Exhibition at the Europe house

The cultural heritage of the region and common motifs of Posavina were presented in the European House, where the cross-border exhibition of handicrafts titled "Gift with meaning" was officially opened, which symbolizes the cultural identity and closeness of the peoples of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The exhibition was organized by NALED and Ethno Network, in partnership with the BH crafts association, through the project "Together for cultural tourism - Cross-border cooperation for better socio-economic development and preservation of traditional crafts", which is implemented with the support of the European Union.

The Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Belgrade, Plamena Halacheva, stated that the EU proudly supports the cultural heritage in Serbia, significantly contributing to the preservation and restoration of many historical sites that are our common cultural heritage. "However, the project we are celebrating today goes far beyond the protection of cultural heritage as such." In this way, we want to strengthen the cross-border cooperation of women. This initiative supports more than 60 guardians of tradition from 18 municipalities across Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, helping them to continue nurturing traditions that are passed down from generation to generation," said Halacheva.

The wife of the British ambassador Caroline Ferguson, the diplomatic patron of the exhibition, called on everyone to appreciate, keep and protect traditional skills. "These skills are not only an essential part of Serbia's cultural heritage, but also a huge potential source of economic income for the keepers of the tradition," Ferguson said.

The initiative of NALED, Ethno network and BH crafts association was also supported by the Director of the Development Fund, Tatjana Matić, emphasizing that it is important both economically and socially. "It is also important to network women, to gather them around a sofra, which is one of the motifs at the exhibition. From these handicrafts you can see the warmth and connection that is woven into each of the motifs. For the Development Fund, sofra motifs and bey ornaments are much more than kilim motifs and a fusion of modern and traditional. With such protocol diplomatic gifts, like around a table, we bring together all those who are important to us, even when it comes to economic, but also geopolitical cooperation," said Matić.

The executive director of NALED and the president of Ethno network, Violeta Jovanović, said that the guardians of tradition who are engaged in the production of handicrafts need an even stronger incentive in order to persevere in the mission of heritage preservation. "We advocate that institutions in Serbia and BiH introduce support measures for social enterprises that would help women secure a source of income and independence for themselves, but also that this practice becomes part of the social criteria for public procurement. It would also help if long-term unemployed women were provided with a simple legal framework and a favorable tax regime that would enable hundreds of women to register and exercise their rights based on work or the right to a pension," said Jovanović.

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