More than 130 citizens, young people from 20 communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the first Peace Vibe Fest, that started on September 21, the International Day of Peace, and ended on October 2, the International Day of Nonviolence. The Peace Vibe Fest contributes to better mutual understanding and celebrates efforts and initiatives for a peaceful and stable future for all.
“Although peacebuilding in BiH at first sounds like something complicated, through this Festival we wanted to show that even the small steps that each of us takes can grow into something big and contribute to strengthening trust in our communities,” said 18-year-old Lamija from Vareš. Together with her friends, Lamija organized music workshop as part of the festival, where they created a song about peace. “It is one of our contributions to spreading positive messages and peaceful vibrations.”
Festival was organized with the support of the project„Empowering Trust and Cohesion in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Communities“ (“Možemo bolje”) that is jointly implemented by the European Union in BiH, the United Nations in BiH, the OSCE Mission to BiH and the Council of Europe – Office in Sarajevo.
Theater workshops, film screenings, street actions, dialogues and musical events were held during the festival, where citizens from numerous communities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina connected in fostering a culture of peace, within and between communities.
Radoslav Tokić, president of Croatian Cultural Society „Napredak“ from Jajce, that organized workshop of applied theatre during the festival, said: “Knowledge of history and culture helps in better understanding of others and respect for diversity. Through this workshop, we want to offer our fellow citizens theater as a great tool for working in the community, especially with young people”.
In addition to the activities in local communities, the central event of the Peace Vibe Fest gathered 60 young people in Sarajevo for creative and educational workshops with an aim to empower young people to recognize their role in fostering a culture of peace. Through dialogue on peacebuilding, discussions on the role of young people, analysis of social messages, and theatrical play and improvisation, the participants of the Festival developed new skills and messages of peace that they want to spread in their communities.
“I haven’t been to a more interesting workshop in a long time. Where there were tricky topics, we saw that everything can be resolved through talk and dialogue in order to understand the other side”, said Jasmin from Maglaj.
One of the participants, Aleksandra from Ugljevik, also shared her positive experience: “I really liked the interaction between all participants, that there is no judgment, that everyone is accepted, and that we can all express our opinion. The workshops were phenomenal”.
The project “Možemo bolje” continues to work with local communities, citizens, government representatives and other important partners to strengthen and promote trust and cohesion within and between communities.
