CCSakurabana-eng: October 2014

Hi there, people. We are Sakurabana Belgrade. We're geeks, we're friendly, we like all things Japan, we organize nerdy events, and over the years we have managed to make quite a name for ourselves in this part of the world. Now, we have a plan for something big.

About us:

The association Sakurabana was established in 2007, and since then it has been promoting Japanese pop-culture in Serbia and the region - anime, manga, video games, fashion, music, cosplay, you name it. Our best known accomplishment is the big annual convention Japanizam which has become an important part of our city's cultural landscape. In addition to the con, we organize a lot of smaller events, but we're particularly proud on our everyday activities that bring Japan closer to fans from Serbia on daily basis. These activities include the following:

Manga library – one of a kind in the Balkans, with more than 500 books
Manga school "Mugen" – a workshop where manga fans may learn how to draw one for themselves
Lectures, panels and round tables – getting intellectual on various interesting pop-culture topics, learning new things and partaking in debates
Origami workshop – getting a glimpse in one of the most traditional Japanese crafts
Video game tournaments – weekly show-offs between our dedicated gamers
Cosplay workshop – helping people make their own costumes, from sewing basics to armor crafting and complex makeup techniques.

Over the years, we have changed several locations where our daily activities were held. Certain circumstances are forcing us to relocate again - but this time, we would like to make something bigger and more ambitious, to create something that will last longer and liven up the daily lives of fellow geeks.

We want to establish our very own (pop) cultural center.

Video about us:

About the project:

The Cultural Center Sakurabana will surely be a unique place - it will be a home for all fans of Japanese pop-culture where they can come, hang out, meet others who share the same interests and tastes, and engage in any of the activities that we've listed above. It will also help us expand our list of activities, by adding a gallery space for exhibitions, including new workshops such as Japanese language for beginners, or offering other alternative forms of entertainment in the lines of table top RPG campaigns or board game tournaments. We will also open our doors to other associations dealing with pop-culture - anything related to fantasy or Sci-Fi fandoms - so that we can join forces and come up with more content together.

The main thing we need for our Cultural Center is, well, the place where it will be located - a building, an apartment, a montage house, or any roof over our heads that we can call our own.

So far, we were renting the premises where our activities were held. However, in the recent months the renting prices in Belgrade have gone unreasonably high, making us spend most of our budget on the rent, instead of investing that money into the con and other events that we are organizing. For our events to grow, and for our daily activities to run smoothly, we need a working space that will be in our ownership.

What We Need:

The minimal amount of money needed to purchase our future premises is $80 000. That is enough for about a 50 m2 space in the wider city center. If we manage to collect more funds, we will purchase a larger premises (and consequently include more activities) - so essentially it's up to you guys to decide how big we can go.

All the money will go to Sakurabana's account. The space that we will purchase will be officially registered as the property of Sakurabana Belgrade, meaning that it will collectively belong to the Serbian fans of Japanese pop-culture, as well as their friends and guests.

What you get:

Apart from feeling good from knowing that you have supported a worthy cause, you will also receive some quite unique perks - your name on the wall of our future Cultural Center, membership at Sakurabana and VIP tickets to our con, or exclusive artwork from eminent local artists and amazing photos from the world-famous Serbian cosplay duo, the one and only OriSor. Check out our Perks for a full list of things you will receive in turn for your support - and remember that we will add new stuff over time!

The Impact:

Now we can go on and on how awesome and cool our Cultural Center will be and how Belgrade deserves such a place, but while all of this is absolutely true, there is one reason in particular why CC Sakurabana needs to exist: it is important for the community.

Serbia has been through a lot, and even now our everyday life is not that rosy. While geeky hobbies are not that uncommon, they're still far away from the mainstream, and people who harbor interests perceived as outside the norm are often faced with a lack of understanding, or even rejection and contempt - especially if they're younger and vulnerable, like the teenagers we're working with on daily basis. In CC Sakurabana, they will find a place to belong, a safe family, where they're accepted as they are, without the stress to fit in at all costs. They will make new friends, gain self-esteem, develop their talents and learn many new things - from creative skills at our manga, origami and cosplay workshops, to cultural knowledge at our panels and lectures. They will expand their horizons, become more tolerant and grow into strong and wonderful adults - we know what we're saying because we've seen it happening so many times over the years. Hell, some of us had started their career at Sakurabana exactly in this manner, and now we're successful grownups - which is why we believe that such a safe haven is so important for future generations.

Another significant impact of CC Sakurabana will be improving the image of the Republic of Serbia. In the recent years our con's popularity has been growing, and every summer more and more people from abroad visit Belgrade just to attend Japanizam. We have important international partners, like the London MCM Comic Con where the EuroCosplay Championship is held - the winner of cosplay competition at Japanizam goes to London where he or she will defend the national colours of Serbia at the European finals. Sakurabana also allows the cosplayers from Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania to compete at Japanizam and possibly go to London, which gives a lot of regional importance to our con. In short, our activities have put Serbia on the map of all fellow geeks from around the globe - and bigger events and more activities in CC Sakurabana would also contribute more to Serbia's reputation.

Risks & Challenges:

This is an ambitious project and we know we ask for a lot of money, so we are aware of the risks that may befall us if what we raise is not enough. Long story short:

If we collect more than $80,000 - cross your fingers - we will buy a bigger place and make all our dreams come true.
If we collect less than $80,000, but still enough to purchase smaller real estate in Belgrade, what can we say, CC Sakurabana will not be as big as we've hoped but it will still happen.
If we fail to collect enough money to buy a place of our own, then all the money raised will be invested into one last Japanizam: it will be the biggest and the craziest con ever, but it will also be the very last one, given that our association cannot survive financially if we keep working under the current conditions.

Other Ways You Can Help:

If you cannot contribute directly, please spread the word - as the saying goes, sharing is caring, the more people find out the better chances we have to meet our goal, and the cause is more than worthy!

If you believe that having a geeky family of your own is important and that CC Sakurabana should exist, share your thoughts on social networks, or spare a few moments to make a short YouTube clip about it. Please don't forget to use the hashtag #CCSakurabana.

And last but not least, to inform the people where and how they can financially contribute to the cause, use the Indiegogo share tools!

UPDATE:

Japanese site for CCSakurabana:

http://www.geocities.jp/marino_hnaqua/for.sakurabana.html

CCSakurabana-eng

Saturday, 11 October 2014

Update 002

Tuesday, 7 October 2014

Help out fellow geeks from Serbia!