Seventh Children's Festival on April 25 in Zenica Arena

ZENICA, (Patria) - The Seventh Children's Festival, organized by the Yunus Emre Institute, will be held on April 25, 2019, starting at 1:30 PM in the Arena in Zenica. Approximately 6,500 children from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely elementary school students who study the Turkish language as part of their curriculum, are expected to attend the seventh Children's Festival. This year's, the seventh in a row, Children's Festival is held under the auspices of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, and the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Children's Festival is the final program of annual activities organized within the framework of the project "My Choice is Turkish," which the Yunus Emre Institute has been implementing in BiH since the 2011/2012 school year. In the first year of the project's implementation, 1,100 students from the 6th to 9th grades in elementary schools across BiH chose Turkish as a foreign language. Seven years later, 8,522 elementary and high school students in BiH are learning Turkish. To date, 12,197 students have had the opportunity to learn the Turkish language during their schooling.

"At the Yunus Emre Institute, with the project 'My Choice is Turkish,' we wanted to contribute to the improvement of the educational process by offering students the opportunity to learn Turkish as a foreign language in school. In this way, we want to further strengthen the friendly, cultural, and historical ties that have existed for centuries between the Bosnian and Turkish peoples. Within the project, various competitions are also organized for elementary and high school students, such as sports events, competitions in literary and art works, and numerous other competitions where we reward the best with valuable prizes," said Mehmet Akif Yaman, director of the Yunus Emre Institute in Sarajevo.

This year, appropriate awards will be presented to the winners of the Turkish language competition, talent competition, and the competition for the best artwork and best selfie.

In addition to the 6,500 students who will participate in the 7th Children's Festival in Zenica, numerous dignitaries have confirmed their attendance, including cantonal prime ministers, cantonal ministers of education, mayors, school principals, and representatives of Turkish organizations and institutions in BiH. The Children's Festival, which is traditionally held every year, offers rich cultural and artistic content.

Participants will once again be able to enjoy excellent student performances this year, and the organizer has also arranged for surprise guests.

The Yunus Emre Institute was founded in 2007 with the aim of presenting Turkey, the Turkish language, history, culture, and art, providing services to those who wish to educate themselves in these areas, and developing friendships and strengthening cultural exchange between Turkey and other countries. The Yunus Emre Institute began its work in 2009 and opened its representative office in BiH in the same year. Today, it has more than 58 cultural centers worldwide, organizing numerous activities that, in addition to presenting Turkish culture and art, aim to represent the Republic of Turkey at national and international events.