The process of registering Sevdalinka on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list has begun and a conference was held in Tuzla today.
The activities on which the team of experts appointed by the Bosnian Commission after the nomination will work in the coming months were presented. In an effort to preserve the original form of the Sevdalinka and not to “desecrate” its interpretation by the arrangement and presentation, the Association of Musicians Tuzla has organised the Sevdalinka Festival since 2008.
“Sevdalinka demands the whole heart and soul to adequately convey them and to sing and record them accordingly. We decided to gather all relevant personalities of the state leadership to talk about this topic.
In December 2016, precisely on 16 December, we submitted the initiative to nominate the Sevdalinka for the UNESCO list and this initiative was adopted.
A working group of experts was set up.
I think that our beautiful “Bosnian lady” should have been on the UNESCO list a long time ago, because Sevdalinka is the visiting card of Bosnia-Herzegovina ist˝, said Ramiza Milkunić from the Association of Music Artists from Tuzla. Prof. Dr. Amira Redžić, head of the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Civil Affairs BiH, member of the State Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO and member of the expert team for the nomination of Sevdalinka for the Intangible Cultural Heritage List, also spoke about the importance of the inclusion of Sevdalinka on the list of immaterial cultural heritage. “If a country stands as a candidate and the world recognizes its value and its cultural-historical heritage, it is a gain for that country. Bosnia-Herzegovina is rich in cultural-historical heritage, both material and immaterial. We can be proud of the fact that cultural assets such as the Old Bridge of Mostar, the Bridge of Višegrad, the embroidery from Zmijanje and the woodcarving from Konjic have already been included. This means an image increase of Bosnia and the presentation of Bosnian culture anderen˝, said Prof. Dr. Redžić and added that she hoped that the duration of the process to include Sevdalinka on the UNESCO list would be counted in months and not years.
(Tuzlanski.ba, 25.01.2018)
