In the Museum of Literature and Theater Arts in Sarajevo, a press conference was held today announcing the 53rd edition of the Culture Festival “Slovo Gorčina”.
In the Museum of Literature and Theater Arts in Sarajevo, a press conference was held today announcing the 53rd edition of the Culture Festival “Slovo Gorčina”. The exceptionally high-quality program starts on July 26 and will last until July 28, 2024, and participants from 9 countries will be presented: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, Germany, Poland, Serbia and Switzerland. The detailed program is available on the website https://slovogorcina.ba/program-2024/. The very idea of the culture festival “Slovo Gorčina” originates from Mako Dizdar, who towards the end of his life had the idea to bring all the best of culture and art from Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e. Yugoslavia at the time, to his hometown. The organizers state that today they are guided by that idea and follow that goal, gathering all the best that was created in this area, first of all in literature and poetry, and then more widely, in other areas, such as music, fine arts, theater, etc.
Also, the goal is to present Stolac as a unique city, but also to work on the promotion of significant localities, starting with the necropolis of stećak Radimlje, as a traditional site of maintenance. Those present at the conference were addressed by Gorčin Dizdar, the honorary president of the “Slovo Gorčina” Association, who reminded that the festival is named after one of the most important characters from the song of the same name in the cult collection “Stone Sleeper”. In his further address, he points out that “in recent years, the Culture Festival “Slovo Gorčina” has experienced a true renaissance in terms of programming and organization. I think we can safely say that this year’s program is the most ambitious so far, including the pre-war period when “Slovo Gorčina” enjoyed the full support of the political structures of the time. This festival has developed into a top cultural event of regional and even European dimensions, and all this in a unique, completely unique way that is in line with the long-ago dream and words of Mako Dizdar.”
Dubravko Barbarić, member of the Board of Directors and president of the Organizing Committee explained that the “Slovo Gorčina” festival in Stolac not only places Stolac in the cultural center of our country, but also of the region. The program of this year’s festival clearly confirms this. Artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia and many other countries will gather under the Stolac sky for three days and live Mako’s poetic dream among the stećci. This gathering once again confirms the importance of reminding of cultural and historical heritage, art and their priceless value, because they are the basis of the identity of every country and people.” In the end, volunteer and member of the Organizing Committee, Najda Rifatbegović, did not hide her enthusiasm for this year’s concept and rich cultural content. In her address to those present, she noted that “the festival, which is enriched with various educational, literary and artistic programs, whose participants come from within and outside the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, creates a colorful mix of all generations in the ambiance of a small town on Bregava, which is particularly important for students who have the opportunity to meet and get to know experts from the world of culture.”
Rifatbegović invited those interested to attend the program, and pointed out that “although this year we have an outstanding volunteer team, we hope that new students will join us in the coming years, whom I highly recommend staying in Stolac for this year’s edition of the festival.” The official opening of the festival is planned for Friday, July 26 at 8 p.m. at the traditionally most important location for Slovo Gorčina – the necropolis of the stećaks of Radimlje. This year, for the opening act, renowned composer Belma Bešlić-Gál directed a musical and stage performance. It is an intermediate musical performance Behind the Mind [ΔE×Δt≥ħ/2×(1-(v^2/c^2))×∞] which was specially designed for the necropolis of Radimlje and covers the entire area. Historical context, location, language, music, light, silence, and even the ambient sounds of the environment and the presence of the audience are integral elements of this artistic concept. The symbolic basis of the work is created from several songs by Mako Dizdar. After that, the expert jury will announce the best young poets, i.e. the first three winners of the “Mak Dizdar” award in 2024 for the best unpublished collection of poetry. Furthermore, the audience will have the opportunity to attend the poetic part of the program, in which the guest poet Marko Tomaš will perform, and the conversation will be moderated by Tomislav Brlek. At the end of the evening, Festival participants and attendees will enjoy a concert in which the Ubuntu Trio will perform. By the way, this will not be the only musical event. Among the stone sleepers at the necropolis of the stećak of Radimlje, the authentic Macedonian band Mizar, a pioneer of ethno-rock sound, will perform.
In the following days, last year’s winner of the “Mak Dizdar” award, Luca Kozina, will be presented, and programs dedicated to important domestic and regional authors await us, BH. to the poet Bisera Alikadić, the poet from Serbia Dragana Mladenović, the Montenegrin-Bosnian-Herzegovinian writer Andrej Nikolaidis and the Macedonian author Tihomir Jančovsko. The History of Bosnia and Herzegovina edition of the UNSA Institute of History and the Spoken Language Workshop by Jasminka Šipka will also be promoted. This year, the following are exhibiting their works: Doyen BiH. paintings Safet Zec as well as promising artist of the younger generation Ira Skopljak-Viteškić, while the third exhibition is dedicated to the great BiH. architecture to Zlatko Ugljen. In the previous year, the greats of the written word Marko Vešović and Hadžem Hajdarević left us. Aware that they and their work must be talked about continuously, at all levels, the organizers have prepared In Memoriam programs. In addition to Vešović and Hajdarević, academician Abdulah Sidran also passed away. Actor Emir Hadžihafizbegović will bring him to life through the recital of Sidran’s dream at the necropolis of the stećak Radimlje. Also, in collaboration with the actors from the Mostar Youth Theater, Jovica Letić will perform the poetic performance Tu, in the distance. Traditionally, there will also be a special festival award, Before the Dawn, for the best song written at the Festival. In addition to the varied program, a significant segment of the Festival is the newsletter, which will contain prose and poetic writings, reviews, expert-art reviews and interviews. This year’s edition of the festival newsletter was edited by Matija Bošnjak and Đorđije Radulović.
Source: blesak.info
