Ćaci u školu

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Ćaci u školu

A graffiti appeared on January 22, 2025, at the entrance of the Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Gymnasium in Novi Sad, Serbia. It was painted in red on a fence post and was meant to read Đaci u školu (“Students to school”). But the writer used the Cyrillic letter ћ instead of đ, making the phrase “ćaci u školu,” which doesn’t exist in Serbian and caused confusion and jokes about the spelling.

The gymnasium is one of Serbia’s oldest schools, founded in 1810. The graffiti came during a time of local protests at the school and in the country. Students and teachers had protested the principal’s decisions, and the protests were linked to a wider debate after a railway station canopy in Novi Sad collapsed, causing 16 deaths. At the same time, teachers across Serbia were striking for better pay and working conditions.

When people saw the graffiti, many interpreted it as an ill-conceived message asking students to return to school. Some critics pointed to the misspelling as a sign of carelessness, while others connected it to political issues. The word “ćaci” was later altered by painting over it with “ćalci,” meaning “dads,” so the line read “Dads to school.”

The image spread widely on social media, sparking jokes, memes, and discussion. Students jokingly gave the anonymous author a “gold medal for the worst knowledge of Cyrillic.” A satirical Facebook event called “Let’s find Ćaci to send him to school” drew attention for January 24.

Over time, the term “ćaci” also took on political meaning. It was used online as a pejorative for people seen as uncritically loyal to the government, and anti-government protesters used it in satire. A counter-protest camp in Belgrade was named “Ćaciland.”

In June 2025, new graffiti appeared at the same gym reading “Ćaci je živ” (“Ćaci is alive”), echoing the postwar slogan “Tito je živ” (“Tito is alive”). Nearby was another inscription, “Gde ste naci” (“Where are you, Nazis”), referring to a controversial remark by President Vučić.