On Thursday, October 13th, 2011, DodoLab's dodos appeared on the balcony of Radio Rijeka to attempt to make a speech about the city to its citizens. The dodo tried to speak in Croatian and the results were a rather garbled stream of mispronunciations. On the street below, printed versions were handed out to the public to explain what the dodo was trying to say. Following is the text from the English handout for the citizens of Rijeka.

The Dodo Bird has arrived, dear Rijeka, to speak to you. Sadly however he appears to not be able to speak any language well, if at all, which makes him very difficult to understand and translate. We have worked with a team of experts and prepared this text (based on what we understand from speeches he has done in other cities) which we think will be close to what the dodo will say to you today. But we might be wrong. The dodo bird seems to contradict himself constantly. And, it is unclear if he is making statements or asking questions. So in the end, you must decide for yourself what you think the dodo bird is trying to say.


Dear Rijeka,

What kind of city is this? Where are you going and what do you need to do to get there? Are you a city that can deal with change? Can you evolve quickly and adapt to what is happening around you, to new things, new ideas and new challenges? 

Look at me! I am all that is left of the dodos, gone but not forgotten, once happy and prosperous in our little island home by the sea, only to be wiped out when our homeland changed, when new things were introduced. We had evolved to only survive in our unique way, in a special place, but when those ships came bringing new creatures from outside, we could not change, could not adapt quickly enough, and so we disappeared, very fast, gone before anyone noticed. 

Are You Going My Way?

What kind of city is this? 

[The dodo bird is difficult to understand at this point but what we think he will do is try to ask the city the following questions:]

Is Rijeka a city of ACTION or REACTION?
Is Rijeka a city of ANARCHY or ORDER?
Is Rijeka a city of ENTHUSIASM or APATHY?
Is Rijeka a city of INDEPENDENCE or DEPENDENCE?
Is Rijeka a city of HOMOGENEITY or DIVERSITY?
Is Rijeka a city of STILLNESS or FLOW?
Is Rijeka a city of DESIRE or HABIT?
Is Rijeka a city of ENCOURAGEMENT or IMPEDIMENTS?
Is Rijeka a city of MOBILITY or STASIS?
Is Rijeka a city of OPTIMISM or PESSIMISM?
Is Rijeka a city of RESILIENCE or RIGIDITY?
Is Rijeka a city of PROGRESS or TRADITION?
Is Rijeka a city of LIVING or LEAVING?
Is Rijeka a city of WATCHING or BEING WATCHED?
Is Rijeka a city of LEADERS or FOLLOWERS?
Is Rijeka a city of ROCK or FOLK?
Is Rijeka a city of KNOWLEDGE or IGNORANCE? 
Is Rijeka a city of FUTURE or PAST?
Is Rijeka a city of VIOLENCE or TOLERANCE?

Dear Rijeka,
What are the things you have lost? [The dodo bird usually begins a long list. We aren't sure what he will say today to Rijeka, but some things we think he might list are 15000 inhabitants, lots of cargo ships in the port, view on St.Vitus Cathedral, trams, trolleys, green areas in the city centre, Rikard Bencic factory, papermill, airport traffic, Aleksandar Abramov (young student brutally killed in the centre)]

What are the things you have gained [Again another long list. He might say things like the pier, app. 10 new shopping centres, kindergarten "Srdoči", "Zagrad" business complex, Statue of walker on Korzo, Statue of Kamov (poet), first coffee-book store, cheap taxi, free wireless in city centre. But we aren't sure.]

What is coming? [The dodo begins another list, perhaps listing things like the European Union, new Main Bus station, more young people/ students, new waterfront area (at Delta), capitalism, increased student mobility]

Are you still an inventive city, a city that creates and nurtures, that prospers through change, as you have done so many times before. Is this a city for young people? A city with an edge? A city of possibilities? A city of the future?  
 
Where are you going, dear Rijeka? Are You Going My Way?