52nd edition of the "Slovo Gorčina" Culture Festival concluded in the town on the Bregava River

(Patria) - Another edition of the "Slovo Gorčina" Culture Festival in Stolac has successfully concluded, with a rich and diverse program, featuring a total of 18 events at 4 locations, including poetry, literature, stage, visual, and musical arts.

The fifty-second edition of the Festival concluded with the performance of the play "Mirna Bosna" by the Chamber Theatre 55 from Sarajevo, in which Vanesa Glođo, Feđa Štukan, Gordana Boban, and Davor Golubović delivered notable performances. The hall was filled to capacity, and the audience gave the ensemble a thunderous ovation.

On the third day of the Festival, at Makova hiža, the poetry collection "Titove pjesme" by last year's winner of the "Mak Dizdar" award, the young Adnan Bratić from Mostar, was promoted. The discussion was moderated by Marko Tomaš. Afterward, the exhibition "Pohvala ruci" by the artist Branimir Karanović from Serbia was opened. In the Šipad festival center, as part of the "In memoriam" program dedicated to the writer Dževad Karahasan, Vahidin Preljević, Alija Pirić, Enes Karić, and Hadžem Hajdarević spoke. Nenad Rizvanović, Kristina Ljevak, and Gorčin Dizdar presented the Bulgarian writer Zdravka Evtimova and her creative opus, while Goran Samardžić moderated a discussion with the writer Drago Glamuzina.

We remind you that the "Slovo Gorčina" Culture Festival was held from July 28 to 30 in Stolac, with the presence of a large number of eminent participants and visitors from the country and the region. The festival was officially opened at the Radimlja necropolis of stećci, the most important location for "Slovo Gorčina," with a tasting of excellent wines from the Carski Vinogradi Mostar winery. The opening ceremony program was broadcast live by BHRT. This was followed by a concert by musicians Bartolomej Stanković, Andrea Fisher, and Snježana Pavičević. They performed and presented the musical opus of the composer David Mastikosa from Banja Luka.

In addition to them, the musical moments were complemented and enhanced by the Mixed Choir BKZ Preporod Brčko. At Makovo mjesto, the bearer of poetic word was the regional actor, drama champion of the National Theatre Sarajevo, Izudin Bajrović, who, in his own distinctive and recognizable way, interpreted some of the most famous poems of Mak Dizdar. Then, the jury president Nenad Rizvanović announced the best young poets, out of over 90 submitted manuscripts, namely the first three recipients of the "Mak Dizdar" award 2023 for the best unpublished poetry collection.

Third place was won by Luka Nešković for the poetry collection "Intencije," second place went to Adrian Satja Kurdi for "Barometar muškosti," while first place was awarded to Lucija Kozina for the poetry collection "Žena duh i njena soba." At the end of the evening, the festival's poetry program was held - a program dedicated to the guest poet, president of PEN center, Asmir Kujović, where, along with a discussion and reading of verses, the literary opus of this writer was presented.

On Saturday, the second day of the festival, the exhibitions "Reject" by Sarajevo artist Denis Haračić, and "Povelje bosanskih vladara i vlastelina" (Charters of Bosnian Rulers and Lords) from the Museum of Bosnian Middle Ages were opened at the main festival center Šipad. Building on the exhibition about the Bosnian Middle Ages, a round table "Naslijeđe bosanskog srednjovjekovlja" (Heritage of the Bosnian Middle Ages) was organized. The program continued with the presentation of the creative opus of the eminent writer Dubravka Ugrešić during the "In memoriam" program.

The book "Mak i bosnistika" (Mak and Bosnian Studies) by Elmedina Maglajlija Hodžić, which represents an important contribution to the study of Bosnian Studies, was also promoted, and a literary program dedicated to Laszlo Vegel was held. The evening at Radimlja began with the awarding of the festival prize "Prije svitanja" (Before Dawn) for the best poem written during the festival, continued with a literary program with academician Abdulah Sidran, and concluded with a magnificent concert by the master of sevdah, Božo Vreć, among the stone sleepers.

The festival organizers especially thank the partners, patrons, sponsors, and media sponsors for their selfless contribution and support, ensuring that Mak's dream under the Stolac sky continues to live and grow: Prolab, Mak Dizdar Foundation, Buybook Publishing House, Chamber Theatre 55, BHRT, Oslobođenje, RSG, ZIRA, La Terra Nostra, UNIQA Osiguranje in BiH, Sparkasse Bank BiH, City Šped, Leda, Namex, AC Blok / Blok d.o.o., OSCE Mission in BiH, Carski Vinogradi Mostar, Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton, HNK Tourist Board, Foundation for Musical, Stage and Visual Arts Sarajevo, Publishing Foundation, Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of HNK, Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports, and others.