Euro 2008

Sadly, Croatia did not make it to the European football finals. But an incredible atmosphere was present at the Famous Three Kings pub in West Kensington, where the Croatian Students and Young Professionals Network had organised screenings of the matches. The pub is specially equipped for watching sports events and there was a huge turnout. BBC presenter Adrian Chiles was spotted in attendance, and the media also dropped it to report views from those present.

Book launch

Dr.Branko Franolic signs copies of his new book

CSYPN were also behind the launch of “A Historical Outline of Literary Croatian & The Glagolitic Heritage of Croatian Culture by Branko Franolic & Mateo Zagar” in June at the Croatian embassy. Dr Branko Franolic gave a talk about the Croatian language, and answered questions from the audience. Further details on the book can be gained from contacting CSYPN (See useful information).

Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader at the LSE

On 18 June, the London School of Economics hosed Prime Minister Sanader giving a talk on Croatia joining the EU and Nato. The PM gave a very confident and positive performance, impressing the audience from the start. The audience – including many students – asked many questions, all answered by the PM. Not surprisingly, the recent rejection of the Lisbon treaty was fresh in people’s minds. The Prime Minister was certainly bullish about Croatia joining the EU, even invoking the words of Winston Churchill regarding Europe. It seemed clear that the Irish vote would not impede his determination to see Zagreb become a EU city.

Other events

Croatian national day was celebrated in June, with the embassy and CSYPN both holding events. Recent Croatian cinema was showcased at the Riverside studios on the last weekend of June, with a good selection of dramas and documentaries shown.

Doctor Who in Croatia

A number of British TV series have appeared in Croatia over the years, but the latest is one of the most popular in the UK. The TARDIS has materialised in Croatia with the arrival of Doctor Who on Saturday mornings on HTV 2. Where there is Doctor Who, there are Doctor Who fans. Kristina Bogovic runs the Tardis Centar website. We asked her about Doctor Who in Croatia.

Given that Doctor Who is such a huge family hit in the UK and elsewhere in the world, it may puzzle some why its been relegated to youth/children’s slot on Saturday morning. Kristina sheds some light, “Croatian national television is not very fond of science fiction, mainly because there is a steady opinion that they should only release material for masses - and Sci-fi fans aren't a majority.”

Although there are some fans in Croatia, a number of them came across the series accidentally, prior to the series being screened there, including Kristina. “I decided to make the first Doctor Who website in Croatia and for Croats, trying to spread the word about this phenomenal series among those who like Sci-Fi, but also those that don't,” she told us. “We all gather around on our central forum on Sci-Fi Centar website, where I'm trying to create a central place for all Croatian Doctor Who fans.”

One of Tardis Centar’s editors, Ina Gugo, has even managed to obtain an interview with one of the writers of the spin-off series Torchwood.

Despite the poor slot for the series Kristina says, “Even though they put it in the wrong slot, I'm more than happy Croats can finally know more about the Doctor.”

To keep up with the Doctor’s adventures in Croatia, visit Tardis Centar at www.tardiscentar.com.

TOP