Art, culture, film and music celebrated in Creative Summer throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Creative Summer activity of the Info Center of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina represents the richness and diversity of the cultural and artistic creativity of Bosnia and Herzegovina,...
The Creative Summer activity of the Info Center of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina represents the richness and diversity of the cultural and artistic creativity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, inviting the public all over the country to join the unique summer program. We spent hot summer days and evenings again this year exploring museums, learning new skills through creative workshops, and visiting and enjoying the natural and cultural beauties of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the aim of celebrating a creative summer together.
The creative and cultural sectors have great potential for the development and promotion of tourism, heritage and natural beauty that Bosnia and Herzegovina abounds in. Together with experienced and energetic world traveler Robert Dacešin and award-winning photographer Jasmin Agović, in the company of enthusiastic young explorers, we enjoyed a unique adventure of discovering the hidden treasures of our country. The seven-day road trip started in Banja Luka, took us to royal Jajce, then Sarajevo and magical, sun-bathed Herzegovina. We explored the past, enjoyed culture, learned about the rich heritage of our country, acquired new skills and learned to take the perfect photo to present the beauty of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the best possible way.
An essential part of Creative Summer is visiting and exploring museums throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina and organising entertaining, educational and interactive programs for the youngest visitors. Together with curators, museum educators and experts, hundreds of young creatives and researchers had the opportunity to discover the secrets of museum materials and learn about the heritage that museums preserve, learn new skills and write their own museum stories.
Creative Summer also took us to numerous art galleries that hosted a traveling exhibition of award-winning works from the first international Sarajevo Photography Festival. The exhibition was presented in Kakanj, Maglaj and Bihać, offering local photography lovers the opportunity to enjoy inspiring photographs of international authors, as well as the intriguing works of the Spanish artist Oscar Alvard, awarded the EU Grand Prix prize at this year’s festival.
Creativity, inspiration and talent exist not only in studios, galleries, museums and stages, they are omnipresent, both in everyday life and circumstances, and in the space in which we operate. By cooperating with festivals throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose place of expression is most often streets, squares, public spaces for meeting and exchanging ideas, ideals and inspiration, we have discovered the numerous talents of young writers, musicians, activists and those who live through their artistic expression. From the performances of the City Youth Orchestra of Stolac, performances and art on the streets of Prijedor, through ŠaFest and the Artistic Work Action of the Youth Festival in Tuzla, the playful and unique atmosphere at ColorFest in Brčko, young talents at the PYAF festival in Jablanica to the energetic performances of Dubioza Kolektiv, After Affair, DJ Indigo and Damir Imamović through the art festival Desant na Jajce, all the way to enjoying the creativity of animation at the NAFF festival in Neum, we witnessed Bosnia and Herzegovina’s endless talent.
During Sarajevo Film Festival, we marked and celebrated the European Union’s support for cultural development, discussed research on the importance of building peace and reconciliation through the art of film, and supported a residency of Ukrainian film professionals, which enabled them to participate in festival activities and continue the development of their creative projects in a safe environment, while researching and becoming familiar with the post-war development of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Creativity, talent, solidarity and togetherness were celebrated in the best way with the big festival finale – a performance of the internationally recognised BiH DJ Solomun, who gathered tens of thousands of people in the centre of Sarajevo to once again send out strong messages from a city that is teeming with potential and proudly celebrates its culture and heritage. We conclude our activities by entering theatres and enjoying the talent of young artists through Juventafest, the renowned AlJazeera Doc Fest and performances at the Zaplet festival in Banja Luka, leaving behind another unforgettable colourful, youthful, enthusiastic and talent-filled Creative Summer.
