„Culture brings meaning to everyday life” – President Katalin Novák at the opening ceremony of Csokonai Forum in Debrecen

The new theatre complex, named Csokonai Forum, was inaugurated on 23 August 2022 with the play „Für Elise” by the Debrecen-born writer Magda Szabó. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of Hungary Katalin Novák.

In her speech, the Head of State stressed that we are fortunate to live in a country where attention is paid and resources are made available to develop culture, where there is the will not only to preserve but also to enrich what is ours.

Katalin Novák, quoting Cicero, said that when arms speak, muses are silent, and that these words are mostly a warning, a warning that if we let them, if we are careless, the muses will grow quiet. Yet we need them all the more in difficult times, because culture can ease pain, alleviate fear and help reconciliation. Culture helps us to understand what we need to learn and what conclusions we should draw from difficult moments, and reminds us that we should not just survive, but live in the true sense of the word. According to the President of Hungary, abandoning culture in the more troubled times means leaving our fears, wounds and pains untreated, and ultimately abandoning ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually.

The Head of State recalled that if Cicero's words were taken for granted, the muses would have sung little or not at all for the Hungarians in the 20th century. Yet even in the face of our fate in the last century, we have always had the strength and the heart to let culture play a role in our lives. "Even in the midst of tragic war losses and under the censorship of ideologies, we could cling to the muses who did not stop singing", the President stressed, adding that our artists even succeeded in profiting from their experiences in the oppressive maze of prohibitions, toleration and subsidies.

Katalin Novák spoke about the fact that it has been 44 years since a provincial theatre was opened the last time in Hungary, and that "we Hungarians are generally of the opinion that when something is done, it should be done with flair, especially at the climax (...) That is why the bullwhip cracks so loudly in the Hortobágy desert, why we kick a fourth into the opponent's goal before the final whistle (...) and why we are opening a new theatre here in Debrecen at the same time as the other one is being renovated". The Head of State was referring to the fact that the existing Csokonai Theatre, which is currently being renovated, could be completed by 2023.

László Papp, Mayor of Debrecen, said that this new intellectual workshop will further enrich the already strong cross-border cultural ties. It will provide an opportunity for theatres from the motherland and theatres from across the border – Hungarian and of other nationalities – to stage their performances.
At the opening ceremony, the building was blessed by Archbishop-Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Hajdúdorog Fülöp Kocsis, Bishop of Debrecen-Níregyháza Ferenc Palánki, and Bishop of the Reformed Diocese of Tiszántúl Károly Fekete.

The new building complex was built in almost 3 years for almost 6 billion HUF. The theatre's 9,000 square metres of space include three multifunctional, disability accessible theatre spaces with a total capacity of 500 people.