Murals painted on two elementary music schools in Sarajevo and East Sarajevo, with the message “Music unites”, were presented today as part of the campaign of the same name. The goal of the campaign is to strengthen social cohesion and build citizens’ resistance to nationalist rhetoric and political divisions.
Identical murals, painted on two schools, symbolize common values, building trust and connecting different groups and peoples through culture and art. The author of the illustration is Aleksandra Nina Knežević.
“We are trying to rebuild bridges and some kind of real, real common life that should exist here in our country, because we believe that art is a great tool for establishing such a beautiful life. In this case, we paint instruments, that is, we use them, and we visually represent music which actually unites us all”, the artist Benjamin Cengic explains.
“The artist hit the mark with the motifs and the mural is easy to read, it is clear to us that some, albeit slightly more abstract, instruments are shown, but still instruments, which is in line with elementary music school”, Emir Music adds.
When the idea of painting murals at music schools in Sarajevo and East Sarajevo was initiated a year ago, it was gladly accepted in both schools.
“Both directors automatically agreed to the very mention of the idea, not only did they agree, that’s an understatement, but they wholeheartedly supported, they understood that it was a contribution to an idea to promote the common values of the children who attend these schools, their teachers, in the end and parents whose children attend schools, but also the wider communities of both cities and the whole of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, Majda Behrem Stojanov, director of the USAID project PROBudućnost, explained.
The event was organized in two locations, in front of the School for Basic Music Education in Istocno Novo Sarajevo and the Basic Music School in Novo Sarajevo, where a joint performance by students of the two music schools was arranged.
