Festival 'Sevdalinko u srcu te nosim': Main award to be named after Safet Isović

(Patria) - Last week in Tuzla, an Agreement on the rights to use the name of the doyen of BH sevdalinka, Safet Isović, for the main award of the competitive part of the festival 'Sevdalinko, u srcu te nosim' was signed. The agreement was signed by representatives of the cantonal ministries for trade, tourism and transport, and culture, sport and youth, representatives of Safet Isović's family, and the festival organizers. This year, the 11th Festival will be held in Tuzla from June 17 to 19.

The main award of the Sevdalinko u srcu te nosim festival will, from this year, bear the name of Safet Isović, considered by many to be the most successful performer of Bosnian sevdalinka of all time. The award will be presented on the second, competitive evening of the Festival, where new compositions written in the spirit and tradition of the sevdalinka song will be performed.

"I was delighted when I heard, given that we all know who Safet Isović is. A winner who receives such an award should be proud because that award has weight precisely because it bears the name Safet Isović," says Emina Pašić-Isović, Safet Isović's wife.

The main task of the Festival is the promotion and nurturing of sevdalinka, and a few years ago, the Festival organizer - the Association of Musical Artists Tuzla - also launched an initiative to register sevdalinka on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

"Sevdalinka is precisely what will contribute to the spread of BiH's culture, to the world knowing about it, and of course, that same sevdalinka will truly be an element because of which tourists will come to BiH and want to hear sevdalinka," said Vesna Isabegović, a member of the Festival's Organizing Committee.

This year's, 11th festival will last for three days. On the first day, for the first time, a regional competitive Accordion Night is planned, where the greatest virtuosos of this instrument from across the Balkans have already confirmed their participation.

"The second night is a competitive night with new songs written in the spirit of sevdah, where we will present this very award. While the third night of the Festival is now traditionally a gala night, featuring some of the biggest regional stars," announced Ramiza Milkunić, director of this Festival.

The festival begins on June 17 and will be held at the Bosnian Cultural Center Tuzla. The organization is supported by the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sport, the City of Tuzla, and the Government of TK, while the patron is the State Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with UNESCO.