“There are a couple of thousand kilometres between us, but through music, film, cartoons and art we are closer than ever to each other. This country has a rich culture with creative people of which it should be proud and it was very important for me to bring artists and journalists from Brussels to meet yours,” noted Nicholas Wieers, producer of the Balkan Trafik! Festival, who brought a group of artists and journalists from Brussels on a three day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In addition to being the producer of the Balkan Trafik! Festival, Wieers is also the author of the comic book “A Voyage through the Balkans”, which explores the rich cultural heritage of the region. The group visited numerous cultural sites throughout Sarajevo, including a visit to Sarajevo City Hall, the reconstruction of which was supported by the European Union. Representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to BiH took the group on a tour of the City Hall and informed them of the reconstruction, which enabled the City Hall to host exhibitions, cultural events and intercultural dialogue, which is the aim of the EU’s support to the reconstruction and promotion of cultural heritage.
Through a demanding schedule, the group met with famous BiH artists, musicians and cultural operators, including Šaša Lošić from Plavi Orkestar, Brano Jakubović from Dubioza Kolektiv, Helem Nejse, Frenkie, Divanhana, famous BiH fashion designer Adnan Hajrulahović HAAD and Rikardo Druškić, internationally acclaimed visual artists who will this year take part in the festival and paint a wall in Brussels. In cooperation with hip-hop musician Frenkie, the group organised two concerts with the Belgian musicians Gloria Boateng and Nephtys, in Sarajevo and Srebrenica.
The concert in Srebrenica, organised in cooperation with organization Srebrenica Wave, concluded the visit and afforded the audience in Srebrenica and guests from Brussels a remarkable experience. “Sarajevo is a beautiful city and we were welcomed by the audience. This entire experience, visiting Sarajevo and Srebrenica, will stay in our memories and will be a great inspiration to us,” said Gloria Boateng.
Balkan Trafik! Festival, marking its 13th anniversary this year, and aims to bring the Western Balkans closer to the European Union through culture, cartoons, dance and films. The festival, organised in Brussels and Paris, gathers artists from the region in order to bring together communities and a unique European diversity.
