21.01.2009.

Exhibition on occasion of 130 years of the military press

At the Military Museum at Kalemegdan the exhibition occasioned by the 130 years of the military press in Serbia was opened yesterday. The exhibition was opened by State Secretary Zoran Jeftic. On occasion of 24 January, the Day of the ODBRANA publishing center, the guests were given an opportunity to be introduced to all military papers which had marked an institutionalized and organized informing in the army in the last 130 years.

State Secretary Zoran Jeftic looked back on a very rich history of the military written word which had followed the growth of our country and its army. He reminded the present of the periods when few papers existed focusing on the army. State Secretary characterized the ODBRANA magazine as a paper with its unique visual identity and content, and a new approach to covering all topics related to the Ministry of Defense and SAF.

The director of Odbrana publishing center Lt. Col. Slavoljub Markovic alos the editor in chief thanked the author of the exhibition Lt. Col. Ivan Mijatovic, MA, and to the director of the military museum Colonel Miroslav Knezevic as well as the director of the Center for the documentation of military information and library activities Navy Captain Stanko Supljik for their assistance in organizing the exhibition. Lt. Col. Markovic also presented a special award to Ognejn Topalovic, a conscript doing military service in Odbrana magazine, as he had designed the logo of the exhibition.

-A quill is every reporter’s main tool as today are computer, or a typing machine or even a camera, video camera or a voice recorder. Word remains the symbol of a journalist profession, and word can often have more effect and be more cutting than a sword, so this is why the name of this exhibition is “Quill with the power of the sword”, said Lt. Col. Markovic.

This very rich exhibition focuses on the history of the military press even before 24 January 1879 when by the order of the then military minister Jovan Miskovic, the first military paper was established.

The first private military paper Vojin and then Ratnik, which represent the military press of the Kingdom of Serbia, with the photos of its founders and editors give a special luster to the exhibition. The two superb commanders and warriors, Generals Stepa Stepanovic and Zivojin Misic, were also men of letters and editors of Ratnik.

Their portraits (oil on canvass, author Mihailo Milovanovic) and the personal belongings (Zivojin Misic’s saber and Oak wreath, a silver present given to Stepa Stepanovic o occasion of the liberation of Sarajevo in 1918) are alos presented at the exhibition.

The section of the exhibition dedicated to war photos and photo reporters, is a sort of an homage to this profession, while the Kodak camera which belonged to Dragomis Glisic, a famous photo reporter from WWI, is one of the more important exhibits.

The newer history of the military press is marked by Vojska magazine which is the period from 1992 to 2005 was a central military paper.

The opening of the exhibition was attended by numerous guests from the defense system, public and cultural life as well as media representatives.