However, an analysis of the available facts does not support such claims. The act of organizing a book promotion of a Croatian artist by a Serbian minority organization should not in itself be seen as an act of cultural or political hegemony, and no such elements are evident in the specific case in Pula. In the invitation to the event, published by the organizer on social media (available here<\/a>, archived here<\/a>, event poster available here<\/a>), Vlaho Bukovac\u2019s ethnic background is not mentioned, nor is the author presented as belonging to Serbian culture. The same applies to the event itself, as reported by local and culture-oriented media whose journalists were present on site (see examples here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>). <\/p>\n The promotion was held at the Pula City Library and Reading Room and was attended by public officials, including the Mayor of Pula, Pe\u0111a Grbin<\/strong>, the Head of the Department for Culture and Regional Identity of the Istrian County, Vladimir Torbica<\/strong>, and the Head of the Department for Culture of the City of Pula, Paola Orli\u0107<\/strong> (available here<\/a>, archived here<\/a>). None of those present later raised objections regarding the content or character of the event. <\/p>\n Furthermore, as publishing<\/a> is one of the core and longest-standing activities of the Serbian Cultural Society Prosvjeta, organizing book promotions is part of its regular work<\/a>, carried out within the framework of the legally guaranteed rights of national minorities. My Life was published by the reputable <\/a>Novi Sad publishing house Akademska knjiga<\/a>, whose publications are also available in Croatian bookstores.[1<\/a>] In this context, the participation of a Serbian publisher in a festival in Croatia does not represent an unusual or provocative practice. <\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n Born in Croatia, with an Italian father and a Croatian mother, Vlaho Bukovac lived and worked in several European cultural environments during his life and career, including Croatia, Serbia, the Czech lands, and France. As a result, his work is often described in scholarly literature as being connected to multiple cultural and artistic contexts.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n In conclusion, an analysis of the aforementioned media articles shows that claims of \u201cprovocation\u201d and \u201cappropriation\u201d of Vlaho Bukovac in Pula are directly contrary to publicly available and verifiable facts about the event itself. Based on the available sources, the claim that the promotion of Bukovac\u2019s autobiography in Pula aimed to appropriate Croatian cultural heritage cannot be substantiated. <\/p>\n Such claims represent the dissemination of misinformation about the content and character of events organized by the Serbian national minority in Croatia. The publication of such inaccurate assertions contributes to the creation of distrust and further polarization in the public sphere, particularly when issues concerning national minorities are involved. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n [1]<\/a> Compare: https:\/\/www.superknjizara.hr\/hr\/akademska-knjiga-novi-sad-1<\/a>; https:\/\/www.jesenski-turk.hr\/en\/akademska-knjiga-novi-sad-1<\/a>; https:\/\/www.knjizara-dominovic.hr\/proizvodi\/izdavaci\/akademska-knjiga\/<\/a> (accessed 23 December 2025)<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> https:\/\/www.mojnovisad.com\/vesti\/novosadska-akademska-knjiga-u-zagrebu-i-puli-id73469.html<\/a> (accessed 23 December 2025)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/p-portal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Pula_Jovica_Drobnjak-3-1024x684.jpg\")