Cultural and artistic societies are not only folklore, those are upbringing-educational institutions breeding generations of quality people, homes of choirs, acting, singing, dancing and ballet groups.
Nowadays, these amateur institutions known among the people by their abbreviation KUD experience a special kind of culture transition, described by the coordinator of KUD Baščaršija and member of the Performing folklore ensemble Namir Čomaga.
“People want culture, and it became an expensive sport. People do not go to the theatre not because they do not love culture, but because they have no money. It costs 80 BAM for a four-member family to go to a play, and it is a great attack on the budget. Precisely amateurism provides people with a piece of culture so that they can enjoy in it. Amateurism preserves the culture and is a basis for everything. This is proven by our public rehearsal, when the hall is filled to capacity,” Čomaga explained.
Čomaga highlighted that there is no more quality amateurism in the Sarajevo Canton, and if there is, it can be found in traces in several societies and associations that work properly.
“We cannot say that it is only the recklessness of the country or that there is no money for it, but it is also about people who are doing it. Our society has been going through different phases and we have always strived for the first place, we have worked during the war and saved a lot, while someone find justification in war. Also, a problem is that there is no longer the border between an amateur and a professional, since those latter are currently marginalized in the society while there are people, dilettantes, who make money of it and live very well, although there is no use of them, only damage. There is no real amateurism and the question is only whether we will bury it on Bare or Vlakovo in three or four years,” Čomaga said.
Čomaga pointed out that, with the help of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, it should be worked on determining who works with whom and how, in order to prevent the black scenario of the degradation of this important aspect of culture.
“To be precise, I would request from the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Sarajevo Canton to form a commission for evaluation of the work of KUD-s. I would ask to jointly organize a seminar for people who work with children, and I would also request protection of national costume, to define which society has which costumes, i.e. to make a catalogue of cultural treasure. Moreover, I would ask for greater funds for KUD-s, with precisely defined criteria,” Čomaga said, adding that cultural and artistic societies should increase their production, and that the KUD Baščaršija has a very good and quality cooperation with mentioned ministries.
(Source: klix.ba)
