concerts and seminars. Tickets cannot be refunded.

The festival ends on June 30 at 11:30 pm.

Read more about music events in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.